Portland protesters and assailants returned to a federal courthouse late Wednesday night, launching fireworks at police officers, shining lasers into officers’ eyes and spray-painting at least one cop, authorities said Thursday morning.
Hundreds of people gathered in Oregon City near the Mark O. Hatfield U.S. Courthouse, the nearby Multnomah County Justice Center and a nearby police station for nights after demonstrations elsewhere, including another area and the offices of Portland Police Association.
The group set off commercial-class fireworks in the direction of the gate to protect the courthouse shortly after 10:30 p.m. Police ordered them over the loudspeaker to “stop starting fireworks and start a fire,” according to a press release.
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Instead, some members of the group apparently reacted by shining lasers in the faces of officers who made the announcements. Others blocked traffic and started at least one small fire in a nearby area, authorities said.
Police declared an illegal meeting shortly after 11:30 a.m., but the events continued to escalate.
“A large explosive and other fireworks were thrown at officials, along with rocks, bottles and cans containing fist,” police said.
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Portland Police Officer Splashes with Paint (Portland Police Bureau)
In the middle of the afternoon, the police classified the legal meeting as a riot, at which point the group apparently returned to the area of the courthouse.
“They threw eggs and continued launching fireworks in commercial class to officers,” police said.
The crowd had disappeared around 2:30 a.m., but not before someone parked a police car in the area.
During the night, officers used tear gas to break up the audience. Several people were arrested and several police officers were injured, including one who had a serious hand injury.
Protesters of Black Lives Matter march through Portland to rally at the Mark O. Hatfield Courthouse of the United States on August 2, 2020. (AP)
Protests have been held in the city last night since the massacre of George Floyd in May, a Black man who died after a white officer punched him in the neck for almost nine minutes.
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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 that turned violent were repeated in the last week.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
