Thousands of Christians gathered outside Portland on Saturday to sing spiritual music amid the state’s social alienation measures – just hours before a riot broke out in the city and a separate public fire was sent to the city police headquarters.
Worshipers met Saturday night at Waterfront Park for an event called “Riots to Revival.” Controversial Christian musician Sean Feucht, who has held similar gatherings on California beaches amid COVID-19 restrictions, led the audience in song and some were even baptized. Most people flew social distances and did not wear masks as face masks, KGW reported.
“I’m excited to share some good news from Portland with you. “Last night we gathered thousands of people who came together,” Feucht told Fox & Friends Weekend on Sunday morning.
‘LET US WORSHIP’ FOUNDER CALL CALIFORNIA LEADERS ‘CORONAVIRUS LOCKDOWN HYPOCRISY
‘White, black, Spanish – we came and brought out our song of hope about this city. People gave their lives to Jesus. Hundreds of people – We baptized people in the river behind us. There was so much joy that took over the streets of that city last night. “
Feucht estimated that between 4,000 and 7,000 people attended the mass church service that took place just blocks away from the federal courthouse and acted as a counter-protest to bring worship, prayer and kind acts to Portland. Only 600 people responded to a Facebook event saying they would attend.
Videos showed a large, close-knit audience with their arms raised in praise. The city has seen more than two months of violence in the wake of George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis on May 25.
‘Our last tagline was’ Riots to Revival’, which we brought with us to Seattle last night. We just believe that the church has the potential to change that narrative. All of America has just seen these buildings burning, and they have seen this destruction and this violence, and the mainstream media seems to be wary of this. But what I’m telling you is that there’s a different story of what God is doing in these cities and the church is coming up, ”Feucht told Pete Hegseth of Fox News.
Feucht, a worship leader and founder of “Hold the Line” ministries, has protested “Let Us Worship” over California to encourage Christians to become more involved in politics and to fight against the “double standard” in coronavirus restrictions.
Under the last executive order of Oregon Gov. Kate Brown is being shut down on a compound-based trust of 50 people for both indoor and outdoor services and requires sanitation and social distance, according to the Multnomah County website.
About 5 miles away a large crowd walked to the Portland Police Association office late Saturday, set up a gate, shot dumpsters in the street to block traffic, set a dumpster on fire, vandalized the building with spray paint. , and destroyed security cameras. The Portland Police Bureau declared a riot at 11.35pm when people broke a window to gain access to the building and started a fire inside.
Officials with the Oregon State Police and Portland Police Bureau warned all people, including press and legal observers, to be dispersed or subject to arrest, citation or ammunition. Police said a “hostile crowd” threw glass bottles and paint balloons and green lasers at trees. Three officers were injured, two of whom were transported to the hospital and released. Several people were arrested.
FIREWORKS, THEN TEAR GAS: NIGHT 62 IN PORTLAND SEE MORE CLASSES; TRUMP IN TALKS TO PULL FEDERAL OFFICERS
Before the violence broke out, hundreds gathered at gatherings across the city in the Peninsula, Laurelhurst and Berrydale parks. Meetings this week have been remarkably smaller than the crowd of thousands who appeared about two weeks in July night to protest the presence of federal agents sent by the Trump administration around the federal courthouse and other properties in to protect the inner city.
Democratic leadership in the city and state accused the Trump administration of escalating tensions, and federal agents left Portland last week after Homeland Security reached an agreement with Oregon State Police. But protesters had happened weeks before with the Portland Police Bureau when demonstrations first reached the city on May 29.
A Portland police officer shakes off a protest as police try to disperse the crowd in front of the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office this morning, Saturday, August 8, 2020 in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo / Nathan Howard)
Last week, Mayor Ted Wheeler warned protesters against “attempted murder” by continuing the violence after federal officers had already left the city, claiming that they would simply “use B-roll film” to be used in re-election ads. of President Trump.
“If you’re doing arson with an accelerator in an attempt to burn down a building that is occupied by people you have intentionally trampled inside, then you are not demonstrating, trying to commit murder,” Wheeler said at a news conference Thursday with Portland Police Chief Chuck Lovell.
CLICK HERE TO CLICK THE FOX NEWS APP
“Do not think for a moment that if you participate in this activity, you are not a prop for Donald Trump’s reelection campaign – because you absolutely are,” he said. “You’re making the B-roll movie that will be used nationwide in commercials to help Donald Trump during this campaign. If you do not want to be a part of that, then do not show up.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
