"On Portland’s Streets, The Menace Comes From The Troops," By NYT's Nicholas Kristof

Federal agents clashing with protesters near the Federal District Courthouse in Portland, Ore., on Wednesday.Mason Trinca for The New York Times On Portland’s streets, the menace comes from the troops

By Nicholas Kristof Opinion Columnist, New York Times

I’ve been reporting on the protests in Portland, and I’ve felt zero threat from protesters (except when some pull down masks to chant slogans, risking the spread of Covid-19). But as my new column notes, the real danger to public safety comes from the federal troops — what else can we call them? — whom President Trump has dispatched.

Portland had a real problem with vandalism and unrest. But instead of creating order, the feds are inflaming the unrest, and most of the assaults and injuries are committed by them. It is true that some of the protesters have been violent or have vandalized government property, playing into Trump’s narrative, but the great majority have been peaceful.

Each evening a “Wall of Moms” forms — women who lock arms to protect the protesters, who are mostly armed with umbrellas to try to defend themselves from projectiles. And the suburbanites show up with leaf blowers to try to dispel the tear gas. (This actually works.)

Oregon Governor Kate Brown told me that she actually desperately does want federal help — not with the Portland unrest, but in getting Covid-19 tests and personal protective equipment. The Trump administration denied her requests — and then sent in troops to make the security situation worse. Please read.