(Bloomberg) -- The man shot to death in a protest in Portland on Saturday night was a supporter of a right-wing group that has frequently clashed with other demonstrators there.
The death was the third fatality in less than a week as racial equality protesters clashed with armed counterprotesters backing President Donald Trump and law enforcement in several cities across the U.S. Two protesters were killed last week in Kenosha, Wisconsin, a city that has seen widespread demonstrations and violence since a Black man, Jacob Blake, was shot seven times in the back by police.
The past week has marked a new violent chapter in protests that began with the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis in May, as demands for racial justice have increased amid a divisive presidential campaign.
In Portland, the dead man was part of a a caravan of counterprotesters to a Black Lives Matter demonstration on Saturday -- a group the Portland police said it had tried to keep away from protesters downtown. Trump tweeted his support for the caravan earlier, calling them “great patriots.” He later tweeted his condolences.
In Kenosha, the two deceased were protesters shot by a 17-year-old who had traveled from another state, armed, ostensibly to defend property and help police keep the peace. A hearing to extradite the 17-year-old suspect in that case, Kyle Rittenhouse, from his home state of Illinois was delayed for 30 days.
Trump plans to go to Kenosha on Tuesday, over the objection of the state's Democratic governor. Spokesman Judd Deere said the White House “has been humbled by the outreach of individuals from Kenosha who have welcomed the President's visit and are longing for leadership to support local law enforcement and businesses that have been vandalized.”
On Monday afternoon, Trump is scheduled to meet at the White House with Attorney General William Barr and Chad Wolf, the acting head of the Department of Homeland Security.
Former Vice President Joe Biden will speak Monday in Pittsburgh “on whether voters feel safe in Donald Trump's America” and the Democrats' differing vision, his campaign said. Biden, the Democratic presidential nominee, called on Trump to stop “fanning the flames of hate and division“ in society.
“I condemn violence of every kind by anyone, whether on the left or the right. And I challenge Donald Trump to do the same,” said Biden, who plans to campaign nationally and speak against violence.
Portland shooting
In Portland on Saturday, police said some Trump supporters in trucks who were blocked in by protesters began exiting their vehicles. Fights broke out, the police said, and the caravan left the area about 8:30 p.m. Gunshots were heard about 15 minutes later. The police have released few other details and have asked the public for help finding the shooter.
Even before the affiliation of the victim had been confirmed, both sides of the political divide were quick to blame each other for encouraging the violence that led to the killing.
A visibly angry Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler denounced Trump for inciting his supporters to violence in his tweets. Portland, he said, is committed to ending the protests through reform of “systematic injustice.”
“We all saw this coming,” the Democratic mayor said in a news conference. “I'd appreciate that either the president support us or stay the hell out of the way.”
Trump unleashed a tweetstorm Sunday, reiterating accusations that Democratic leaders of cities and states aren't controlling protests and saying the National Guard has and would do so. Wolf, the president's nominee to head the Department of Homeland Security, said “all options are on the table” in terms of sending troops even if local officials do not request them.
After golfing in Virginia, Trump again took to Twitter as Wheeler spoke, calling for “law and order” and criticizing the Portland mayor by name.
Kenosha rallies
Protest continued in Kenosha, though the rally Sunday was in support of the police. The night before, more than 1,000 people demonstrated against the shooting of Blake, who is in the hospital and is reportedly partially paralyzed.
“There were seven bullets put in my son's back. ... Hell yeah, I'm mad,” said Jacob Blake Sr., the father of the shot man. “What gave them the right to attempted murder on my child? What gave them the right to think that my son was an animal? What gave them the right to take something that was not theirs? I'm tired of this.”
Breonna Taylor
In another high-profile case, Kentucky's Attorney General Daniel Cameron said he has received the FBI ballistics report in the fatal police shooting of Breonna Taylor in a no-knock raid in March. Cameron, who spoke in support of Trump at the Republican National Convention, said his office doesn't plan to make an announcement this week as additional analysis is needed.
University of Alabama football players and coaches are planning a march at 4 p.m. Monday to protest social injustice, running back Najee Harris said. The march will meet at the schoolhouse door at Foster Auditorium, he said, the site where then-Governor George Wallace placed himself to prevent the enrollment of two Black students almost six decades ago.
Key Developments:
- As Clashes Between Armed Groups And Leftist Protesters Turn Deadly, Police Face Complaints of Tolerating Vigilantes
- Biden to Address Violent Protests in Campaign Swing, Aide Says
- Wolf Says Portland Officials Foster Violence Among Protesters
- Facebook CEO Says ‘Kenosha Guard' Page Was Left Up By Mistake
- MLS, NWSL Clubs in Utah to Be Sold After Uproar Over Owner's Comments
See the latest from Bloomberg QuickTake:
In Portland:
In Kenosha:
From the Washington March on Friday:
Several sports teams and leagues joined the NBA's walkout:
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