On Thursday, the Post Millennial Editor-at-Large Andy Ngo and author Douglas Murray posed in front of a large graffiti death threat in Portland reading, “Kill Andy Ngo.” Ngo claimed he has reported many death threats to the Portland Police Bureau, but the police have yet to follow up with him on these threats.
“One of many such signs in Downtown Portland. There is nothing normal about this. It is a call for the murder of a journalist in an American city. Shame on the Portland authorities for tolerating it,” Murray tweeted.
“All death threats and incitements to violence against me have been reported to [the Portland Police] since last year. I have not been followed-up with once,” Ngo added.
All death threats and incitements to violence against me have been reported to @PortlandPolice since last year. I have not been followed-up with once. https://t.co/NR0seJtG3r
— Andy Ngô (@MrAndyNgo) October 22, 2020
Derek Cameron, a Portland Police public information officer, confirmed to PJ Media that Ngo has reported multiple death threats against him. Cameron condemned the death threats, insisted that the police take them seriously, and suggested that the police may have not followed up with Ngo because many of the death threats were anonymous.
“I see that Mr. Ngo has made multiple reports. It is unfortunate and terrible that people are receiving these threats,” Cameron told PJ Media. “We take these threats seriously and we encourage people to continue to make these reports. We encourage individuals to remain vigilant and report other suspicious activity.”
“I do not have the information in regard to follow-up on each of his reports but anonymity makes these threats difficult cases to investigate,” Cameron added.
Indeed, many antifa death threats against Ngo have been made anonymously. However, that does not preclude a police follow-up. If indeed Ngo has reported many death threats and the trails have gone cold due to anonymity, the police should still notify Ngo about their efforts to track down the death threats and protect the journalist’s life.
Tragically, police in Portland have often gone soft on antifa rioters as they vandalize, loot, and burn in the Rose City. During the nightly riots this past summer, many Portland Police reports ended by stating that police did not use tear gas or other crowd control measures despite hours of violent rioting.
The city’s Democratic mayor, Ted Wheeler, also serves as the police commissioner, so it is likely the police’s soft hand on antifa traces back to him. Wheeler joined the riots in person and witnessed rioters launching commercial-grade fireworks at law enforcement, and he even insisted that the use of tear gas in such a situation was unprovoked. Even so, it seems Wheeler will likely lose his reelection battle against Sarah Iannarone, an even more pro-antifa candidate.
If the Portland Police’s softness on antifa has led them not to vigorously investigate the death threats against Andy Ngo — or, at least, not to follow up with him on their investigations — it would be a mistake to blame the officers who are laying their lives on the line. Blame likely rests at the top, and unfortunately, the most viable alternative to Ted Wheeler is a candidate even worse than he is.
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Tyler O’Neil is the author of Making Hate Pay: The Corruption of the Southern Poverty Law Center. Follow him on Twitter at @Tyler2ONeil.
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