PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Early Sunday afternoon, people milled about downtown Portland, pausing to take photos of broken glass, graffiti, and ashes around the Justice Center and neighboring parks. One woman even broke down in tears while looking at the burned and damaged pioneer family statue in Chapman Square.
“We have a sinful history that we need to fix,” Chris said. But the nightly vandalism has been “terribly upsetting” for those who live near downtown Portland.
Portland Police declared a riot Saturday night after protesters threw bricks, mortars, M-80s, and fireworks, lit fires, smashed windows, and clashed with police and federal officers who used tear gas and other crowd-control tactics to disperse the group by 4:30 a.m. Sunday. A total of 13 people were arrested.
Chris said she is “in complete agreement” with the protests, but is saddened by the tactics.
“My heartbreaking moment is the way that anyone that would take pause with that would choose to burn it down, rather than we need to work these things out, we need to talk to each other,” she said.
July 5, 2020 riot damage (Warning. Explicit content)
A burned flag seen near the Justice Center on July 5, 2020 (Hannah Ray Lambert) 
A family walks by the Hatfield Federal Courthouse, July 5, 2020 (Hannah Ray Lambert) 
Shattered glass in front of the Hatfield Federal Courthouse, July 5, 2020 (Hannah Ray Lambert) 
A pile of burned debris near the Justice Center, July 5, 2020 (Hannah Ray Lambert) 
A pile of burned debris near the Justice Center, July 5, 2020 (Hannah Ray Lambert) 
Patriotic pinwheels in front of the Hatfield Federal Courthouse on July 5, 2020 (Hannah Ray Lambert) 
Vandalism seen in Lownsdale Square, July 5, 2020 (Hannah Ray Lambert) 
The base of the pioneer family statue in Chapman Square, seen July 5, 2020 (Hannah Ray Lambert)