TO THE COUNTRY.
AINSLEY?
AINSLEY: THAT’S AWESOME.
THANKS SO MUCH, JILLIAN.
AFTER A YEAR OF NEARLY NONSTOP
VIOLENCE, UNREST, SURGE IN
CRIME.
HOMELESSNESS, THE CITY OF
PORTLAND LAW FIRMING AN AD
CAMPAIGN TO CONVINCE POTENTIAL
TOURISTS IT’S REALLY NOT THAT
BAD.
>> THIS IS PORTLAND, BUT SO IS
THIS, AND THIS.
WE’RE NOT PERFECT BUT WE’RE THE
KIND OF PLACE WHERE YOU DON’T
HAVE TO BE ANYONE BUT YOURSELF.
[CHANTING NO JUSTICE, NO PEACE.
>> WE HAVE SOME OF THE LOUDEST
VOICES ON THE WEST COAST.
SOMETIMES PASSIONS PUSHES THE
VOLUME ALL THE WAY UP.
WE HAVE ALWAYS BEEN LIKE THIS.
WE WOULDN’T HAVE IT ANY OTHER
WAY.
AINSLEY: IT ALSO INCLUDES A "NEW
YORK TIMES" AD CLAIMING SOME OF
WHAT YOU HAVE HEARD ABOUT
PORTLAND IS TRUE.
SOME IS NOT.
WHAT MATTERS MOST IS THAT WE’RE
TRUE TO OURSELVES.
YOU CAN BE YOURSELF HERE.
COME SEE FOR YOURSELF.
OUR NEXT GUEST HAS BEEN COVERING
THE UNREST IN PORTLAND FOR MORE
THAN A YEAR NOW.
TOWN HALL.COM WRITER JULIO IS
HERE TO REACT.
GOOD MORNING TO YOU, JULIO.
>> GOOD MORNING.
AINSLEY: DID THAT DO IT FOR YOU?
DID ALL OF A SUDDEN DID YOU
DECIDE YOU ARE GOING TO TAKE
YOUR FAMILY TO PORTLAND?
>> NO.
THERE IS A REASON WHY I ONLY GO
TO PORTLAND FOR WORK.
THIS IS UNFORTUNATE THAT THEY
ARE HAVING TO RESORT TO
PEOPLE -- IT TO BEG TO PEOPLE TO
COME TO THE CITY BECAUSE THE
FACT REMAINS THAT PORTLAND IS
PRONE TO RIOTS AND ON TOP OF THE
CRIME WAVE THAT A LOT OF OTHER
CITIES ARE EXPERIENCING, AND SO
OBVIOUSLY PEOPLE ARE PEOPLE ARE
GOING TO BE HESITANT TO COME TO
THE CITY THAT’S BECAUSE THE CITY
OFFICIALS AT A MINIMUM TOLERATE
THE RIOT AND AT WORSE THEY DID
ENCOURAGE SOME OF THEM.
YOU HAD MAYOR TED WHEELER HE
DIDN’T CALL OUT ANTIFA BY NAME
UNTIL THE BEGINNING OF THIS
YEAR.
THIS IS NOT AT ALL SURPRISING
THAT, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE ARE GOING
TO HAVE TO TRY TO KIND OF RESORT
TO DOING THESE TYPES OF ADS TO
GET PEOPLE BACK TO THE CITY.
BUT, AGAIN, YOU CAN’T REALLY
BLAME PEOPLE FOR NOT WANTING TO
GO THERE.
AINSLEY: WHEN YOU WERE THERE ON
THE GROUND I KNOW YOU CAME TO
OUR SHOW A LOT DURING THAT TIME
PERIOD, DID YOU THINK ALL THE
RIOTING AND PROTESTS AND
VIOLENCE, DID THE RIOTING AND
PROTESTING AND DEFUND THE POLICE
LEAD TO ALL THE VIOLENCE?
>> I CERTAINLY THINK IT’S
DEFINITELY A CONTRIBUTING
FACTOR.
LOOK.
THEY WANTED TO DEFUND THE POLICE
AND THE CITY ABOLISHED ITS GUN
CRIMES TASK FORCE.
WHAT DID WE SEE?
WE SAW INCREASE IN GUN CRIME.
SO, NO, AND ON TOP OF THAT, THE
ANTIFA GROUPS THERE, THEY LIKE
TO WEAR DOWN THE POLICE WHY
RIOTING NIGHT AFTER NIGHT AFTER
NIGHT.
SO THAT LEAVES COPS TO LEAVE THE
FORCE AND RETIRE EARLY AND SO,
YOU KNOW, I THINK IT DEFINITELY
IS A CONTRIBUTING FACTOR.
IT’S NOT THE ONLY ONE BUT
OBVIOUSLY, YOU KNOW, PORTLAND IS
NOT THE ONLY CITY EXPERIENCING
THIS TYPE OF THING
UNFORTUNATELY.
THIS IS THE LONG-TERM
CONSEQUENCES OF THESE RIOTS.
BECAUSE OBVIOUSLY THE SHORT-TERM
IS THE IMMEDIATE DESTRUCTION AND
DAMAGE BUT THE EFFECTS OF RIOTS,
AND ALL THE REST IS DEFINITELY
LONG TERM AND UNFORTUNATELY
INNOCENT PEOPLE GET CAUGHT IN
THE CROSSHAIRS.
AINSLEY: WE INTERVIEWED ALL
THESE SHOP OWNERS WHO HAD THEIR
WINDOWS BUSTED IN AND HAD TO
CLOSE DOWN BECAUSE THEY WERE
LOSING MONEY BECAUSE OF ALL THE
RIOTS ON THE STREET.
THIS WEEK OR LAST WEEK WE
REPORTED THAT 50 MEMBERS OF THE
POLICE RIOT SQUAD HAD TO QUIT.
THEY SAID WE ARE DONE.
IF Y’ALL AREN’T GOING TO SUPPORT
US WE ARE OUT OF HERE.
HOMICIDES UP OVER LAST YEAR.
SHOOTINGS UP 126%.
ISN’T IT COMMON SENSE YOU TAKE
AWAY THE POLICE, YOU DON’T FUND
THEM OR SUPPORT THEM WELL THEN
THE PAD PEOPLE KNOW POLICE ARE
NOT GOING TO BE OUT THERE THEY
CAN DO WHATEVER THEY WANT?
>> ABSOLUTELY.
AND WE SAW THIS WITH NEW YORK
CITY ALSO DROPPING CHARGES
AGAINST THE RIOTERS AND LOOTERS
FROM OVER THERE.
THERE DEFINITELY IS A CAUSE AND
EFFECT.
SO OBVIOUSLY IF PEOPLE FEE
EMBOLDEN TO ATTACK POLICE AT
NIGHT THROUGH RIOTS THEN THEY
WILL FEEL EMBOLDENED TO DO MORE
SERIOUS CRIMES AS WELL.
SO WHAT I ALWAYS IN MY COVERAGE
IN THESE SITUATIONS IS TO
HIGHLIGHT THE FACT THAT INNOCENT
PEOPLE WHO HAVE NOTHING TO DO
WITH THE POLICE ARE OFTEN THE
FIRST ONES TO SUFFER THE
IMMEDIATE CONSEQUENCES OF JUST
LAWLESSNESS.
AINSLEY: THEY CAN PUT OUT AS
MANY ADS AS THEY WANT.