Chaos Hits Portland Once Again as Rioters Target Federal Courthouse
Rioting erupted Thursday night in Portland, Oregon, as protesters set fires and damaged the federal courthouse.
Earlier Thursday, a security fence erected around the courthouse at the height of last summer’s violent protests was taken down, according to KGW-TV.
As the doors to the courthouse were being boarded up, conflicts emerged between federal officers guarding the courthouse and protesters who were gathered there.
By evening, fires were set and windows were being smashed, leading authorities to respond with tear gas.
Between 50 and 60 people were seen vandalizing the courthouse, according to KOIN-TV.
When the group failed to disperse as ordered, federal officers then moved in to clear them out.
A guy uses a scooter to bash in the window before getting hit with what sounds & smells like pepper balls or some other kind of crowd control munitions #koin6news #pdx #pnw #Oregon #Portland pic.twitter.com/EuyXiYejjs
— Jennifer Dowling (@JenDowlingKoin6) March 12, 2021
Someone in the group set fire to the plywood on the building at the entrance to the courthouse. Federal officers are responding with crowd control munitions. #koin6news #pdx #pnw #Oregon #Portland pic.twitter.com/pQS1IPV7iL
— Jennifer Dowling (@JenDowlingKoin6) March 12, 2021
The feds march even further into the streets of downtown Portland while firing off chemical weapons and projectiles. A few of their pepperball and 40 mm launchers appear to be malfunctioning. pic.twitter.com/AwyQ9UQPVa
— Garrison Davis (keyboard cowboy) (@hungrybowtie) March 12, 2021
The exact cause of the conflict was uncertain. Media accounts referenced demonstrators who had come out in the street in opposition to a pipeline project, some who were objecting to the Minneapolis trial of a police officer charged in the death of George Floyd.
The evening rioting followed a protest earlier in the day.
Darby M. Howard, 22, was charged with first degree criminal mischief and resisting arrest after an officer was punched in the face, according to KOIN.
More protests are expected, with social media calling for a “Direct Action” protest Friday night in the city’s Pearl District.
Robert King, a senior public safety adviser to Mayor Ted Wheeler, said the group leading the protests is made up of “self-described anarchists.”
“Coming in to the weekend, we of course, as the chief has indicated, have staffed up,” King told KOIN. “We are aware of the event that’s been advertised for [Friday].”
“The mayor will meet this week with the Acting US Attorney to talk more about this group and potential assistance from the US Attorney’s office and other federal entities to hold individuals involved in this conduct accountable,” King said.
Police urged Pearl District residents not to engage with the protesters.
“Protest is fine, that’s not what we’re talking about,” Portland Police Bureau Deputy Chief Chris Davis said. “With this group, this is a small group that is bent on destroying things. And what they want is a conflict. My advice is — don’t give them a conflict.”
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