Portland becomes a “war zone” as shops are looted, anti-police protesters set fire to a compound, and police use tear gas during the violent night of demonstrations
- Protesters try to create an ‘autonomous zone’ outside the Portland Police Bureau North Precinct Thursday night
- Police officers used tear gas to disperse protesters in the early hours of Friday morning, declaring the meeting “an illegal assembly.”
- The compound caught fire shortly thereafter, and protesters retaliated by firing paintballs at officers; companies were also looted and buildings were destroyed
- Demonstrations calling for police reform and an end to systemic racism have been taking place Portland every night for the past month.
- Sometimes the protests have become destructive; Last Thursday, a group of activists downed and destroyed a statue of George Washington.
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Four people have been arrested in Portland after protests against the police became destructive and violent.
Authorities say the North Precinct of the Portland Police Bureau was set on fire early Friday morning after violent clashes between police and protesters in the city overnight.
A right-wing commentator described the area as something akin to “a war zone”, while protesters accused the authorities of increasing tensions.
On Thursday night, protesters attempted to create an autonomous zone, much like Seattle’s CHAZ, around the compound. Police responded by declaring an “illegal assembly,” reports KOIN.
Police officers confirmed that they used tear gas to try to disperse that crowd. Some protesters allegedly responded “by shooting paintballs at officers’ face shields, rendering them unable to see.”
Demonstrations turned violent in Portland Thursday night and Friday morning, with protesters starting several fires and police firing tear gas in an attempt to disperse crowds.
Videos and images posted on social media by protester James Martin showed several separate fires set up on barricades placed between protesters and police.
A right-wing commentator described the area as something akin to ‘a war zone,’ while protesters accused authorities of mounting tensions.
Police told KOIN that “crowd control munitions were used.”
At that time, several other fires were lit in addition to the fire that later broke out in the police compound.
Videos and images posted on social media by protester James Martin showed several separate fires set up on barricades placed between protesters and police.
One image showed tires and a litter bin lit as several activists donned bicycle helmets as if they were ready for a confrontation with the police.
Another image posted online showed a protester who was injured in the fights, with a ‘chunk’ of meat allegedly cut off from his ankle.
Another image posted online showed a protester injured in the fights, with a ‘chunk’ of meat allegedly cut off from his ankle.
An image from a video posted on social media shows a large fire burning outside a store as protesters move
Several fires were lit in addition to the fire that later broke out in the police compound
Several companies were also reported to have been looted. Graffiti also spread throughout the North Campus.
Demonstrations calling for police reform and an end to systemic racism have occurred in Portland every night since the death of unarmed black man George Floyd on May 25.
While the protests have been largely peaceful, there have also been previous cases of violence and destruction.
Last Thursday, a group of activists shot down a George Washington with a burning American flag on him.
The statue, which stood on the lawn of the American Society of Germany in northeast Portland, was knocked down by a group of about 30 to 40 protesters on Thursday night.
Images from the incident, which took place on the eve of June 19, showed the statue of Washington wrapped in a United States flag that had been lit just moments before it was shot down.
Protesters placed a sticker on the statue’s head that read “You are in native land” and also spray-painted the statue’s pedestal with the phrase “genocidal settler.”
It was also labeled ‘1619’, a reference to the year that slaves were first brought to America.
A statue of George Washington with a burning American flag on it was demolished by protesters in Portland, Oregon on Thursday night.
Police said a smaller group had separated from several hundred peaceful protesters and threw hot dogs at police and cut a fence surrounding the Justice Center, which has been a hot spot for conflicts between protesters and police.
Another group set fire to the Washington statue before knocking it down.
Those responsible placed the fallen statue on a second United States flag and also set fire.
The group that demolished the statue dispersed before police arrived at the scene, according to local media reports.
It comes as a statue of Thomas Jefferson that was based outside of Portland’s Jefferson High School it was also demolished last week.
The base of the statue had the words “slave owner” and the name of George Floyd spray painted.
Images from the scene show the statue lying face down on the ground and covered in graffiti that says: ‘Genocidal Settler’
It comes after a statue of Thomas Jefferson outside of Portland’s Jefferson High School was demolished earlier this week.
The base of the Jefferson statue had the words “slave owner” and the name of Floyd spray painted on it.
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