Oregon Gov. Kate Brown on Friday said she was sending state troopers to help the Portland police and was creating a unified command structure among city, regional and state law enforcement — a tactic that essentially circumvents a city ban on the use of tear gas as a crowd-control measure. “This is a critical moment. We have seen what happens when armed vigilantes take matters into their own hands. We’ve seen it in Charlottesville, we’ve seen it in Kenosha and, unfortunately, we have seen it in Portland,” she said, referencing deaths in Virginia, Wisconsin and Oregon during clashes between those on the right and left of the political spectrum.
Hmm. Let's see: in Kenosha, a 17 year-old was assaulted by Leftists, and the kid opened fire; killing two and injuring a third. Of course, he shouldn't have had a gun in the first place, as in Wisconsin the legal age for possession is 18. On the other hand, it certainly leveled out the playing field.
In Portland, a right-winger was shot to death by a Leftist in the heart of the city's downtown area - which is likely why today's gathering of right-wingers is being held in a large park on the city's northern edge. The suspect in the shooting, a self-described anti-fascist, was killed the following week by law enforcement as they tried to arrest him in Washington state.
“I am incredibly concerned about the increased risk of violence in Portland this weekend,” Brown told reporters.
Proud Boys chairman Enrique Tarrio said his group did not intend to cause violence.
“We will be peaceful unless provoked. I encourage people to protest us,” Tarrio wrote on Twitter on Thursday. “What we won’t condone or tolerate is violence towards attendees.”
If Kate's so "incredibly concerned", perhaps she should be policing the Leftists.