Peaceful protesters in Portland, Oregon, told the Daily Caller that violent rioters are not representative of the protest movement and that they wanted to keep things nonviolent.
A black woman who was at the protests holding a Bible said that she wanted to keep the peace in Portland. “I’m just letting everyone know that everyone’s life matters,” she said. “And not just black lives, all lives.” (RELATED: EXCLUSIVE FOOTAGE: Fireworks, Tear Gas Used At Portland Federal Courthouse)
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She noted that at the time of the interview, everything appeared peaceful, and she wanted to keep it that way.
“I don’t think Portland is this,” she said, referring to the riots. “I don’t believe Portland is negative. I think that we have a lot of anarchists right here causing trouble. I think you have a lot of people here who want to protest peacefully.”
Another man told the Daily Caller that the people acting violently are hijacking the protest movement, and said that peaceful protesters will try to stop it.
“There are people that are taking the opportunity to come out here to make the movement look to be something that it’s not,” the man said.
The media picks up on the riots and that’s what’s shared out, he continued. Although he said he doesn’t know much about groups like ANTIFA, the man added that “anybody who comes out here on the purpose of destruction, we, as a Black people, as a Black nation, we will stop that. We do stop that.”
“If I see somebody throwing something, if I see somebody acting out of line, I step in.”
Protests have been ongoing in Portland for 60 nights. Police officially declared an “unlawful assembly” last week as rioters set the federal courthouse on fire and clashed with law enforcement.