PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — On the 84th night of protests, the Portland Police Bureau announced an unlawful assembly near the Immigration and Customs Enforcement building in South Portland and ordered people to disperse after about 100 people were gathered outside the building — some of whom spray painted security cameras and were knocking on the doors.
Tear gas and pepper balls were also deployed apparently by law enforcement earlier in the night after Federal Protective Services announced for people not to damage or set fire to the building. By the end of the night, three arrests were made by the PPB.
The activities mark the 84th night of protests in the Rose City after a riot declaration outside overnight occurred when the ICE building was vandalized. The facility is now boarded up after windows were smashed and tear gas dispensed Wednesday night.
Night 83: Riot declared at Portland ICE building, police use tear gas
At about 10:30 p.m. at Elizabeth Caruthers Park in South Portland Thursday, a couple blocks from the ICE building, a small amount of people were seen gathering, clad in black with helmets and shields. The Snack Van, something that frequently appears at protests, was also spotted.
At about 10:50 p.m., a scuffle of some kind was seen in front of the ICE building by a KOIN 6 News reporter where some people were gathered and it looked like one person may have pulled out a taser.
Around 11 p.m., about 100 people had gathered outside the ICE building. Ten minutes later marked an announcement from Federal Protective Services to warn demonstrators not to “attempt to damage or set fire to the immigration facility.”
Around 11:10 p.m., several individuals reportedly began tampering with the control panel to the ICE building’s gate. At 11:15 p.m., people were spotted spray-painting security cameras and pointing strobe lights at the building. A second warning from FPS was swiftly announced as some banged on a facility door.
Shortly after that, Federal Protective Services officers emerged from the ICE building and were met with rocks, lasers, bottles and fireworks. A dumpster fire was set nearby as well.
Tear gas and pepper balls were quickly deployed, but people reconvened at the ICE facility shortly before midnight.
At 12:20 a.m., PPB announced an unlawful assembly declaration and ordered people to disperse on threat of arrest, citation, or crowd control munitions like tear gas or impact munitions. People threw rocks, bottles, cones and paint balloons at PPB officers, who then disengaged from the crowd by 12:35 a.m. As they disengaged, the crowd began to move back toward the ICE building, despite another warning from PPB that it was still an unlawful assembly.
Federal agents could be seen standing watch by a gate at the east side of the ICE building at around 12:45 a.m.
Because people refused to leave the area, PPB once again dispersed the crowd. Officers were hit with projectiles again as two other fires were set nearby. A dispersal was attempted for a third time, during which some arrests were made.
Most people left the area by 2 a.m. PPB confirmed their officers did not use tear gas throughout the night.
Three arrests were made overnight, including 30-year-old Christopher Wise, 18-year-old Riley Haralson and 27-year-old Courtney Pace. Wise was arrested and charged with interfering with a peace officer and second-degree disorderly conduct. Haralson was arrested and charged with interfering with a peace officer and harassment. Pace was arrested and charged with interfering with a peace officer.
See KOIN 6 News Reporter Jennifer Dowling’s protest coverage below.
Earlier in the evening:
6 p.m. began a gathering for police abolition, hosted by PDX Black Youth Movement, at Kenton Park. The group marched at 6:30 p.m. with a destination for Arbor Lodge Park, according to the website Portland Black Lives Matter Events. The flyer specifies “masks required.”
By 8:14 p.m., the march was underway at N Interstate and N Dekum St., where speakers were seen giving speeches. The group then continued south down N Interstate, passing N Saratoga St. a few minutes later.
By 9:25 p.m., the youth march was seen heading down N Denver near the Portland Police Association building, apparently wrapping up.
Elsewhere in the city, at Sellwood Park, was a Pop-Up Protest Cinema 4 Black Lives event featuring a screening of the film “Arresting Power: Resisting Police Violence in Portland, Oregon” at 8:15 p.m. The event was put on by @PDXDadPod, according to the BLM events website.
Wednesday
Police declared a riot and used tear gas after a couple hundred people marched to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement building in South Portland and vandalized the building. Later they set a bonfire on the street near Elizabeth Caruthers Park, where the gathering started, after being pushed back by police.
Ongoing Portland protests fanning out across the city
Presence was made from both federal police agents immediately outside the building and Portland Police Bureau. Both agencies used crowd control munitions at different times, with federal agents using pepper balls. PPB used tear gas and made two arrests as they pushed the group several blocks north multiple times, police said. The crowd mostly dispersed by 1:30 a.m.