6 officers hurt in Oregon protests
In Seattle, police declare riot after blasts, arrest 16 people
PORTLAND, Ore. — Federal agents again repeatedly fired tear gas to break up rowdy protests in Portland that continued into the early morning Saturday as demonstrations that have happened every night for two months showed no signs of letting up.
Authorities say six federal officers were injured, and one person was arrested.
Thousands gathered in front of the downtown federal courthouse beginning Friday evening. Demonstrations have happened in Oregon’s largest city nightly since George Floyd was killed in Minneapolis in May.
In Seattle, police declared a riot Saturday after large demonstrations in the city’s Capitol Hill neighborhood, and deployed flash bangs and pepper spray to try to clear an area near where weeks earlier people had set up an “occupied protest zone” that stretched for several blocks.
Via Twitter, police said they had made at least 16 arrests for assault on officers, obstruction and failure to disperse. They also said they were “investigating a possible explosive damage” to the walls of the city’s East Precinct police station.
Authorities said rocks, bottles and fireworks were thrown at officers as they attempted to clear the area. One officer was hospitalized with a leg injury caused by an explosive.
Earlier, protesters in Seattle broke through a fence where a youth detention facility was being built, with some people setting a fire and damaging a portable trailer, authorities said.
Thousands of protesters had initially gathered peacefully near downtown in a show of solidarity with fellow demonstrators in Portland.
Late Friday, a federal judge denied a request by Oregon’s attorney general to restrict the actions of federal police.
The Federal Protective Service had declared Friday evening’s gathering in Portland “an unlawful assembly” and said officers had been injured.
As the crowd dispersed, someone was found stabbed nearby, Portland police said. The person was taken to a hospital, and a suspect was taken into custody.
By 3 a.m., most demonstrators had left, with only small groups roaming the streets.
Earlier Friday night, the protest had drawn various organized groups, including military veterans, Healthcare Workers Protest, Teachers against Tyrants, Lawyers for Black Lives and the “Wall of Moms.”
As the crowd grew — authorities estimate there were 3,000 present at the peak of the protest — people were heard chanting “Black Lives Matter” and “Feds go home” to the sound of drums.
Later, rioters shook the fence surrounding the courthouse, shot fireworks toward the building and threw glass bottles. Many times these violent actions were met by federal agents using tear gas and flash bangs to quell the unrest.
Daniel Pereyo was one protester who was tear-gassed. Pereyo said he had been at the nearby park watching drummers and fireworks being shot, when his face and eyes began to burn.
“It’s extremely painful,” he said. “It’s not the worst pain ever, but it is discomforting and it’s distracting.” Information for this article was contributed by Sally Ho of The Associated Press.