PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Demonstrators marched to the Portland Police Bureau’s North Precinct where a riot was declared shortly after 11 p.m. Sunday, eventually leading to police deploying tear gas and arresting 23 people on the 87th night of political unrest in the city.
More than 100 people gathered at Woodlawn City Park and started marching through the nearby neighborhoods shortly after 9:30 p.m. The crowd chanted familiar phrases like, “Black lives matter” and “ACAB,” along with the new addition of, “Say his name! Jacob Blake,” referencing a Black man shot and seriously injured by police Sunday evening in Kenosha, Wis.
KOIN 6 News witnessed at least one person graffiti a fence during the march. By 10 p.m., the crowd had arrived at the Portland Police Bureau’s North Precinct on NE Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. where at least two dumpsters were promptly set on fire.
Police in turn began issuing warnings, announcing that NE Emerson Street was closed next to the precinct. Authorities said they observed “criminal activity,” including the use of “powerful green lasers,” and rocks and glass bottles being thrown at officers. The PPB later stated at least one balloon filled with feces was thrown at officers on the roof of the building. Police declared an unlawful assembly at 10:30 p.m. and ordered people to leave the area.
The crowd didn’t budge. At least one large firework was set off. Around 11:08 p.m. Portland police declared a riot and ordered everyone to disperse or face criminal charges and/or crowd control agents such as tear gas and impact weapons.
Shortly after that, someone set an awning on the outside of the building on fire. KOIN 6 News observed officers who were standing on the roof of the building put the fire out. A second awning was set aflame as well, which officers say caused damage before it was extinguished.
The PPB said while the officers were working to extinguish the fire, they were hit with rocks thrown from the crowd. One lieutenant, they say, suffered a cut to his hand after being hit with a piece of ceramic.
Citing an “extreme threat to life safety and the aggression of the crowd,” officers used tear gas to push the crowd back around 11:30 p.m. They moved the crowd to the south and made arrests in the process, though it is not clear how many.
Once officers pulled back, the crowd returned within minutes. Police dispersed the crowd once again at 12:30 a.m., making more arrests. The PPB said officers then disengaged for a second time, but the rioters moved back into the street. Police say a security guard in a car got stuck in the crowd.
Another attempt to disperse the crowd was made just before 1:20 a.m., during which a sergeant was reportedly struck in the head with a helmet. The involved suspect was arrested.
Arrests made overnight
Early Monday morning, police released information on the 23 arrests made overnight. They listed those detained as follows:
- Adam Rader, 31, of Portland, arrested for second-degree disorderly conduct, interfering with a peace officer, riot
- Lisa Stanger, 44, of Portland, arrested for interfering with a peace officer, resisting arrest
- Matthew Cleinman, 36, unknown residence, arrested for interfering with a peace officer, second-degree disorderly conduct, second-degree criminal trespass
- Elle Archer, 24, of Portland, arrested for riot, interfering with a peace officer, second-degree disorderly conduct
- Cameron Cable, 30, of Portland, arrested for second-degree disorderly conduct, interfering with a peace officer
- Rhiannon Millar-Griffin, 22, of Portland, arrested for second-degree disorderly conduct, interfering with a peace officer
- Ryan McNaughton, 19, unknown residence, arrested for second-degree disorderly conduct, interfering with a peace officer
- Hadley Weed, 24, of Beaverton, arrested for second-degree disorderly conduct, interfering with a peace officer
- Pedro Ramos, 20, of Hillsboro, arrested for assaulting a public safety officer, riot, interfering with a peace fficer
- April Eperson, 36, of Portland, arrested for second-degree disorderly conduct, interfering with a peace officer
- Jasmine Rodriguez, 20, of Hillsboro, arrested on two counts of assaulting a public safety officer, interfering with a peace officer, riot
- Devin Welch, 40, of Portland, arrested for second-degree disorderly conduct, interfering with a peace officer
- William Wesley, 36, of Portland, arrested for second-degree disorderly conduct, interfering with a peace officer
- Ryan Mckenzie, 44, of Portland, arrested for second-degree disorderly conduct, interfering with a peace officer
- Griffin Hines, 29, Riot, arrested for second-degree disorderly conduct, interfering with a peace officer
- Hunter Brooks, 23, of Portland, arrested for second-degree disorderly conduct, interfering with a peace officer, riot
- Emma Gurney, 23, of Hillsboro, arrested for second-degree disorderly conduct, interfering with a peace officer
- Michelle O’Connor, 34, arrested for second-degree disorderly conduct, interfering with a peace officer, second-degree attempted assault
- Mackenzie Grissom, 32, of Portland, arrested for interfering with a peace officer, riot
- Dylan Conti, 28, of Portland, arrested for interfering with a peace officer, third-degree escape
- Mark Gardner, 27, of Vancouver, Washington, arrested for second-degree disorderly conduct, interfering with a peace officer, riot
- Andrew Gatchel, 40, of Portland, arrested for second-degree disorderly conduct, interfering with a peace officer, riot
- Stephen Sanders, 39, of Portland arrested for interfering with a peace officer
Follow reporter Lindsay Nadrich for updates:
Saturday saw an abundance of action, beginning with dueling demonstrations between right and left-wing protesters in downtown Portland. Federal officials declared an unlawful assembly and PPB issued a warning about two hours into the demonstrations, but a riot was never declared.
Hours later, though, police did declare a riot at the Penumbra Kelly Building, which includes offices for Portland police and the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office, on the east side of the city. Protesters launched “a variety of items” at officers and police vehicles, including paintballs, and shined green lasers at officers, according to police. The riot declaration came after Portland police said officers were hit with “rocks, bottles and other dangerous objects.”
Police arrested 14 people, mostly on charges of interfering with a peace officer, disorderly conduct and riot. One person, Joshua McVay of Corvallis, is accused of assaulting a public safety officer.