Tear gas fired again at Portland protesters
PORTLAND, Ore. — Federal agents again repeatedly fired tear gas to break up rowdy protests here 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 federal courthouse downtown beginning Friday evening. Demonstrations have happened in Oregon’s largest city nightly since George Floyd was killed in Minneapolis in late May. President Donald Trump said he sent federal agents to Portland to halt the unrest, but state and local officials say they are making the situation worse.
Late Friday, a federal judge denied a request by Oregon’s attorney general to restrict the actions of federal police.
The latest demonstration lasted until federal agents entered the crowd around 2:30 a.m. Saturday and marched in a line down the street, clearing remaining protesters with volleys of tear gas at close range. They also extinguished a large fire in the street outside the courthouse.
The Federal Protective Service had declared the gathering “an unlawful assembly.” Harry Fones, a Homeland Security Department spokesman, said at a news conference Saturday afternoon that some people launched large fireworks, threw hard projectiles and used power tools to damage property.
Craig Gabriel, assistant U.S. attorney for the District of Oregon, said at the news conference that of the six federal officers who were injured, one suffered a concussion and another was taken to the hospital for burns.
He said one person was arrested for failing to comply with orders. That person was later released without charges, bringing the total number of people arrested on or near the courthouse since early July to 60.
“It’s the very few of the crowd who come not intent on doing anything with their voice but intent on destruction and intent on confrontation, unfortunately, with federal police,” Gabriel said, acknowledging that the majority of protesters are peaceful.
Gabriel said a fence erected around the courthouse has been targeted by “violent agitators.”
“If the courthouse can stand and can have integrity and not be subject to damage or attack, then the officers will go home. I think — not to be flippant — but I think it’s that simple,” Gabriel said.
Earlier Friday night, the protest had drawn various organized groups, including veterans, Healthcare Workers Protest, Teachers against Tyrants, Lawyers for Black Lives and the “Wall of Moms.”
As the crowd grew — authorities estimate that there were 4,000 present at the peak of the protest — people were heard chanting “Black Lives Matter” and “Feds go home” to the sound of drums.
Later, protesters vigorously shook the fence surrounding the courthouse, shot fireworks toward the building and threw glass bottles. Many times, these actions were met by federal agents using tear gas and flashbang grenades.
Daniel Pereyo was one protester who was tear-gassed. He said he had been at a 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.”
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.
The state attorney general had sued the federal government, saying some people had been whisked off the streets in unmarked vehicles. U.S. District Judge Michael Mosman ruled Friday that the state lacked standing to sue on behalf of protesters.
Oregon was seeking a restraining order on behalf of its residents, not for injuries that had already happened but to prevent injuries by federal officers in the future. That combination makes the standard for granting such a motion very narrow, and the state did not prove that it had standing in the case, Mosman wrote.