Portland Mayor Stands with Mob Against Crackdown, Gets Tear-Gassed as Trump Doubles Down on 'Operation Legend'

WASHINGTON – Anarchy is still reigning in the streets of Portland as protesters continue their reign of terror that's gone on for more than 50 days.

Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler met with protesters to rally them against the federal agents using force to protect federal buildings, but when he said he didn't support abolishing the police, the crowd booed and called on him to resign. 

Later, as the crowd got out of control, federal agents fired tear gas on the mob, and even Wheeler was affected by the gas. 

This kind of violence is taking place almost nightly in Portland. CBN contributor Chuck Holton was there earlier this week and described what he saw: 

"The crowd swelled after sundown, bringing another element with it. Black-clad ANTIFA members armed with baseball bats, high-powered lasers and homemade shields gathered at the front of the federal building and started trying to break down boarded-up doors. 

Several minutes later, law enforcement officers from the US Border Patrol's tactical team emerged and pushed the crowd away from the building. 

As peaceful protesters quickly backed off, black-clad ANTIFA members in expensive gas masks began throwing bottles and trying to blind the agents with their powerful green lasers.

In response, the agents fired tear gas and stun grenades."

In response to the growing violence in America's cities, President Trump announced he's expanding Operation Legend, sending more federal agents to restore order in certain cities, starting with Chicago. 

"In recent weeks, there has been a radical movement to defund, dismantle, and dissolve our police departments," Trump said Wednesday at the White House, rejecting those efforts. "We will work every single day to restore public safety, protect our nation's children, and bring violent perpetrators to justice."

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His move to send federal agents to Chicago comes as surveillance video shows at least 15 people were hurt in a drive-by shooting there on Tuesday. 

This year in the Windy City, more than 400 people have been murdered – that number is up nearly 50 percent from the previous year. 

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot says her team will work with the federal agents but made clear in a news conference that they're not there to fight protestors. 

"So they're not federal troops," said Lightfoot. "They're FBI, DEA, ATF and they will be plugged in to the existing infrastructure of those agencies."

Lightfoot is one of 15 mayors to send a letter to Congress denouncing any effort to quell protestors. 

"That's not democracy what we saw unfolding on the streets of Portland as a result of this federal action," said Lightfoot. "That's what we call tyranny and dictatorship and we are not having it in Chicago."

Meanwhile, the Trump administration is also including money in its latest Operation Legend surge. 

"I am also announcing that the Department of Justice will provide more than $61 million in grants to hire hundreds of new police officers in cities that are the focus of Operation Legend," said Trump. 

Still, some mayors aren't having it, like New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio who said federal agents are not welcome in his city. 

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