Sunday, August 30, 2020

One dead in shooting in Portland after Trump rally

Emergency workers tend to the victim. Reuters/Sergio Olmos.

One person is dead after a shooting in Portland Oregon after a major Trump rally. Reuters. The incident occurred in downtown Portland where a man was shot in the chest. Police are not releasing the details of the incident or the suspect. The area was the scene of a massive convoy of pro-Trump supporters who drove through the area in their vehicles, which led to some conflict between them and groups like Black Lives Matter and Antifa. However, the shooting occurred long after the caravan had left the area. Other news outlets are reporting that the victim was wearing a "Patriot Prayer" hat, which is a right wing group that has clashed with Antifa in the past. Portland has consistently failed to act against rioters since the death of George Floyd. 



Antifa can be seen celebrating the death on Twitter.

My Comment:
 Yet another case of leftist violence. Add this to the murder of David Dorn, the deaths at the CHAZ/CHOP area, and the child that got killed at Wendy's in Atlanta. I've been hearing for awhile now that Antifa and Black Lives matter aren't violent, but it's pretty obvious that they have amassed quite a butcher's bill.

Given the video of the murder where you clearly hear someone say "We got a Trumper right here", I think it's pretty clear that this murder was politically motivated. And it also seems clear that the victim wasn't doing anything to provoke the attack on him other then exist while wearing right wing gear.

I think this death has to be laid on the feet of Ted Wheeler, the weak and incompetent mayor of Portland. He's resisted sending in the National Guard for months now and has also failed to allow police to arrest rioters. Indeed, he just rejected sending in the National Guard yet again. He will not act against Antifa and Black Lives Matter and people are dying because of it. President Trump says that the National Guard could have solved this problem months ago and I agree. This is happening because Ted Wheeler wants it to happen.

I do have to say that I think this death should be a wakeup call for right wing people. Though I think that rallies and other forms of protest are needed right now, desperately, there is a right way to do it and a wrong way to do it. And the wrong way to do it is by acting alone.

In this case it was clear that the victim was by himself with no one to back him up. He didn't have someone watching his back and he didn't have any help when he was shot and killed. If he had been with a group of people the attacker might have been too worried about retaliation to try anything, or could have been stopped before he carried out his attack.

Going it alone is what got Kyle Rittenhouse in trouble in Kenosha as well. Had he not been alone I doubt the men that attacked him would have done so and even with him being armed it wasn't enough to protect him. I'll say it again, unless you have a few guys with you that you trust, don't go to one of these events. And even then, make sure you stick with your guys and don't get separated.

Indeed, I followed my own advice here. They had some kind of Black Lives Matter related disturbance in my neck of the woods tonight and I wanted to check it out. In the end though I decided against it and not having anyone to back me up is the main reason I stayed home instead. It's clear that anyone that isn't Antifa is at risk from them and trying to go it alone is a very bad idea.

As for what should be done, I sincerely think that President Trump should deploy the National Guard, regardless of what Ted Wheeler wants. The media might screech against it but at this point I doubt there are many actual voters that would care. It's clear that these people are out of control and that something needs to be done.

I do have to say that it was pretty surprising to me that they managed to have such a large rally in Portland, of all placed. I know that Oregon is a red state outside of the city (which outvotes the rest of the state) but even I was shocked at how many cars were able to drop everything and drive through town.

This violence is going to change people's minds. Everyone is sick and tired of these riots and I think the polling is starting to reflect that. Even CNN was saying that Joe Biden needs to start condemning the violence and looting but I think that's too little too late. People are blaming Democrats for these riots and if it continues it's going to ensure that President Trump wins the swing states and could even nudge formerly safe blue states, like Oregon and New York, into swing state territory. Republicans are going to vote like their lives depend on it because it sure looks like it actually does.

No comments:

Post a Comment