A Black military veteran and cafe owner in Portland said that his business was attacked and threatened by Antifa and Black Lives Matter rioters because of his support for law enforcement. This experience, he said, has only strengthened his resolve and solidified his support for President Donald Trump.
John Jackson, the owner of Heroes American Cafe in downtown Portland, said that his business partner received a warning on Oct. 8, saying the Antifa and BLM tagged their business as being pro-police and that they should expect “something” to happen to their property soon.
Jackson said that they did not take the threat seriously, believing it to be a crank call. However, on Sunday night, Oct. 11, the people who threatened the cafe made good on their promise. At 9:50 p.m., Jackson, who was at his home with his family at the time, got a call from one of his maintenance workers informing him that rioters had shot at his business’ windows.
When Jackson got to the scene, he found that two of his front windows were completely destroyed, and a third one had large cracks on it after being hit with a blunt object, possibly a baseball bat or a crowbar. The bullets flew inside the store, ricocheted and landed on the cafe’s ceiling.
“It looked like a planned thing,” said Jackson, “because they called us and threatened us.”
Nobody has come forward stating that they witnessed the event, not even homeless people who used to fill the park in front of the cafe. An exterior camera that might have given Jackson a clear view of the incident was mysteriously shut off.
Police officers were unable to respond to the attack on Jackson’s property. A police supervisor who visited the crime scene cautioned Jackson not to expect any officers to arrive soon because there were dozens of other emergencies occurring throughout the city during the riots that night.
Local news outlet The Oregonian asked Jackson to comment on the lack of police response, and he said that it was indicative of the state of the leadership in Portland. He believes the police are being hamstrung by leaders that are too focused on “being so passive.”
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Jackson later learned that his business was first put on Antifa and BLM's radar by a group known as Dublin PDX, who posted last Thursday that Heroes American Cafe was “guilty of WrongThink” because they allegedly gave their profits to law enforcement, a charge which Jackson has denied. Dublin PDX has also targeted Jackson’s cafe because he is not supportive of the Black Lives Matter movement.
“Black Lives Matter? I’m Black,” he said. “They don’t even know who I am.”
The attack on Jackson’s business occurred during a “direct action” demonstration organized by Antifa and Black Lives Matter-affiliated organizations. The day’s events were titled the “Indigenous People’s Day of Rage” in honor of Columbus Day – which is celebrated as Indigenous Peoples’ Day in Portland. The “day of rage” resulted in multiple reports of vandalism throughout the city, and rioters even toppled statues of Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt,
As Antifa and BLM continue to attack people and private property unopposed in Portland, they fail to emulate their successes in more conservative parts of the country. Listen to this episode of the Health Ranger Report, a podcast by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, as he talks about how Antifa and Black Lives Matter are staying away from red states where they are being met with quick and decisive action rather than with complicity.
Jackson says experience has solidified his support for the president
Despite the incident, the cafe opened on Monday as though nothing happened. Jackson said that he would not change his routine no matter what “terroristic” approach rioters can think of to employ against him.
“We’re just not yielding to any of that,” he said.
Jackson further stated that Antifa and Black Lives Matter do not understand his business at all and that they support all heroes.”
“We are pro-heroes – any hero. Whether it’s a teacher, a firefighter a police officer or a vet. We’re very American in nature. I served in the military. We’re red, white and blue. Whatever side you’re on, you have a right to believe what you believe, but you don’t have a right to step on whatever you disagree with. We kind of felt like we’re neutral.”
Jackson went on to talk about how he does not support police officers who are “zeroes.” He said that cops that abuse their power do not have a place in his cafe. But, he loves regular cops who are just doing their jobs.
Jackson voted for Trump in 2016. However, he was not certain whether or not he would vote for the president again until now. After he saw his cafe damaged for supporting law enforcement and even though he’s Black, he said he has made up his mind. (Related: Black, POC businesses in the Twin Cities flocking to Trump as Minnesota Democrats abandon them.)
“This solidified my Trump vote,” said Jackson. “I’m done with this weakness and we need some real strong leadership.”
Learn more about how the riots affect business owners in cities like Portland by reading the articles at Rioting.news.
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