As he engaged with protesters Wednesday night, Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler was teargassed by federal agents in what he called an "egregious overreaction" by Donald Trump's paramilitary force of unmarked federal agents. Trump's personal militia has deployed tear gas against protesters every night for more than a week, according to CBS News, as the protests have grown from hundreds to thousands in response to the occupation of federal troops in the state’s largest city.
Wheeler, a Democrat who also serves as the city's police commissioner, has been criticized by protesters for the aggressive tactics also used by Portland police officers. On the 55th straight night of protests against police brutality, Wheeler had gone to the site for a "listening session" and stayed for three hours.
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Though Wheeler was not necessarily targeted by federal agents, he was nestled within a wall of protesters near a fence erected around the federal courthouse as a waft of tear gas drifted toward them. Wheeler reportedly scrambled to put on goggles after the tear gas was deployed.
"I can tell you with 100% honesty, I saw nothing which provoked this response," he told reporters. “This is not a deescalation strategy, this is flat-out urban warfare.”
But Wheeler did not receive a warm welcome from protesters, as cries of "Fuck Ted Wheeler" and other expletives rang out from the crowd he was engaging. Nonetheless, Wheeler said he was trying to protect Portlanders, in part, by doing everything in his power to get federal agents to leave.
As Wheeler spoke at one point, protesters projected a list of demands on the courthouse behind him, including that he defund Portland police by 50% and reinvest the money in communities of color, and that he resign.
Amid the continuing unrest, a federal judge heard oral arguments Wednesday as Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum seeks a temporary restraining order to stop federal agents from making unlawful arrests. That decision could come by the end of the week.