Portland Police: 'Volatile, Hostile' Protesters Outside Mayor Wheeler's Home

PORTLAND, OR – Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler said he's had a few unwanted guests outside his home the past two nights.

Sleeping bags, food trash, and water bottles are scattered across the front of Wheeler’s property. “Party at Ted’s House” is crudely scrawled in chalk on the sidewalk along with several other expletives and aggressive messages directed at the mayor. Standing in the middle of it all: protesters who want Wheeler to acknowledge their demands.

For Mayor Wheeler’s Twitter account:

Sad to come home the second night in a row with protesters in my front yard flipping me, my wife, and child off. Now shouting threats.

— Ted Wheeler (@tedwheeler) March" class="redactor-linkify-object">https://twitter.com/tedwheeler... 24, 2017

In her conversation with two self-described “sensible patriots,” the unidentified men expressed dissatisfaction with the mayor’s unwillingness to speak with them outside city hall.

“There are many issues we want to bring up,” one of the men told Dae in the video. “But the reason we’re bringing them up here is because we can’t bring them up at city hall. Every time they have a city council meeting, he wants to talk about specific things and does not want to address what the community actually cares about.”

From Dae's Facebook page:

According to Portland police spokesman Sgt. Pete Simpson, unless the protesters escalate their activity, there isn't a lot that can be done.

"It's challenging because they're in many ways not breaking the law being outside the home," Simpson told Patch Friday morning. "But they are certainly creating a disturbance and creating fear."

Simpson said police confronted a small group of "extremely volatile and hostile" protesters Thursday night, but no arrests were made. Neighbors have also expressed concerns and fears over the protesters' behavior, Simpson noted.

Police will continue to consult with the mayor and his family, Simpson said, adding the police will make arrests if necessary. The trouble is, he said, the protesters often lean on First Amendment free speech protections, so officers have to consider those rights when determining if other laws have been violated.

"You can stand on the sidewalk and yell offensive things –– that's not a crime," Simpson said. "But if you go on private property, that's trespassing (an offense meriting arrest). And if you threaten someone and cause fear, charges of menacing, stalking or harassment could be issued, depending on the circumstances."

Essentially, he said, "It's like when someone yells 'fire' on a sidewalk, they're protected. But if they do it in a movie theater, that's a crime."

Patch has reached out to the mayor’s office and Dae for comment. This story will be updated as new information becomes available.

Photo Courtesy: Dory Dae, public Facebook post