Politics Now

‘OPB Politics Now’: Ted Wheeler struggles with protest response

By Dirk VanderHart (OPB) and Rebecca Ellis (OPB)
Aug. 22, 2020 2:53 a.m.

In an interview, the mayor acknowledged the challenges of protecting peaceful protesters while guarding against a small group committing vandalism and violence.

Now that federal law enforcement's role is reduced, Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler is back to being the face of police response to nightly protests for racial justice.

Now that federal law enforcement's role is reduced, Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler is back to being the face of police response to nightly protests for racial justice.

Bradley W. Parks / OPB

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More than two months into nightly protests for racial justice, Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler is struggling to find a balance between protecting peaceful demonstrators’ First Amendment rights and preventing vandalism and violence by a small subset of demonstrators.

On this week’s “OPB Politics Now,” OPB political reporters Dirk VanderHart and Rebecca Ellis discuss Wheeler’s response. Ellis sat down with the mayor this week to walk through the protests, his responsibilities and the questions he hasn’t been able to answer yet.

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