Will Portland Accept a Chance to Actually Enforce the Law? – By Jazz Shaw (Hot Air) / May 21, 2024
Back during the Summer of Love in 2020, Portland, Oregon was among many cities experiencing nightly “mostly peaceful riots” featuring arson, property damage, and cop-free protest encampments. In fact, Portland was arguably among the worst at the time. While many were horrified, some saw the tumultuous era as presenting opportunities. One of those was Mike Schmidt, who ran for District Attorney on a platform of “justice reform,” defunding the police, and emptying the jails. He made good on his campaign promises and the results have been uniformly disastrous, as we have reported here many times in the past. Now a new election cycle is underway, however, and change may be in the air. Schmidt is facing a challenge for his office from someone who is vowing to get tough on crime and it’s not coming from some right-wing conservative. The challenger is one of Schmidt’s own deputies. (AP)
In Oregon’s Multnomah County, home to Portland, the progressive district attorney who took office during the social justice movement of 2020 is being challenged by a candidate vowing to be tough on crime, highlighting the growing pressure on liberal prosecutors across the U.S. amid voter concerns over public drug use and disorder.
District Attorney Mike Schmidt’s term began as the death of George Floyd at the hands of police sparked nightly protests in Portland and a larger national conversation about criminal justice reform. But in the past four years, progressive DAs and candidates in liberal bastions ranging from the San Francisco Bay Area to Seattle have faced setbacks as frustrations over public safety and homelessness have increased.
