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Rioters Cost Portland Businesses Millions

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Downtown businesses in Portland, Oregon, have sustained about $23 million in damages and lost customers because of violent nightly protests that have brought the city to its knees, authorities said Wednesday.

At a police briefing, Deputy Chief Chris Davis said the intensity of the violence by an “agitator corps” and the length of the protests that are now in their sixth week are unprecedented in Oregon’s largest city.

Davis made a sharp distinction between Black Lives Matter protesters, whom he said were not violent, and a smaller group of people he repeatedly called “agitators.” . . .

Protesters have demonstrated for 41 consecutive nights against racial injustice and police brutality following the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, and they are increasingly focusing their actions on federal properties, including Mark O. Hatfield Federal Courthouse in the heart of the downtown business district.

Authorities have declared riots several times and used tear gas to disperse demonstrators. A recently issued federal court order bans the police from using the tear gas unless a riot is declared, but critics have challenged the police on what constitutes a riot and who makes the decision to designate a protest as an unlawful event. (Read more from “Rioters Cost Portland Businesses Millions” HERE)

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Shootings and Killings Surge in Democrat-Run Cities Across the Country

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Last week, The Federalist reported on early signs of a coming violent crime wave in Atlanta, Georgia. “You ain’t seen nothing yet,” a resident stated following a murder near his home. It’s becoming clear now how predictive his statement was.

On Monday evening, Gov. Brian Kemp declared a state of emergency in Atlanta. A thousand National Guardsmen were deployed to quell surging violent crime across the state’s capital. The events followed the death of an eight-year-old girl in just one of 75 separate shootings across the city over the last few weeks. . .

Since June, shootings and murders have surged across many of the country’s major cities. Minneapolis, New York, Philadelphia, Nashville, Chicago, Milwaukee, Indianapolis, Cincinnati, and New Orleans have all seen murders jump over 20 percent this year. The violence is heavily concentrated in the last few months, ever since protests have led to nationwide pressure on politicians to “defund” and “reimagine” policing.

Just as concerning is that these stats do not include data from the end of June and July. Data from New York and Chicago, recent data from which we do have, tells that the last few weeks have seen by far the worst of the violence. Murders and shootings in the Windy City are up about 80 percent, and New York has averaged at a 209 percent over these last weeks compared to the same times last year. It’s likely these disturbing numbers for the cities above only captures a fragment of the lives lost during unrest in which many protesters chant “Black Lives Matter.”

It’s also worth noting that Atlanta appeared to lack this crime spike just a few weeks ago, according to the statistics released above. If it serves as a bellwether, then the cities that already had a surge at the time of recording are in deep water. The scale will likely become apparent over the next few weeks. (Read more from “Shootings and Killings Surge in Democrat-Run Cities Across the Country” HERE)

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Grieving Father of Slain 8-Year-Old Blasts Killers: ‘They Say Black Lives Matter. You Killed Your Own’

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The father of a young girl who was killed near a protest zone in Atlanta denounced the protesters whose violent conflict took his daughter’s life over the weekend, WSB-TV reported.

“They say black lives matter,” Secoriya Williamson, the father of Secoriea Turner, said. “You killed your own this time. … You killed a child. She didn’t do nothing to nobody.”

Secoriea’s mother, Chamaine Turner, broke down as she attempted to speak about her daughter during a press conference.

“She was only 8 years old,” Turner said, WSB reported. “She would have been on Tik Tok dancing on her phone, just got done eating. We understand the frustration of Rayshard Brooks. We didn’t have anything to do with that. We’re innocent. My baby didn’t mean no harm.” (Read more from “Grieving Father of Slain 8-Year-Old Blasts Killers: ‘They Say Black Lives Matter. You Killed Your Own'” HERE)

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50% of Americans Say Violent Bid to Overthrow U.S. Government at Least ‘Somewhat Likely’ Within Decade

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Fifty percent of U.S. voters think it’s at least somewhat likely there will be a violent attempt to overthrow the United States government within the next decade. That total includes 18% who think it’s very likely, according to Just the News Daily Poll with Scott Rasmussen.

“This was a surprise!” Rasmussen said. “Upon reflection, though, it probably shouldn’t have been. Clearly, President Trump’s remarks indicates that he thinks this could become a good campaign issue.”

Rasmussen noted that Republicans are a bit more likely to expect such violence, but the gap is fairly modest. That may be due to a perception among some that the current civil unrest is heading in that direction.

“There is also likely a solid partisan distrust fueling such concerns,” Rasmussen said. “Many Republicans fear the left will respond with violence if President Trump is re-elected. Many Democrats fear the same from the right if President Trump is defeated.” (Read more from “50% of Americans Say Violent Bid to Overthrow U.S. Government at Least ‘Somewhat Likely’ Within Decade” HERE)

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Activists Prepare to Storm DC in Independence Day Weekend Protests

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Protesters plan to storm Washington, D.C., over Independence Day weekend with protests and demonstrations.

Activists in the most high profile of these events plan to protest the Emancipation Memorial in Lincoln Park. The memorial, which leaders of the local collective the Freedom Neighborhood claimed they would topple last week, has become a subject of national interest, with many people making a case both for and against the statue.

Glenn Foster, the leader of the Freedom Neighborhood, has promoted multiple protests against the memorial set for the days surrounding the July 4 weekend. In some of his material, he celebrated the fact that on Tuesday the Boston Arts Commission voted to remove an identical copy of the statue, which depicts President Abraham Lincoln freeing the slave Archer Alexander, from public display.

“The job is almost finished! Let’s get it D.C.!” Foster wrote in reference to his efforts to remove the memorial.

The movement has received support from D.C. public officials. Shadow Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton on Thursday introduced legislation to have the statue removed from the park and placed in a museum. D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said last week that she would be open to having a “reasonable conversation” about the statue’s future. (Read more from “Activists Prepare to Storm DC in Independence Day Weekend Protests” HERE)

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Black Sheriff Has a Message for Would-Be Rioters: I Will Deputize Gun Owners If You Think You Can Bring Your Lawlessness Here (VIDEO)

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Clay County Sheriff Darryl Daniels made it clear this week that he and his officers will not put up anyone who would bring their lawlessness to his Florida community.

In a video YouTube statement posted Tuesday, Daniels, who is black and a Republican, stood with about 20 deputies to declare to civil rights protesters who might consider getting violent that they are not only not welcome in Clay County, but also that he would not hesitate to dole out the pain and use legal gun owners to help keep the peace. . .

He went on to explain how he and his officers view the lawlessness that has spread in many other cities and counties across the U.S.

“Lawlessness — that’s unacceptable in this country. Lawlessness — that’s unacceptable in Clay County,” Daniels said. “If you threaten to come to Clay County and think that for one second we’ll bend our backs for you, you’re sadly mistaken.” . . .

“If we can’t handle you, you know what I’ll do? I will exercise the power and authority as the sheriff, and I will make special deputies of every lawful gun owner in this county,” he said. “And I’ll deputize them for this one purpose: to stand in the gap between lawlessness and civility. That’s what we’re sworn to do, and that’s what we’re going to do.” (Read more from “Black Sheriff Has a Message for Would-Be Rioters: I Will Deputize Gun Owners If You Think You Can Bring Your Lawlessness Here (VIDEO)” HERE)

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Media Narrative of ‘Peaceful’ CHOP Zone Turned Upside Down; Police Use Bulldozer to Clear Out CHOP (VIDEO)

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By Fox News. As protesters and armed anarchists seized control last month of a swath of Seattle’s downtown that includes a police station, dubbing it Capitol Hill Organized Protest, the local and mainstream media largely echoed elected leaders by insisting it was a peaceful protest – until people started getting killed.

The spin by the Seattle Times and national outlets that covered it belied the violent and dangerous origin of the area that began on June 8, when Seattle police abandoned their own station and allowed self-described anarchists to create a “police-free” zone. On Wednesday, police went back in and finished clearing out the area, after multiple shootings, an alleged rape and at least two murders.

“CHOP violently seized six blocks of downtown Seattle, guarded the area they stole with semi-automatic rifles and appointed a leader who called himself a warlord and the media spun it as a fun time with ‘free snacks,’” Washington Times columnist Tim Young told Fox News.

. . .“The CHOP has become lawless and brutal,” Police Chief Carmen Best said Wednesday in a written statement. “Four shootings – two fatal – robberies, assaults, violence and countless property crimes have occurred in this several block area.” (Read more from “Media Narrative of ‘Peaceful’ CHOP Zone Turned Upside Down” HERE)

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Seattle Cops Use Bulldozer to Clear CHOP, Arrest Dozens

By Mass Live. Wearing helmets and wielding batons and rifles, Seattle police turned out in force at dawn Wednesday in the city’s “occupied” protest zone after the mayor ordered it cleared following two recent fatal shootings.

Officers stood shoulder-to-shoulder on several streets while others created a makeshift fence with their bicycles, using it to push dozens of protesters back away from the center of the “Capitol Hill Occupied Protest” zone just east of downtown. The group had occupied several blocks around a park for about two weeks after police abandoned a precinct station following standoffs and clashes that were part of the nationwide unrest over the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

As residents in the neighborhood watched from balconies, police cleared out the protesters’ tents from the park and made sure no one was left in the park’s bathrooms.

More than three dozen people were arrested, charged with failure to disperse, obstruction, assault and unlawful weapon possession.

. . .After police evicted the protesters, heavy equipment was used to remove concrete barriers, cart away debris from the encampments while officers strung yellow caution tape from tree to tree warning people not to reenter.

(Read more from “Seattle Cops Use Bulldozer to Clear CHOP, Arrest Dozens” HERE)

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WATCH: Armed Attorney Who Defended His Home From Protesters Speaks Out; Couple Under Investigation

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By Fox News. St. Louis resident Mark McCloskey broke his silence on “Tucker Carlson Tonight” Tuesday after he and his wife Patricia received national approbation for brandishing guns in the front yard of their home after protesters broke into their gated community. . .

“By the time we looked up and we saw the marchers coming down Kings Highway and getting loud, we looked over the gate and there’s no police there. Our private security wasn’t there. Nobody’s there.”

As the crowd moved closer toward his home, McCloskey explained that he had a sudden realization that he and his wife could soon fall victim to the violence and rioting that has overtaken parts of the city in recent weeks.

“People start coming in. And then a flood of people start coming in,” he said. “They are angry, they’re screaming, they’ve got spittle coming out of their mouth they’re coming toward the house …” . . .

“When I saw that mob coming through the gate with their rage and their anger, I thought that we would be overrun in a second,” he said. “By the time I was out there with my rifle, the people were 20 or 30 feet from my front wall … I was literally afraid that within seconds they would surmount the wall and come into the house, kill us, burn the house down and everything that I had worked for and struggled for for the last 32 years.” (Read more from “Armed Attorney Who Defended His Home From Protesters Speaks Out (VIDEO)” HERE)

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St. Louis Lawyers Who Confronted Protesters With Guns Under Investigation

By New York Post. The St. Louis lawyers who pulled weapons on protesters marching past their home are being investigated for possible criminal charges, the city’s lead prosecutor has revealed.

Mark and Patricia McCloskey — who went viral after brandishing an AR-15-style rifle and a silver-colored handgun, respectively — were the only ones to lodge a police report over Sunday’s confrontation, insisting they were “victims” of threatening trespassers who entered a gated community, the St. Louis American noted.

But the husband-and-wife lawyers are being probed by police and prosecutors for possible threats against the crowd, authorities announced Monday.

“I am alarmed at the events that occurred over the weekend, where peaceful protestors were met by guns,” St. Louis Prosecutor Kimberly Gardner said, also condemning a separate “violent assault” in the city.

“We must protect the right to peacefully protest, and any attempt to chill it through intimidation or threat of deadly force will not be tolerated,” she insisted, saying her office was “currently working with the public and police to investigate these events.” (Read more from “St. Louis Lawyers Who Confronted Protesters With Guns Under Investigation” HERE)

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Socialist Seattle City Council Member Blames Capitalism for Latest CHOP Shooting

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A socialist member of the Seattle City Council blamed capitalism for the latest shooting in Seattle’s Capitol Hill Occupied Protest (CHOP) in a series of tweets Monday.

Council Member Kshama Sawant is a member of Socialist Alternative, a national political party that advocates for policies such as a $15 minimum wage.

A 16-year-old died and a 14-year-old is still being treated following a drive-by shooting that took place early Monday morning in CHOP, also known as the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone (CHAZ), according to Seattle police.

“While we await details of this tragic killing, it highlights capitalism’s brutality & endemic violence,” Sawant tweeted Monday. “Our movement rejects insinuations & falsehoods perpetuated by corporate & conservative media that this violence is outcome of CHOP or of our movement.”

Sawant added: “Capitalism *is* a police state. While we’ll have to fight to win reforms, we have to dismantle capitalism to win a violence-free society.” (Read more from “Socialist Seattle City Council Member Blames Capitalism for Latest CHOP Shooting” HERE)

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WATCH: Armed Protesters Broke Iron Gate, Threatened Couple Before They Drew Their Own Guns; Man Defending Home From BLM Protesters Is an Attorney Who Has Fought Police Brutality

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By Fox News. A Missouri couple under fire for brandishing guns in the front yard of their home as protesters passed told police the group broke a gate to get onto the private street, and the pair say they only retrieved their firearms when they spotted “multiple” people who were already armed, department records show.

Al Watkins, an attorney for Mark McCloskey, 63, and his 61-year-old wife, Patricia, said the protest was largely peaceful and the pair did not bring their guns outside of the home until two men in particular, both of whom were white, started menacing them.

The McCloskeys, he said, were hesitant to come forward with the full story out of fear that they would “disparage the importance of Black Lives Matter.”

“At the time, their fear was, these people, two in particular, that were marching along with the Black Lives Matter protest participants – all peaceful. They were acting in a fashion inconsistent with the message being given,” Watkins said. “My clients were not arming themselves against peaceful protesters, they were arming themselves about people with a really bad motive, a motive that runs afoul of the fundamental tenets of our country.”

After the couple brought the guns outside, Watkins said, others began threatening them, unaware of the reason behind the couple’s interpreted need to arm themselves. (Read more from “Armed Protesters Broke Iron Gate, Threatened Couple Before They Drew Their Own Guns, Attorney Says” HERE)

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Man Defending Home From BLM Protesters Is an Attorney Who Has Fought Police Brutality

By Faith Wire. You might not know who Mark McCloskey is, but by now, you’ve definitely seen the pictures of him and his wife brandishing guns as a mob of protesters headed their direction.

The McCloskeys have quickly become a viral sensation, sparking intensely critical and hateful comments across social media. Some critics were even doxxing the St. Louis couple, posting personal identifying information. . .

When the angry group began storming toward the McCloskeys — both of whom are personal injury attorneys — they came out of their home with guns, Mark with an AR-15-style rifle and Patricia, his wife, with a pistol. They faced a lot of criticism, even from Second Amendment advocate Dana Loesch, who took issue with the way the couple were brandishing their firearms. . .

Mark McCloskey, 63, told KSDK-TV he is actually supportive of the work against police brutality. In fact, as a lawyer, he represents victims of police-sanctioned violence.

“I do civil rights cases,” he said. “Right now, I’m representing a young man who was assaulted by the police who is sitting in prison right now for being involved in a car accident after which the police came in and assaulted him. It’s on video.” (Read more from “Man Defending Home From BLM Protesters Is an Attorney Who Has Fought Police Brutality” HERE)

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