The protests in Portland turned violent when protesters attempted to establish an autonomous zone and looted shops around a police compound, turning it into a “war zone”, according to reports.
Hundreds of protesters gathered outside the North Precinct on the first anniversary of George Floyd’s death while in police custody, Oregon Live wrote. While previous protests had been peaceful, protesters set fire to the compound while trying to “set fire to the building” after failing to control it.
A Portland police report described how protesters gathered, bringing supplies “to build a fence.” While some protesters blocked traffic and attempted to build a self-contained off-campus zone similar to Seattle’s, others fired projectiles, including glass bottles and fireworks, at police.
Protesters also used garbage cans to block officers inside the building.
In the video, protesters can be heard singing “There are no good police officers in a racist system.”
“North Portland looks like a war zone right now,” Andy Ngô, a reporter for The Post Millennial, tweeted Friday morning. He also claimed that the militants had tried to “establish an autonomous zone outside the [Portland Police] North Enclosure.
“Protesters have a big banner that says, ‘Every city, every town, burn the compound to the ground.'”
Protesters covered the compound with graffiti, with anti-police slogans such as “ACAB,” which means “All cops are bastards,” and “Abolish the police,” as well as the comment that “Tamir Rice would be 18 today” on a huge BLM.
Officers tried to disperse the crowd around 1 a.m. on Friday using “crowd control munitions,” including impact munitions and CS gas, which Oregon Live notes is “some kind of tear gas.” Protesters also allegedly shot paintballs at officers, obscuring their vision when protesters and police clashed.
This Friday, June 26, 2020, the photo released by the Portland Police Department shows damage after protests calling for an end to racial injustice and police accountability in Portland, Oregon. Some protesters set fire to a police compound, trashed businesses, and attempted to barricade police officers inside their station during a demonstration Friday morning that ended law enforcement using tear gas to disperse the crowd, authorities said . (Portland Police Department via AP)
An hour later, the people seen were looting businesses and setting them on fire. The extent of the damage was not immediately clear.
This Friday, June 26, 2020, the photo released by the Portland Police Department shows damage following protests calling for an end to racial injustice and police accountability in Portland, Oregon. Some protesters set fire to a police compound, smashed businesses, and attempted to barricade police officers inside their station during a demonstration Friday morning that ended law enforcement using tear gas to disperse the crowd, authorities said . (Portland Police Department via AP)
“The dynamics of the protesters during this incident were more aggressive and violent than those seen in recent weeks,” police said in a statement.
They also tweeted that “arrests have been made. Officers are now securing businesses that were vandalized and looted in the King neighborhood. ”
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At least one officer was taken to the hospital with injuries, although he is expected to make a full recovery.
