Protesters and police clashed in downtown Portland in a demonstration that lasted into the pre-dawn hours of Thursday, with some in the crowd setting a fire and commercial-grade fireworks exploding outside a federal courthouse that was months old has been in conflict in Oregon’s largest city.
Officers used tear gas to detonate the crowd of several hundred people gathering near the U.S. O Markfield courthouse, the neighboring Multnomah County Justice Center and a nearby police station.
Protests have been held in the city last night since the massacre of George Floyd in May, who died after a white officer pressed a knee to his neck.
Protesters threw rocks, bottles and paint at officers during the demonstration, which began Wednesday night and began Thursday morning, Portland police said in a statement.
One officer received a hand wound described as serious, several other officers suffered unspecified injuries and two people were arrested, the statement said.
The protests in Portland reached their peak last month outside the federal courthouse, with protesters happening at night with federal agents being sent to the city to protect the courthouse.
The demonstrations disappeared after a drawing of the agents, who were replaced by Oregon state troops. But protests erupted violently last week, mostly near a police union headquarters building miles from the federal courthouse.
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