The Portland police chief had to speak to reporters about the anarchy on her city’s streets after the months of chaos caused by violent extremists pretending to oppose fascism who have wrecked the city’s downtown area and attacked people with impunity and without consequences.
In her press conference, Police Chief Danielle Outlaw argued for a law banning the wearing of masks by demonstrators in the commission of a crime. “We cannot allow people to continue to use the guise of free speech to commit a crime,” she said. “A lot of people are emboldened because they know they can’t be identified.”
That’s a pretty minor change, because it basically would mean you only enforce this after the fact, if they committed an unlawful act. Like, you know, beating someone with a crowbar. But even so she was attacked by the ACLU and Portland Commissioner Amanda Fritz for being unwoke, so, there goes that.
The rest of the presser was garbage, as Jazz Shaw mentioned at Hot Air. Look at this, from Oregon Live’s coverage:
If officers are outnumbered when violence breaks out, though, it doesn’t make sense to send in officers who could be injured, Outlaw said.
“There are barriers to what we’re doing because we don’t have strategic resources to get ahead of these things,” the chief said. “Every demonstration we’ve responded to is reactionary. … We need strategic resources to get ahead of this before it starts so it’s not even allowed to happen in the first place.”
Doesn’t make SENSE? That’s their JOB. Does it make sense to leave citizens in their cars outnumbered? People on the streets? The CITY is outnumbered. It’s your job to get in there and PROTECT that city.
What the heck??
Outlaw also wants permission for police to record entire protest events, not just portions they catch once something starts to go wrong. Makes sense. Raises the question “WHY CAN’T THEY DO THAT ALREADY” but of course the reason is the lunatics in masks who beat people in the face with crowbars think it’s a violation of their rights. They think they’re being SPIED on. Which is also the rationale they offer for attacking people like Andy Ngo in the first place.
There are some good ideas in here. Too bad their buried in crap.