UPDATED Wednesday, Aug. 5: Police declare riot amid protest at union building
Portland protests have gotten underway for the 69th consecutive day Tuesday.
Demonstrations resumed Tuesday afternoon, the day after authorities declared an unlawful assembly and arrested two during a protest along East Burnside Street. A 15-year-old boy suspected of pointing a gun at people was also detained during a downtown demonstration Monday.
Tuesday’s protests began with a gathering outside the Portland Police Bureau’s East Precinct on Southeast 106th Avenue, where a handful of demonstrators rallied against police violence.
Additional demonstrations were held Tuesday, including a Black Lives Matter march, which is ongoing after beginning at North Portland’s Peninsula Park, and the nightly protest outside the Multnomah County Detention Center. Protesters have gathered near the downtown facility since late May, demonstrating against police brutality and anti-Black racism after the Minnesota police killing of George Floyd.
About 100 protesters gathered in Peninsula Park about 8 p.m. and began the 1.3-mile march toward the Portland Police Association building on North Lombard Street shortly before 9 p.m. There, they chanted in the street and listened to speakers. The contents of one trash bin was set on fire on North Lombard Street.
Police just after 10:30 p.m. warned some demonstrators to stop trying to break into the police association building or face arrest or use of force. They issued numerous warnings throughout the night, declaring the assembly unlawful and saying use of force and tear gas could be deployed.
A shock was sent through the crowd after 11 p.m., when a pickup truck raced through a street where the crowd was assembled, metal sparks flying from the undercarriage where a motorcycle had been lodged.
The driver abandoned the truck blocks from the scene, and photos showed the motorcycle underneath the front bumper. No injuries were immediately reported.
Video on Twitter showed a man who appeared to be the driver carrying a handgun and yelling at protesters as he walked away. A police officer told an Oregonian/OregonLive reporter that police were speaking with the driver.
Shortly before midnight, officers moved through the crowd to deal with someone trying to break into the back of the police association building, but they retreated shortly after.
Then about 12:30 a.m. Wednesday, gunshots were heard near a 7-Eleven convenience store nearby. The crowd scattered, and police officers arrived to investigate and look for any potential victims. A report that someone had been shot could not be confirmed, and officers began leaving the area about 15 minutes later.
Protesters also gathered in downtown Portland for a nightly protest near the Justice Center and the federal courthouse. Numerous speakers also addressed the crowd there.
On Monday, a crowd of about 150 marched to the Penumbra Kelly Building at 4735 E. Burnside St., which is used by the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office. The group rallied before being pushed back by Portland police, mirroring a similar confrontation that unfolded Saturday.
Another crowd of over 100 gathered near the Justice Center. That event also briefly turned tense as police appeared to detain the boy with the gun, which turned out to be a pellet gun that looked similar to a firearm.
Police seized the pellet gun, metal knuckles and a knife. The boy was released to a parent, police said, and the case has been referred to prosecutors.
The items above were seized by police.Handout photo/Portland Police Bureau
Recent downtown protests have been fairly subdued in contrast to those from the previous few weeks, when protesters clashed with federal police who repeatedly released tear gas and munitions on crowds.
The Oregon State Police took over the federal courthouse security detail last week after the Trump administration dispatched more than 100 federal officers to guard the building in July. The move ratcheted up nightly downtown protests and prompted widespread condemnation by city, state and congressional officials.
-- Jim Ryan; [email protected]; 503-221-8005; @Jimryan015
Jayati Ramakrishnan, Dave Killen and Fedor Zarkhin of The Oregonian/OregonLive contributed to this report.
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Zeal514 on August 5th, 2020 at 16:01 UTC »
I am from the future.... I will tell you tomorrows headline....
betaruga on August 5th, 2020 at 15:51 UTC »
You know a topic is taken seriously on reddit when 69 is in the title and the top comment isn't "nice"
HobbitFoot on August 5th, 2020 at 15:02 UTC »
I have to ask, if the mayor was there at the protests to the point where he was teargassed, why isn't the city doing anything politically to address the protests?