PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Peaceful activists marched across Portland for the eighteenth day in a row, but other protesters were forced to leave the scene of the nightly rally outside of the Multnomah County Justice Center as authorities yet again declared a civil disturbance and unlawful assembly.
Authorities said they made several arrests Monday night, and that an officer was injured by a thrown rock. The condition of the officer, who was taken to a local hospital, is unclear at this time.
KOIN 6 News also witnessed a fire at SW Third and Taylor and the remains of one near the intersection of SW Taylor and Broadway, in addition to some protesters spray-painting. Portland police reported looting; however, it is unclear where it was reported to have happened.
Protesters who had been at the Justice Center also marched through Northwest Portland and into the Pearl District.
Earlier on Monday, the massive Black Lives Matter march led by Rose City Justice returned to downtown Portland for the first time in more than a week. The demonstration began at Revolution Hall, as it often has. From there, protesters began their march with a final destination of Pioneer Square.
At Pioneer Square, activists demanded the defunding of the Portland Police Bureau. They called on the city council to vote Wednesday to cut PPB’s budget by $50 million. Rose City Justice, an organization that recently joined forces with the Portland Civil Rights Collective, has outlined its policy changes in a campaign named “DRIP”: divest, reinvest, and protect.
Later in the evening, protesters gathered outside of the Justice Center where they could be heard chanting, “No good cops in a racist system.” Police could be seen standing at the Justice Center, however, the large fence that previously gave a wide berth between demonstrators and the police who stood outside of the building was dismantled earlier in the day by city officials.
Shortly after 11 p.m. Portland police declared the demonstration a civil disturbance and unlawful assembly. Officers began breaking up crowds on the street.
PPB said some protesters began throwing items at police, including glass bottles and in one instance, a large rock that struck an officer’s head. In response, officers began using crowd control munitions and the crowd dispersed.
Just before 11:45 p.m., a window was smashed and items were stolen from a business in the 900 block of Northwest Davis Street, according to police. The suspects involved were arrested.
By the end of the night, authorities announced 10 total arrests had been made, including several arrests for assaults on officers.
Editor’s note: The video below may be considered too graphic for some
Earlier on Monday, the Portland Police Bureau announced over Twitter that the fence surrounding the Justice Center would be taken down, “to show our willingness to have dialog and peaceful communication toward starting to heal our community.” The outer fence has been the sight of ongoing demonstrations since late May when demonstrators broke into the Justice Center.
As protests continue into a third week in the city of Portland, the demonstrations are set against a backdrop of changes. The Portland Police Bureau appointed a new Chief of Police, Lt. Charles “Chuck” Lovell, on the 11th day of protests against police brutality.
As city leaders prepared to vote on a budget for the 2020/2021 fiscal year, Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty proposed several new amendments in line with protesters’ call for change: eliminate the Gun Violence Reduction Task Force, transit police, and school resource officers. While the City Council failed to agree on a final budget last Thursday, they are expected to vote on it during a Wednesday, June 17, meeting.