Sunday, August 23, 2020

Portland protest turns violent, federal police clear plaza

Violent demonstrations have gripped Portland for months, following the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody.

The Justice Center in recent weeks has been the target of left-wing protesters mostly operating at night, when they frequently get into clashes with police.

The building houses a police precinct, police headquarters, a county jail and courtrooms and is next door to a federal courthouse that was targeted for weeks last month by left-wing protesters who clashed with federal agents dispatched to Portland to protect it.

Portland police issued a warning about two hours after the demonstrations began, warning that officers were prepared to start using crowd control weapons if the violence did not end.

In a statement, Portland Police said there had been questions about why the gathering wasn't declared a riot and why city police officers didn't intervene.

"Additionally, have been the focus of over 80 days of violent actions directed at the police, which is a major consideration for determining if police resources are necessary to interject between two groups with individuals who appear to be willingly engaging in physical confrontations for short durations." The Saturday afternoon clashes followed predawn clashes between police and about 200 left-wing protesters outside a different police precinct.

President Donald Trump on Saturday morning tweeted: "Another bad night of Rioting in Portland, Oregon," Demonstrators hurled bottles and rocks at officers and pointed lasers at them, damaging police cars and causing minor injuries for several officers, Portland police said in a statement.

https://apnews.com/89cfb2417b70cf41f55853cc69314834 

No comments:

Post a Comment