Portland mayor tells off Trump after tweets
The mayor of Portland on Sunday lashed out at U.S. President Donald Trump for rhetoric he says quote "encouraged division and stoked violence"after a fatal shooting over the weekend that broke out amid clashes between Trump supporters - and counter-protesters.
Portland Mayor, Ted Wheeler: "I'd appreciate it if the president would support us or stay the hell out of the way."
Wheeler also brushed aside a flurry of weekend tweets from Trump criticizing him in which he urged the mayor to call for aid from the federal government to restore order.
Wheeler also called out posts online vowing revenge for the shooting and urged people of all political persuasions to renounce violence.
"For those of you saying on Twitter this morning that you plan to come to Portland to seek retribution, I'm calling on you to stay away."
The city's police chief said Sunday investigators are working out what led to Saturday's shooting in downtown Portland.
Chief Chuck Lovell said it remained to be determined whether the shooting was connected to skirmishes that night between a caravan of protesters driving through the city's downtown district in pickup trucks waving pro-Trump flags and counter-protesters on the streets.
Authorities have not identified the shooting victim.
But the New York Times reported the man gunned down was wearing a hat with the symbol of a right-wing group called Patriot Prayer.
On Sunday, the leader of the group, Joey Gibson, appeared to confirm that the victim was a Patriot Prayer member that he knew.
Trump later re-tweeted a photo of a man identified as Jay Bishop and described in that post as "a good American that loved his country and Backed the Blue," an apparent reference to police.
Demonstrations against racism and police brutality have swept across the countr since the death of George Floyd in May and have gripped Portland every night for nearly three months following Floyd's death.
