There has been another night of trouble in Portland, where protesters for policing reform and against structural racism have been out every night since the killing of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis at the end of May.
Once again, confrontations centered on the federal courthouse in downtown Portland, where agents sent in by Trump are based.
According to the Associated Press, “the protest late Sunday started peacefully, but intensified early Monday. US agents declared an unlawful assembly and deployed several rounds of what appeared to be teargas, flash bangs and pepper balls. Some protesters climbed over the fence surrounding the courthouse, while others shot fireworks, banged on the fence and projected lights on the building.
“Just after 1am, federal officers confronted protesters on the street and worked to clear the area. Several people were seen being detained, but it was unclear how many may have been arrested. Law enforcement deployed more gas and less-lethal munitions, and formed a line to push back demonstrators. Many dispersed, but a few protesters remained around 2am.”
This is of course the kind of confrontation Donald Trump wants, as he centres his re-election campaign on a law and order message.
Portland police, in a tweet that might have pleased the White House, said they found “a bag containing loaded rifle magazines and Molotov cocktails at a park near the protests”.
Portland Police
(@PortlandPolice)Ammunition and destructive devices recovered at Lownsdale Square Park (Photo) https://t.co/k4ZmvTzlh6 pic.twitter.com/xHaLZM8uWi
“The discovery came just hours after two people were arrested following reports that a shot was fired in the same park. Officers responded just before 7.30pm. A person believed to be the gunshot victim arrived later at a hospital via a private vehicle with non-life threatening injuries, police said.
“It wasn’t clear if either incident was connected to the demonstrations.”
The majority of protests in Portland remain peaceful and local media say the city is not in the grip of a crisis. For most in the largely progressive city, life goes on as (un)usual. Here’s an explainer I wrote with Chris McGreal, who is in Portland, and here’s Chris’s report from Sunday. Like all his dispatches from the city, it’s powerful stuff:
