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U.S. NEWS Saturday 7 November 2020
Protesters crying foul over vote counts stir safety concerns

By ADAM GELLER in a Hummer from Virginia,
Associated Press did not have permits to
Pro-Trump protesters — carry the weapons in Penn-
some of them openly car- sylvania, police said. A
rying rifles and handguns — military-style rifle without a
rallied outside vote-tabula- serial number was found in-
tion centers in a few cities side their vehicle along with
around the country Friday, ammunition, Police Com-
responding to groundless missioner Danielle Outlaw
claims by President Donald said. The car had a window
Trump that the Democrats sticker for the right-wing
were trying to steal the conspiracy theory QAnon.
White House. District Attorney Larry Kras-
Elections officials in several ner did not say why the
states where Democrat Joe men had come to Philadel-
Biden was ahead said the phia but said there were no
anger outside their doors indications they were part
made them fear for the of an extremist group.
safety of their employees. In Rhode Island, about 100
Roughly 100 Trump sup- protesters rallied outside
porters gathered for a third the state board of elections
straight day in front of the headquarters, demand-
elections center in Phoenix, People demonstrate outside the Pennsylvania State Capitol, Friday, Nov. 6, 2020, in Harrisburg, ing a recount in an over-
where hundreds of work- Pa., as vote counting continues following Tuesday's election. Associated Press whelmingly Democratic
ers were processing and state where Biden won with
counting ballots. tive activist Charlie Kirk told Love Trump." Police cor- payers and our staff" and more than 59% of the vote.
"Arrest the poll workers!" the the crowd, eliciting cheers. doned off streets leading because of "credible infor- Protesters said ballots were
crowd chanted, demand- In Detroit, dozens of Trump to the building and main- mation" from the sheriff's illegally dumped in Rhode
ing four more years in office supporters returned to the tained a close watch on office. In Philadelphia, two Island, but offered no evi-
for Trump. Sheriff's deputies streets outside the city's the protest. men with handguns were dence. State elections of-
kept protesters in a "free convention center, where The county treasurer in arrested Thursday night ficials have said they have
speech" zone away from election workers counted Detroit, Eric Sabree, said near the convention cen- no evidence of fraud.
the entrance to the build- ballots. he had closed his office ter where the vote-count- "We demand a recount in
ing. "When we start audit- "Stop the steal!" the protest- because of threats. In a ing that could decide the Jesus' name!" protest lead-
ing some of these voter ers chanted. Some carried statement, Sabree said the White House race was go- er Kathleen Forant shout-
rolls, their fraud may actu- signs that read, "Make Elec- decision was made "in the ing on. The men, ages 42 ed, as state police stood
ally be exposed," conserva- tions Fair Again" and "We interest of the safety of tax- and 61, who had drive up nearby. q

Portland, Oregon rejects bid to cut $18M more from police

By GILLIAN FLACCUS “Last week, we heard George Floyd in May and
Associated Press that it won’t require lay- was one of the biggest is-
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — City offs, which is wrong. It will sues in the mayor’s race.
commissioners in Portland, require layoffs. This is not a Portland has been roiled by
Oregon on Thursday reject- detail. This is a critical piece five months of near-nightly
ed a budget amendment of information,” he said be- Black Lives Matter protests
that would have slashed fore voting no. and Wheeler has come
another $18 million from “The testimony we’ve under intense criticism for
the Portland Police Bureau heard is clear: the status what many see as an over-
amid months of racial jus- quo is unacceptable. Many ly aggressive police force.
tice protests and shifted Portlanders, and most of A challenger to Wheeler’s
the money to the city’s the people who testified left who attended dozens
pandemic response. about this item, do not trust of protests against racial
The commission voted 3-2 the current criminal legal injustice and police bru-
against the amendment, system — they do not trust tality almost beat him by
which had been proposed the Police Bureau,” he said, doubling down on a plat- Back the Blue police supporters, left, stand next to Black Lives
by Commissioner Jo Ann adding that he nonetheless form of police reform and Matter protesters calling for defunding the police, Thursday, Nov.
Hardesty, the first Black felt cutting the police bud- proposed police budget 5, 2020, in Portland, Ore.
woman on the elected get further was not the solu- cuts of $50 million, among Associated Press
body that acts like a city tion. The commission voted other things. And while pro- for several hours to call for at two other men when po-
council. Mayor Ted Wheel- in June to cut nearly $16 tests around the country authorities to reopen an lice showed up and fired
er, who is also police com- million from the police — focused on the vote count investigation into the fatal 12 shots, striking him nine
missioner, was one of three eliminating school resource in the U.S. presidential elec- police shooting death of a times. Kimmons’ death has
commissioners who voted officers, transit police and a tion this week, protests in 27-year-old Black man two nonetheless been one of
last week to delay a vote gun violence reduction unit Portland were centered years ago. two recent police shoot-
on the budget amend- — and the force has also on racial injustice and po- A grand jury in 2018 con- ings at the forefront of pro-
ment until after Tuesday’s suffered pandemic-related lice brutality. On Thursday, cluded that officers were testers’ demands for po-
election. Wheeler won a budget cuts. a day after demonstrators justified in opening fire on lice reform and his mother
second term and voted Police accountability has smashed windows in the Patrick Kimmons. Authorities holds weekly protests call-
“no” on the amendment been a driving issue in downtown, a group of pro- said Kimmons was armed ing for authorities to reopen
Thursday. Portland since the killing of testers stood in heavy rain and had already fired shots the case.q