Cops Try to Convince Riot-Weary People in Oregon That Antifa Didn't Start Wildfires. Good Luck With That

Nearly the entire state of Oregon is covered with smoke from wildfires that sprung up seemingly everywhere all at once. It’s the worst fire season in years. Areas near Portland have been evacuated. The southern Oregon towns of Talent and Phoenix burned down the other day.

Some residents think that antifa rioters are behind at least some of the fires. Sheriffs and local police say it’s not true, but convincing people is another matter.

If you’re a rural Oregonian, which is most of Oregon, and you see Portland being set on fire by lawless militants – and then those same militants target your town and proclaim you’re racists and fascists – it isn’t much of a jump to wonder if those people would be willing to set your home and your livelihood, the forests, on fire. The prevailing thought is that of course they would be more than willing to do that.

🚨🚨 #ClackamasWildfire press briefing is scheduled for 3:00 this afternoon. Tune into the live stream at https://t.co/p6JgWePX9E. pic.twitter.com/9sEJwfROt6

— Clackamas County, OR (@clackamascounty) September 10, 2020

Oregon’s governor and Portland’s mayor have done little to stop the Portland rioters because to stop them with force and prosecutions would turn off a valuable voting constituency. With nihilistic leadership like that, people are left to fill in the blanks for themselves. No wonder the rumor mill has been working overtime. Rioters are willing to block cops inside a building and set it on fire, so why would the fire-setting criminals of antifa and BLM hesitate to burn down the lives of people they consider to be fascists?

A Tale of Two White, Bigoted Team Owners

Rumors have been spreading as fast as the fires themselves. Sheriffs in Oregon are imploring people to stop spreading them, assuring the public that there’s no way antifa started the fires.

The Jackson County, Ore., sheriff’s office says no antifa people have been arrested for fire-setting.

Remember when we said to follow official sources only. Remember when we said rumors make this already difficult incident even harder? Rumors spread just like wildfire and now our 9-1-1 dispatchers and professional staff are being overrun with requests for information and inquiries on an UNTRUE rumor that 6 Antifa members have been arrested for setting fires in DOUGLAS COUNTY, OREGON.
THIS IS NOT TRUE! Unfortunately, people are spreading this rumor and it is causing problems.
Do your part, STOP. SPREADING. RUMORS! Follow official sources of information such as local emergency response websites and pages, government websites and pages and local reputable news outlets.
Please, share far and wide!

In Estacada, where fires rage, a 96-year-old grandmother was one of thousands evacuated from her home in the more rural burg east of Portland.

Traffic is lined up as evacuees head out of town on HWY 213 in Clackamas County pic.twitter.com/tshGoqRVJl

— Kyle Iboshi (@KyleIboshi) September 11, 2020

On Thursday morning, a set of Black Lives Matter, Inc™ protesters met in front of a house off Main Street in Estacada, according to an eyewitness, a well-respected businessman, who spoke to PJ Media. The “all-white” group of protesters had previously attempted to get the “racist” mayor ousted. They were back. And then fires forced the town’s evacuation. People wondered if there was a connection.

Report: Portland Police Declaring Riots Against All Those White People Is ‘Racist’

Estacada has seen the Left up close before. This is in an area where Earth First! and Earth Liberation Front cranks at one time tree-sat, spiked trees to kill loggers, told the media stories about spotted owls, and plotted conflagrations. 

They looked and acted like these kooks.

Though sheriffs are trying to tamp down the rumor mill about antifa arrests, there have been actual arrests.

In Eugene, police arrested a man for arson for setting a wildfire last week. The Oregonian reports that Elias Pendergrass was accused of arson.

Elias Newton Pendergrass is accused of first-degree arson in the Sweet Creek Milepost 2 fire, which covers 382 acres near the community of Mapleton. Pendergrass, a Mapleton resident, is being held in the Lane County Jail.

Two men were arrested for looting in Marion County. Down the I-5 corridor where Northern California fires rage, a woman was arrested Monday for setting another wildfire.

But fake reports of arrests continue.

KOIN News reports that authorities believe there’s no antifa connection to any of the fires.

Both the Molalla Police Department and the Douglas County Sheriff's Office have made an attempt to clear up any rumors that "antifa" started the wildfires. https://t.co/bjzOa5mOuX

— KOIN News (@KOINNews) September 10, 2020

But you can’t fault people for wondering.

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