Portland’s mayor, Ted Wheeler, has accused Donald Trump of conducting “urban warfare” after he was caught up in the teargassing of protesters by federal forces sent to quell Black Lives Matter demonstrations in the city.
But Wheeler, who was left gasping for air by the teargas, was himself the target of anger and mockery from activists who accused him of sending the city police to attack other protests.
“I’m not going to lie. It stings. It’s hard to breathe, and I can tell you with 100% honesty I saw nothing that provoked this response,” Wheeler said as he stood with protesters outside the federal courthouse that has become the focus of confrontation.
“This is flat-out urban warfare, and it’s being brought on the people of this country by the president of the United States, and it’s got to stop now.”
Protests into the early hours of Thursday morning were more contained than in previous nights after the authorities were finally able to erect a fence around the courthouse that could withstand attack by demonstrators.
Protesters quickly tore down barriers on other nights but the stronger fortification kept them from reaching the front of the courthouse which meant members of the Department of Homeland Security taskforce sent by Trump largely remained behind the fence firing teargas over it.
But the standoff showed how far the federal forces have fallen short of the president’s pledge to restore order in Portland, a liberal city with a long history of street protest.
The DHS taskforce is largely trapped inside the courthouse grounds with the protesters generally controlling the streets outside.
Earlier in the evening, Wheeler, who as mayor is also Portland’s police commissioner, attempted to reassure protesters at a large and peaceful demonstration that he was committed to police reform. But he was met with jeers and forced to admit that change had not come quick enough.
“Obviously we have a long way to go,” Wheeler told the crowd.
Large numbers of people at the demonstration remained sceptical of the man derided in graffiti as “Ded Wheeler” and “Fed Wheeler”.
“He’s two-faced,” said Jennifer Bradley, a grandmother who joined the Wall of Moms formed to act as a shield between the protesters and the police. “Wheeler’s been on the side of the police when it was attacking Black Lives Matters before the feds arrived. I don’t think he’s done anything to support this movement.”
A daily ritual has evolved in which thousands of protesters rally to the Black Lives Matter cause toward sundown in front of Portland’s justice center which holds the police department and county jail.
As that rally disperses after dark, and many of the protesters leave for home, attention then shifts to the neighbouring federal courthouse. A hard core of demonstrators, many in helmets and gas masks, directly challenge the DHS forces, some by attempting to break into the courthouse. They include a contingent of young white people dressed entirely in black who often appear more committed to the wider causes, including anti-capitalism.
Night after night, the federal officers have responded with waves of teargas and stun grenades. On some nights they have also severely beaten protesters.
But after the demonstrators failed to break down the newly-installed fence they were limited to tossing rubbish over it and setting it on fire. Some shot fireworks at the building.
The DHS forces, mostly drawn from the border patrol and US Marshals Service, gave verbal warnings and then let loose with the teargas, dispersing the crowd immediately in front of the courthouse. This back and forth continued for several hours, resolving little but confirming that neither side is ready to back down as yet.
Wheeler’s tense night-time appearance came hours after attorneys for Oregon urged a judge to issue a restraining order against agents deployed to quell the protests.
The arguments from the state and the US government came in a lawsuit filed by the Oregon attorney general, Ellen Rosenblum, who accused federal agents of arresting protesters without probable cause, whisking them away in unmarked cars and using excessive force. Federal authorities have disputed the allegations.
Trump announced on Wednesday that federal agents would be deployed to Chicago and Albuquerque, New Mexico, to fight rising crime. Democratic mayors of 15 cities condemned the use of federal officers in a letter to the US attorney general.
Associated Press contributed to this report
