Portland city commissioner threatens lawsuit for lack of police protection after Antifa firebombed his father's car during mayoral race

Portland City Commissioner Rene Gonzalez has threatened to sue the city over its delayed response to investigate crimes committed against him during his 2024 mayoral campaign. Gonzalez, a moderate Democrat, accused the city in a tort claim of failing to protect candidates who had frequently received threats of violence, particularly from anarchist Antifa activists. He also eviscerated biased local journalists for failing to accurately report on far-left "political violence" throughout the years.

Gonzalez questioned why the Portland Police Bureau (PPB) was slow to investigate a firebombing attack that occurred outside of his Eastmoreland home on January 12, 2024. A vehicle owned by his father was torched and authorities determined it was "intentionally set," according to police records. A credible Rose City Antifa blog took credit for the attack, but no arrests were ever made.

The public safety commissioner, who will be leaving office this week, said in the tort claim that the city of Portland should have taken a more proactive approach to safeguard politicians from potential threats before they occur, particularly if those politicians have previously faced threats.

"It took too long for the city to take sufficient steps to prevent arson," Gonzalez told OPB. The commissioner did not fault the police but suggested that the arson attack may have been avoided if adequate protections had been in place.

"From my vantage point, for our democracy to function, a responsibility of the city is to make sure its electeds are protected, not intimidated through these threats and sometimes flat-out terror," Gonzalez said. "It can have a chilling effect on democracy."

Gonzalez noted in his tort claim, which is the initial legal document that precedes a lawsuit, that an "anarchist/Antifa" website claimed responsibility for the arson. The group wrote in the post that militants carried out the attack because of the "policies adopted in capacity as city commissioner," and urged for more violence against him.

According to the claim, Gonzalez is seeking reimbursement for items lost in the fire. This includes a ring worth $1,000, a $200 dress, and the cost of his father's totaled car, which was unspecified. He told the publication that he requested reimbursement from the city but never heard back, and would like the claim to be settled so he doesn't have to file a lawsuit.

Gonzalez has been a frequent target of far-left Antifa violence during his political campaigns throughout the years because of his moderate pro-police policies. In 2021, several windows were busted at his campaign office while he was running for city commissioner. He has also been repeatedly accosted by far-left activists at city commissioner meetings. After the January firebombing attack, Portland Antifa activists celebrated the act of violence toward Gonzalez on social media.

Gonzalez claimed that the city has been "too slow to respond to increased threats against elected officials" over the last four years, citing threats made against Mayor Ted Wheeler and City Commissioner Dan Ryan. Mayor Wheeler recently spoke out against Antifa in an interview, recounting how militants attacked his home during the 2020 BLM-Antifa clashes. His condo complex was set on fire several times, and he claimed armed militants were outside his daughter's bedroom window.

While the city provided Gonzalez with security detail after the arson attack, the commissioner said he should have already been offered security because of the many documented threats against him. He urged the city to start taking threats of political violence seriously, saying, "If you want effective leadership, you need to take these threats seriously."

Gonzalez then eviscerated local media for failing to accurately report on the 2020 riots in Portland, and suggested that journalists should start reporting on "political violence" against local elected officials. Gonzalez, a moderate politician supported by both Democrats and Republicans, lost his mayoral bid to Keith Wilson. His last day in office is Tuesday.