Portland braced for protests as police kill murder suspect
Portland is grappling with an uncertain future as it reaches a stunning benchmark: 100 consecutive nights of racial injustice protests marred by vandalism, chaos, and the death of a supporter of president Donald Trump.
The demonstrations t hat started in late May after the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis have divided residents and embarrassed the city’s beleaguered Democratic mayor.
The killi ng of ri ght- wing Trump supporter Aaron “Jay” Danielson, 39, who was shot after he came i nto the cit y centre last weekend as part of a pro- Trump caravan of vehicles pushed the crisis further toward a breaking point.
The prime suspect i n the shooting, self- described antifascist Michael Forest Reinoehl, was killed on Thursday night by a law enforcement task force sent to arrest him outside Lacey, Washington.
Amid the turbulence, Portland now finds itself as a proxy for the culture wars sweeping the nation.
The exact date of the 100- day milestone depends on how the protests are counted, but everyone agrees the benchmark falls over the Labour Day holiday weekend.
Black Lives Matter protests, vigils and speeches marking the occasion are planned over three days and Trump supporters are planning another rally.
The events come after officials in suburban counties refused a call from governor Kate Brown, a Democrat, for their deputies to assist Portl and police f ol l owing l ast weekend’s violence.
And Mr Trump has stepped up t hreats t o send f ederal agents back to the cit y, like his administration did in July. However, agents brought in to stop attacks on a federal courthouse and other US property only reinvigorated the protesters.
Thousands of demonstrators turned out nightly, with some hurling fireworks, rocks, ball bearings and bottles at the agents. They responded with huge plumes of tear gas, rubber bullets and f l ash- bang grenades that created chaotic, war zone- like scenes.
Those clashes ended on 31 July, when state police took over from federal agents.
But smaller protests have continued, with groups of 100 to 200 people marching nightly.
The protesters want city officials to slash the police budget and reallocate that money to black residents and businesses.
S ome demonstrators are also demanding the resignation of Mayor Ted Wheeler, a white man and the scion of a timber company fortune.
A video of an officer chasing down and tackling a protester and then punching him repeatedly i n t he f ace t his week inflamed calls for more police accountability.