Portland moms and dads marched en masse Monday night, joining downtown protesters on the 54th night of rallies that would then escalate overnight amid mounting tensions with the feds in the city, according to multiple reports.
Members of the yellow and orange-clad parent group marched together from the Waterfront Center to the Justice Center. They reportedly left to gather and protect protesters who have been gassed or injured by federal agents.
“It seemed wrong to me that the federal government was trying to come here and prevent people from protesting and exercising their right to assemble and protest,” mother Megan Kelly told the Portland KATU.
MAYORS OF PORTLAND, CHICAGO, ATLANTA, OTHER GREAT CITIES DEMAND THE WITHDRAWAL OF THE ‘FEDERAL FORCES’
Mardy Widman, a 79-year-old five-year-old grandmother, protests the presence of federal agents outside the Mark O. Hatfield Federal Courthouse in Portland, Oregon, on Monday, July 20, 2020. (AP Photo / Gillian Flaccus )
Portland has experienced weeks of unrest following the death of George Floyd on May 25, and the city mayor recently asked President Trump to remove federal agents dispatched there to disperse crowds and protect federal property.
Trump has insisted that federal troops are needed to protect government assets in the city. The city’s Democratic leadership has been criticized in its response. Daryl Turner, head of the Portland Police Association, said Sunday: “Elected officials have tolerated destruction and chaos” in the city.
State Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum claimed in court documents that masked federal agents have arrested people on the street, away from the courthouse, without probable cause, and took them in unmarked vehicles.
Protesters projected these words on the front of the Multnomah County Justice Center on Monday, July 20, 2020 in Portland, Oregon (AP Photo / Gillian Flaccus)
The groups called “Wall of Moms” and “PDXDadPod” left around 9 pm, and were then captured on social media in front of the justice center, and eventually joined a crowd of thousands who reportedly reportedly they spanned an entire block.
Parents and others were seen singing and singing “hands up, please don’t shoot me.” The protesters said they would remain without violence and would protest as long as federal officials were in town, the station reported.
Just before midnight, the riots began to escalate as protesters were seen pounding and approaching the court building, while federal officials fired smoke, according to The Oregonian.
Some people started pulling up the plywood in front of the building around 12:20 a.m., prompting police to launch smoke-emitting devices and an orange substance into the air.
“Hundreds of people are obstructing the area along SW 3rd Ave outside the Federal Courthouse and packing up on the porch on the west side,” Portland police wrote on Twitter. “This activity is being broadcast live at many sites. Avoid the area for safety.”
PORTLAND COMMUNITY LEADERS REQUEST ‘MORATORIUM’ ON STREET VIOLENCE AS THE POLICE DIRECT
Later, the police would acknowledge that the federal police deployed CS gas, also known as tear gas, and advised people to avoid the SW 3rd and SW Main area. They reported that people were firing projectiles and some were armed with sticks, hammers, and other weapons.
Protesters were later seen interfering and pulling a federal officer away from a protester who was being arrested.
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Riots and clashes between federal authorities and protesters continued through the night, while officers wearing camouflage and dark uniforms continued to fire impact munitions at protesters, the newspaper reported.
Greg Norman and The Associated Press of Fox News contributed to this report.
