State of Emergency Declared in Portland as America Braces for Possible Election Unrest
A state of emergency was declared in Portland as cities across the United States prepare for the possibility of unrest following the Tuesday presidential election.
Oregon Gov. Kate Brown declared a state of emergency in Portland on Monday and has readied the National Guard for deployment.
Portland has been the scene of protests and violent riots since the death of George Floyd in May.
The state of emergency — the city’s second this month — will last from 5 p.m. Monday to 5 p.m. Wednesday, according to Oregon Public Broadcasting.
Law enforcement has been instructed to protect voters from intimidation.
“I want to be very, very clear that voter intimidation and political violence will not be tolerated,” Brown, a Democrat, said.
“Not from the left, not from the right and not from the center. Not this week, not any week in Oregon.”
Brown has put the Oregon State Police and the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office in charge of the city’s law enforcement instead of the Portland Police Bureau, which has been prohibited from using non-lethal munitions against rioters.
The Oregon National Guard is set to remain on standby and will mainly serve to “augment those agencies as needed,” according to a spokesperson.
“We’ve seen firsthand what happens when free expression is fueled by hate,” Brown said.
“We know that there are some people who might want to use peaceful election night protests to promote violence and property destruction. That behavior is not acceptable.”
Meanwhile, Democratic Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker mobilized the National Guard to Chicago, saying that the results of the election may not be known until the end of the week.
The Chicago Office of Emergency Management said National Guardsman are stationed at a convention center and will deploy if called upon by city leaders.
Democratic Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot did not request aid from the National Guard, Fox News reported.
In Los Angeles, Sheriff Alex Villanueva said he will have a “zero tolerance” policy on looting and violence.
Officers are reportedly taking 12-hour shifts and focusing on high-end shopping districts.
NEW/THREAD: LA County Sheriff @LACoSheriff tells me he will have a “zero tolerance” policy on any looting/violence this week. All patrols now on 12 hour shifts. 3 mobile field forces, SRT teams ready to deploy anywhere. Will be watching DTLA, WeHo, Beverly Hills, SM. @FOXLA
— Bill Melugin (@BillFOXLA) November 3, 2020
“An organized effort to create civil unrest, looting, arson, vandalism, everything we saw during the unrest at the end of May and beginning of June, that is always a concern and we’re prepared for that,” Villanueva told KCOP.
“I think the group of people that is willing to do something stupid like start vandalizing and looting is not that big of a group, and we’re gonna be ready for them and we will take action immediately,” he continued.
Villanueva said he would be making the call to deploy the National Guard in the event that his department is unable to quell riots alone.
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