PORTLAND, Oregon. Federal agents fired tear gas again to dissolve protests in Portland, Oregon, which continued into the wee hours of Saturday as protests that have taken place every night for two months showed no sign of stopping.
Authorities say six federal officials were injured and one person was arrested.
Thousands of people gathered in front of the federal court of the center as of Friday night. Demonstrations have taken place in the largest city in Oregon every night since George Floyd was killed in Minneapolis in May. President Donald Trump said he sent federal agents to Portland to stop the riots, but state and local authorities say they are making the situation worse.
On Friday night, a federal judge denied a request by the Oregon attorney general to restrict the actions of the federal police.
The last demonstration was until federal agents entered the crowd around 2:30 am Saturday and marched in a row down the street, clearing the remaining protesters with tear gas discharges at close range. They also extinguished a large fire on the street outside the courthouse.
The Federal Protection Service had declared the meeting in Portland which began on Friday night “an illegal assembly. Harry Fones, a National Security spokesman, said at a news conference on Saturday afternoon that some people launched large fireworks They launched hard projectiles and used power tools to damage property.
Craig Gabriel, Assistant United States Attorney for the District of Oregon, said at the press conference that of the six federal officials who were injured, one suffered a concussion and the other was taken to the hospital for burns.
He said a person was arrested for failing to comply with the orders. That person was later released without charge, bringing the total number of people arrested on or near court property from early July to 60.
“They are the few in the crowd who come not with the intention of doing anything with their voice, but with the intention of destruction and confrontation, unfortunately, with the federal police,” said Gabriel, acknowledging that the majority of the protesters are peaceful.
Gabriel said the fence erected around the courthouse has been the target of “violent agitators.”
“If the court can stand firm and can have integrity and not be subject to damage or attack, then the officers will go home. I think not to be impertinent, but I think it’s that simple, “said Gabriel.
On Friday night, the protest had attracted various organized groups, including veterans, a health worker protest, teachers against tyrants, black life advocates and the “mothers wall”.
As the crowd grew, authorities estimate there were 4,000 present at the peak of the protest, people were heard singing “Black Lives Matter” and “Feds go home” to the sound of the drums.
Later, protesters vigorously shook the fence surrounding the courthouse, fired fireworks at the building, and threw glass bottles. Many times these actions were carried out by federal agents using tear gas and sudden explosions.
Daniel Pereyo was a protester who received tear gas. Pereyo said he had been in the nearby park watching drummers and fireworks go off when his face and eyes started burning.
“It is extremely painful,” he said. “It is not the worst pain in the world, but it is annoying and distracting.”
As the crowd dispersed, someone was found stabbed nearby, Portland police said. The person was taken to a hospital and a suspect was detained.
The state attorney general had sued the federal government, saying some people had been taken off the streets in unmarked vehicles. Federal District Judge Michael Mosman ruled Friday that the state lacked standing to sue on behalf of the protesters.
Oregon was seeking a restraining order on behalf of its residents not for injuries that had already occurred, but to prevent injuries by future federal officials. That combination makes the standard for granting such a motion very narrow, and the state did not demonstrate its validity in the case, Mosman wrote.
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Sara Cline reported from Salem. Cline is a member of the body of the Associated Press / Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on topics that are not covered.
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Associated Press writer Sally Ho contributed from Seattle.
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Follow Gillian Flaccus on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/gflaccus.
