Six weeks after the first night of Black Lives Matter and Antifa-inspired looting across downtown Portland, most suspects still have not been identified or arrested.
The Portland Police Bureau is asking for the public’s help to identify dozens of persons of interest in a variety of unsolved cases that occurred on the night of May 29 into the morning of May 30.
People with masks and hoods were recorded smashing the glass showcase of numerous jewelry and clothing stores and reaching in around the shards to steal showpieces. Rioters also targeted banks and started fires. This followed the storming and burning of part of the ground floor of the Justice Center, which houses the central police precinct and the Sheriff's Office. Far-left rioters, BLM activists and Antifa were repelled by tear gas from police but then they proceeded to ransack businesses downtown.
Noha Kassab of Kassab Jewelers received a frantic call from her daughter an hour past midnight, alerting her of the theft taking place at their family store, reports The Oregonian. When Kassab called 911, the police said they would arrive shortly. They said that again fifteen minutes later.
The store was robbed empty by looters.
Kassab Jewelers had only been opened nine days since it was shut down by the pandemic. Reviewing security footage, the Kassabs estimated 70 to 100 thieves invaded their store. They estimate their losses to be $2 million.
Some of the other stores looted starting on the night of May 29 include Target, H&M, Apple and businesses in the Pioneer Place mall. Video recorded outside the Louis Vuitton showed a mob shouting “Expropriation!” One of the suspects seen in a photo released by police wore a ski mask with devil horns as others stole designer handbags.
Rioters have broken into Portland’s main mall in downtown & began looting the @LouisVuitton. Youths ran out with designer bags. They shouted about expropriation. People online are cheering about how this is targeting wealth inequality. #BLM #Antifa pic.twitter.com/jPDSsyxzJm
— Andy Ngô (@MrAndyNgo) May 30, 2020
93 downtown business owners estimated more than $23 million in losses in 2020. While most of that was due to the shutdown, more than $4.8 million was in property damage suffered in one night of rioting, according to a survey conducted by the Portland Business Alliance.
The public can leave a tip—anonymous or with contact information—for the lead investigator at 503-823-0000.
