Portland mayor criticizes protests, encourages other steps

PORTLAND — The mayor of Portland has criticized the destructive protests that have swept the city since the election of Donald Trump as president.

Mayor Charlie Hales is encouraging the protesters to instead get involved with local groups to promote change.

Some of the anti-Trump protests have turned violent, causing more than $1 million in property damage and the arrests of more than 100 people. One protester was also shot, Oregon Public Broadcasting reported . The protester did not suffer life-threatening injuries, authorities said.

During Oregon Public Broadcasting’s Morning edition show on Monday, Hales said protests aren’t a productive way to create change. He said there are three types of protests: legitimate demonstrations of First Amendment rights, massive demonstrations like the Occupy movement and excuses for unlawful behavior. He’s concerned that Portlanders are seeing too much of the third approach.

“There’s a third view of protest, which is a cover for outrageous, bad, criminal behavior,” Hales said. “We saw some of that with folks who just wanted to break windows and raise hell. And we’ve arrested quite a few people that committed those crimes, and we will arrest some more.”

The city will not crack down on all protesters, but it will continue to arrest people who break the law, Hales said.

The city has been criticized from both the left and the right for its handling of the protests, the mayor said.

“Look, in the last 30 days the police bureau and I have been castigated from one side for being too harsh on protesters and arresting too many people. And we’ve been castigated on the other side for not declaring martial law,” he said. “We’re a very divided country right now; Oregon too, Portland as well. That division has showed up in the passions on both sides of these incidents.”