Mayor Wheeler: Portland is sick and tired of nightly violence

March 16, 2021 KT1 US 0

FILE - In this Aug. 5, 2019, file photo, Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler poses for a photo outside City Hall in Portland, Ore. Wheeler announced Thursday, March 11, 2021, he would seek $2 million in one-time funding from a reserve contingency account to invest in the Portland Police Bureau as well as other agencies and programs in hopes of slowing the city's rampant gun violence. (AP Photo/Craig Mitchelldyer, File)

FILE – In this Aug. 5, 2019, file photo, Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler posed for a photo outside City Hall in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Craig Mitchelldyer, File)

OAN Newsroom
UPDATED 4:25 PM PT – Tuesday, March 16, 2021

The mayor of Portland, who once defended violence in his city, is now changing his tune.

At a virtual press conference on Monday, Democrat Mayor Ted Wheeler said residents are sick and tired of the nightly violence by criminals operating under the guise of a noble cause.

Wheeler was referring to the recent destruction by 100 protestors in downtown Portland.

This Friday, March 12, 2021, photo released by Portland Police Bureau shows numerous items left behind by people inside the perimeter of a march, including a crowbar, hammers, bear spray, slugging weapon with rocks, high impact slingshot, and knives, after they corralled a group of about 100 hundred protesters Friday night in Portland, Ore. (Portland Police Department via AP)

He said he fully supports the controversial kettling technique Portland police used in order to corral the crowd.

“We’re aligning our resources, we’re revising our tactics and we’re fighting back with everything that we’ve got,” Wheeler stated.

Wheeler, who also serves as police commissioner, has come under fire in the past for criticizing how police handled the violence.