Portland socialist city councilor Mitch Green advocated for 'rioting and looting,' expressed 'pure hatred' for police: unearthed tweets

Portland Socialist city councilor Mitch Green came under criticism on Tuesday for a series of unearthed social media posts in which he professed "pure hatred" toward the Portland Police Bureau (PPB). Green promoted rioting, derided businesses seeking assistance, and claimed that property destruction was nonviolent, a belief commonly held by anarchists.

Green acknowledged his remarks were "not a good look," but defended his position to abolish the PPB, according to statements made to the Oregonian.

The archived tweets were first obtained by Max Steele, a Portland political commentator. According to the posts, Green advocated for the abolition of police, writing in September 2021 that officers are "incompatible with a peaceful society," referring to cops as "bastards" and "absolute monsters."

Green added that he turned on a movie to take his "mind off of my pure hatred for the Portland police."
 

The city councilor walked back his police characterizations on Tuesday, but said that he is "actively trying to build" a "world where we abolish the police."

In another series of tweets, Green encouraged rioting and looting, writing that "the left should riot more." In a statement to the paper, Green said: "Property destruction is a crime, but it's not violence. Violence is when you hurt a person or an animal or you kill a person or an animal. And so I do draw that distinction."

While Green said he would not particularly "call for riots today," the socialist councilor warned that such actions would be likely in Portland if federal lawmakers continued to pass conservative legislation.

In June 2021, Green criticized Mayor Ted Wheeler's initiative to remove graffiti from businesses. "Clean up your own mess. You operate in a city, this is what happens in cities," wrote Green, who mocked the businesses seeking help against vandals. "It's high time that business owners stopped leeching off the community and started pulling their fair share. Try producing something for a change, instead of just living off the value your employees create and handouts from your fake daddy Ted, who will never actually love you."

Despite the backlash, Green doubled down on his positions, telling the Oregonian: "I remain committed to building a system where we no longer need policing and prisons. And for raising the standard for the working class. That’s my long term vision and I hope to see it in my lifetime."

The city of Portland is still trying to revitalize following the pandemic and 2020 anti-police riots, where Antifa anarchists and Black Lives Matter (BLM) activists laid siege to federal property and rioted in the streets for more than 100 consecutive days.

Green is a member of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA).