Wearing goggles and a surgical mask, Mayor Ted Wheeler of Portland, Oregon Wednesday night stood along a fence with protesters–some of whom called for his resignation–as chemical weapons and explosives were lobbed toward the demonstrators by federal agents, the Washington Post reports.
WATCH: Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler and protesters were tear-gassed by federal officers at a fence guarding a downtown courthouse https://t.co/D3KlV694xv pic.twitter.com/esI3K9Cfku
— CBS News (@CBSNews) July 23, 2020
Calling the federal agents an “occupying force,” Wheeler decried the use of unmarked federal forces who arrived uninvited in the city last week.
“The reason I am here tonight is to stand with you no matter what,” Wheeler had said earlier in the night to a roar of cheers in front of the county jail. “And if they launch the tear gas against you, they’re launching the tear gas against me!”
In the crowd, however, some protesters called for the mayor’s resignation. Occasional chants of “Quit our job” arose from the crowd as the mayor spoke.
When hit with the tear gas, Wheeler stated that it was disabled by the chemical irritant. “It’s hard to breathe — it’s a little harder to breathe than I thought,” Wheeler told The Washington Post while a man with a leaf blower turned the nozzle on the mayor to clear away any gas still hanging in the air. “This is abhorrent. This is beneath us.”