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Protesters return downtown following Breonna Taylor vigil

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Protesters gathered in multiple locations in Portland Saturday night, marking one year since the police killing of Breonna Taylor.

Around 10 p.m. Saturday, people dressed in black marched from the Burnside Bridge to Lownsdale Square outside of the Mark O. Hatfield Federal Courthouse, preparing for another demonstration.

Earlier in the evening, more than 100 gathered for a vigil held outside Revolution Hall in Southeast Portland with candles and signs to honor Taylor. They later marched to the Burnside Bridge where they released paper sky lanterns.

Taylor was a Black woman and emergency medical technician who was shot in her home multiple times by police during a botched drug raid that occurred after midnight last March in Louisville, Kentucky.

Her death sparked outrage and helped fuel racial justice protests nationwide, with many demonstrators calling on state and national officials to ban no-knock warrants. Chants of Taylor’s name were frequently heard at protests for racial justice for 100 consecutive days in Portland last summer.

Crowds also gathered earlier during the day in downtown Portland to march with music drums and chanting. They then marched to the Multnomah County Justice Center to listen to speeches from local activists.