99 Days of Fire & Fury: Portland Police Make ‘Multiple Arrests’ Amid Violent Clashes With Protesters
Protests have been ongoing in Portland for more than three months, beginning with the 25 May death of unarmed African-American man George Floyd at the hands of a white policeman in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
4 September saw the 99th consecutive day of unrest in the north-western US city of Portland, Oregon, where scores of protesters were detained overnight after local police declared an unlawful assembly near the Portland Police Association building.
On Friday night, several hundred demonstrators gathered outside the facility after marching from Kenton Park and arriving at N Lombard Street to face riot gear-clad cops and Oregon state troopers.
Policemen used smoke bombs and stun grenades to disperse the demonstrators following a warning to protesters to stay off the streets and private property.
Reuters cited a police spokesperson as saying in a statement that they made “multiple arrests tonight”, but declining to give a specific number.
“[Police] officers will continue to make targeted arrests of those who fail to adhere to this order. The gathering at N Lombard St and N Campbell Ave has been declared an unlawful assembly”, the statement pointed out.
This came amid media reports that at least six people were detained during the protesters’ clashes with the police, who knocked them down in an attempt to tackle the unrest.Friday notably marked the first time that Oregon state troopers were redeployed to the front lines after they were pulled out of the area in early August.
The Friday protests came after US President Donald Trump pledged to “go in and take care of matters the way they should have been taken care of 100 days ago” in the event that Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler “does not get control of his city”.
In a series of tweets late last month, POTUS also berated Wheeler for watching the “great death and destruction” in Portland, insisting that “the only way you will stop the violence in the high crime Democrat run cities is through strength”.
US Hit By Anti-Police Protests
The US has been rocked by a wave of protests against racism and police brutality since late May, when a black man, George Floyd, was killed by white police while in custody in Minneapolis.© REUTERS / TERRAY SYLVESTERWatch Protesters Set Portland Police Building on Fire, Prompting Declaration of Riot, ArrestsSince then, cities all over the US have seen massive demonstrations, some of which have turned violent and resulted in arson, looting, and clashes with heavily armed police.
Portland has seen anti-racism protests for several months, with demonstrators attacking the federal courthouse in the city as well as police.
Some demonstrations in Portland were declared riots, as participants clashed with federal agents deployed by the Trump administration to the city, attempting to throw explosives at the federal courthouse or engaging in looting.
