Protesters, Authorities Face Off at Weekend Portland Protests

The city of Portland, Ore. marked its 60th night of protests over police brutality Sunday, capping a weekend of clashes between protesters and law enforcement.

Friday night’s Portland protests began peacefully, CNN reported. However, by Sunday night, more violent confrontations were taking place.

The crowds have been gathering in Portland and other cities to protest police brutality following the death of 46-year-old George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police in late May.

Friday

The Portland protests Friday night began as a crowd gathered near the city’s federal courthouse to listen to people speak, according to CNN.

However, people began shaking a fence about 11 p.m., while others shot fireworks over the fence, police said. Other protesters approached the people rocking the fence in an attempt to de-escalate the situation.

The Portland Police Bureau said officers “attempted to disperse the crowd using various munitions.” Police reported many people came to the protest with gas masks, shields, leaf blowers, fireworks and other items.

Law enforcement behind the fence, which was intended to be a barricade between the protesters and the Multnomah County Justice Center across from the courthouse, deployed flash bangs and tear gas after the peaceful crowd chanted “Black Lives Matter,” according to CNN. It was unclear whether police or federal agents released the tear gas. 

Acting secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf tweeted that six Department of Homeland Security officers were injured during Friday night’s Portland protests.

Saturday

A Portland woman who had joined the protest as part of the “Wall of Moms” says she was struck in the face Saturday near the justice center.

The Wall of Moms is a group of women who shield protesters from federal agents at the Portland protests and demonstrations in other cities.

Kristen Jessie-Uyanik said in a Facebook post she had pulled out her phone about 10:50 p.m. Saturday to take photos of the federal agents standing across from her, according to Newsweek.

“Just before 11 p.m., I heard a boom and felt something hit my face,” she said. She did not know what precisely had struck her. 

She said she fell backward, but was caught and picked up. When the ambulance that had been called for never arrived, someone else drove her to a hospital.

Jessie-Uyanik said a CAT scan revealed a “foreign substance” in her forehead and one of her eyes, and she had to receive seven stitches.

Sunday

A crowd of about 1,000 people gathered Sunday night near the federal courthouse.

All was calm until some members of the crowd launched fireworks toward the courthouse, prompting federal officers to respond by firing tear gas and other crowd-control measures, The Oregonian reported.

Before the main protests began, police responded to a report of a shooting near Lownsdale Square where large crowds gathered later that night, according to The Oregonian. The victim is expected to survive, and no one has been arrested in the case. 

It was unclear whether the shooting was related to the Portland protests, the newspaper reported.

Just before 10 p.m., Portland police tweeted a photo of rifle ammunition magazines and Molotov cocktails they said had been seized from the square.

Former Multnomah County Commissioner and Portland City Council candidate Loretta Smith addressed protesters about 9:30 p.m., and later speakers tried to de-escalate a potential at the courthouse, according to The Oregonian.

However, about 11 p.m., people again started making their way toward the courthouse fence. Federal law enforcement inside the building had not yet come out, and the exterior lights were still off at that point.

Just before midnight, some protesters in the crowd began aiming fireworks in the direction of the courthouse, The Oregonian reported. 

Some climbed the fence and entered the courthouse portico, while others lit a large fire in Lownsdale Square, according to police.

Just after midnight, the courthouse’s exterior lighting came on and police ordered the crowd to disperse, The Oregonian reported, and the police declared the gathering an unlawful assembly.

At that point, federal officers came out of the courthouse, deploying crowd-control measures, including gas, the newspaper reported.

Portland police said they did not participate dispersing the crowd, did not arrest anyone and did not deploy any CS gas.

The Federal Protective Service announced via loudspeaker that some officers had been hit with projectiles, according to The Oregonian, and after officers went back into the building, members of the crowd who had not yet dispersed threw glass bottles toward the building.

Federal law enforcement used more gas and crowd-control munitions throughout the night; despite orders to disperse, several hundred protesters remained at 1 a.m.

Shortly after 1 a.m., journalist Andrew Kimmel tweeted a video of federal officers lining up in front of the courthouse and forcing protesters away using batons and other measures, according to The Oregonian. 

Federal officers retreated to the courthouse just after 2 a.m., deploying gas on their way.

Medics file lawsuit

At least one new lawsuit has been filed in connection with the Portland protests.

The lawsuit, filed by four protest medics, calls out actions taken by the city and officers that have allegedly resulted in many protesters receiving traumatic injuries, as well as having their First and Fourth Amendment rights violated.

“Using chemical weapons, semi-lethal projectiles, and riot batons against parties who are not engaged in criminal activity and pose no threat to anyone’s safety is an unconstitutionally excessive use of force,” the complaint says.

Christopher Wise and the other plaintiffs in that case are seeking declaratory and injunctive relief; compensatory and punitive damages; pre-judgment interest; attorneys’ fees and costs; and any other relief deemed appropriate by the court.

Have you been a victim of violence at a police brutality protest? Tell us about your experience in the comments.

The plaintiffs in the Portland Protest Medic Lawsuit are represented by Rian Peck, Thomas R. Johnson, Misha Isaak, Nathan Morales, Shane Grannum, Sarah Mahmood and Zachary Watterson of Perkins Coie LLP and Kelly K. Simon of the American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Oregon.

The Portland Protest Medic Lawsuit is Christopher Wise, et al. v. City of Portland, et al., Case No. 3:20-cv-01193, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon, Portland Division.

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