Portland police face far-left backlash after reinstating traffic law enforcement

The Portland Police Bureau announced the return of their traffic division on Tuesday which was disbanded in 2020 as a result of the staffing crisis caused by the notorious "Defund the Police" movement. Far-left activists, including members of Antifa, have taken to social media to express their outrage.

On Twitter, an Antifa account with the username @acab_b*tch called the return of PPB's traffic unit "racist" and issued claims that its reinstatement allows for police officers to start targeting "people-of-color."



"FYI: portland police are about to announce the return of their traffic division," @acab_b*tch wrote on Monday. "Their disproportionately racist traffic cops are about to start busting people for minor traffic violations again, and using traffic stops as unlawful fishing expeditions against people of color."

Andy Ngo, senior editor of The Post Millennial, reported that Portland police officers have not been able to properly conduct traffic stops since the unit was disbanded more than two years ago. As a result, the city experienced a proliferation of individuals committing traffic crimes that included both reckless driving and driving under the influence.

Ngo shared screenshots posted to Twitter by the outraged far-leftists that wished harm on traffic cops and also accused them of racially profiling individuals that get pulled over, a conspiratorial narrative perpetuated by anti-police advocates during the 2020 BLM-Antifa riots in an attempt to garner support for police abolition.

"Hopefully ya'll get (redacted) during every traffic stop," @AGuillotineCat wrote on Twitter, an anarchist Antifa account.

"And the racial profiling resumes!" another Antifa account wrote on Twitter, with the username @teejmahals. According to this account's bio, they identify as both antifascist and anarchist, with far-left ideologies.




 
In response to a Portland resident expressing gratitude for PPB reinstating their traffic division, @acab_b*tch repeated the conspiratorial narratives that traffic stops are disporportionately racist.

"As a bicycle commuter I can't wait for the return of the traffic division. In their absence drivers are even more out of control, and putting our lives at risk on a daily basis," the concerned citizen wrote.

The Antifa account responded, "also as a bike commuter: these stops are extremely racist, often based purely on profiling, and lead to ppb escalating situations that inevitably result in compounding cycles of poverty, imprisonment, and punitive justice that doesn't keep cyclists safe."

The Portland Police Bureau's traffic division was officially reinstated on Thursday and PPB announced that on the first day back officers had arrested a driver on DUI charges.

"Day one of the return of the Traffic Division and we have our first DUI arrest and it comes before noon!! This driver also had arrest warrants and was more than twice the legal limit at .19% BAC. Traffic is back!!," PPB said in a Tweet.

While the far-left Antifa accounts were outraged by the return of the traffic unit, Portland residents were thrilled to have more police patrolling the roads.

"Good. I'm glad you're back! You get all my support!" one account said.

Another added, "Drop the hammer on these people! Clean up your city and get it under control!"

Since the 2020 Black Lives Matter/Antifa riots desecrated Democrat cities across the nation, Portland, Oregon has experienced a significant increase in crime with record-breaking homicides after the police department was defunded by more than $15 million. Mayor Ted Wheeler has since called on lawmakers to increase the police budget, but that request comes as a feat with the progressive city council.