Local leaders in Portland call people to end street violence as police targeted

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• Demonstrators broke the Portland Police Association (PPA) building on Saturday evening and had set the structure on fire.
• Ash Leabenworth, a resident within the vicinity, said that the incident was daunting and argued that strong actions should be done in order to bring change in Portland.
• Addressing the incident during Sunday’s press conference, PPA President Daryl Turner pleaded to end the violence in the city.

Gaining public attention, violent demonstrators entered the Portland Police Association (PPA) premises by force and set the building on fire on Saturday evening.

Around 10:45 pm, protesters entered the PPA’s building and lit it up with fire, Portland Police said. The building was tainted with graffiti as fire remnants were scattered everywhere when the fire was stopped.

Residing near the area, Ash Leabenworth said that the incident was frightening and that strong measures should be taken to keep the community in place. Leabenworth has lived on North Campbell street for eight years and has not observed any disturbing incident until this recent happening.

“We heard shouting and then after a little while we heard a pretty Big Bang which we came to realize was the dumpster being lit on fire in the middle of Lombard,” Leabenworth said.

“Especially last night when the union was caught on fire, so we felt pretty scared for our neighbors then. As much as we do support the protests it’s been a trip having cops out here with their LRAD systems and blowing up the acoustics of the neighborhood,” he added.

Although he found the incident terrible, he said that he understood why demonstrators were furious upon knowing the current plight in the city.

“People are seemingly getting snatched off the streets by federal units that have been sent to Portland and people are understandably upset,” Leabenworth said. “I think that honestly the only thing that brings about change is showing up and doing something dramatic.”

In response to the incident, the PPA held a press conference on Sunday afternoon. President Daryl Turner argued that the violence needs to stop.

“This is no longer about George Floyd; this is no longer about racial equity or social justice. This isn’t about reform, or the evolution of policing. This is about violence, rioting destruction,” he emphasized.

Turner was joined by the Vancouver Avenue First Baptist Church Pastor J.W. Matt Hennessee, who said that everyone needs to be a good listener.

“We want to work with you, and we ask for a moratorium, literally a moratorium on the streets to give us an opportunity to hear you. We want you to know we hear you. We understand there are issues you want to talk about,” Hennessee said.

Source: New York Post