More than 50 people were arrested on the 100th straight night of protest activity in Portland, Oregon, and there is no sign of the unrest coming to an end any time soon.
Police declared a riot Saturday shortly after someone threw what authorities described as a Molotov cocktail, according to KOIN 6.
At least two people were injured, including one by the firebomb, which started a fire in the middle of the street. The injured individual was later taken to a hospital in a private car, according to police.
“It was clear that the intent of the crowd was not peaceful protest,” police said.
Police made more than 50 “targeted” arrests during the riot, with at least two of those arrested wearing body armor. Tear gas and other crowd-control munitions were used by law enforcement to quell the protests, during which dumpsters, garbage cans, and wooden pallets were set ablaze.
Demonstrators got involved in confrontations with law enforcement, and one sergeant “was directly struck by a commercial grade firework, which burned through his glove and injured his hand,” police said. “Several officers and troopers were struck by rocks in the head, arms, shoulders, and feet. Only their protective gear prevented serious injury. An Oregon State Police vehicle was damaged by rocks, including broken windows and dents.
Police said they also found an unexploded mortar.
All told, 59 people were arrested between the efforts of the Portland Police Bureau and Oregon State Police, many of whom now face multiple charges. At least four arrested by Portland police were from out of town, and six others were listed as having an “unknown residence.”
Last weekend, as a pro-Trump car caravan clashed with counterprotesters in the city, a Trump supporter was shot and killed on the street. The suspect in that shooting, 48-year-old antifa supporter Michael Forest Reinoehl, was killed Thursday night, when a federal fugitive task force moved in on him in Lacey, Washington.
Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler is facing mounting pressure to resign over complaints that he hasn’t done enough to crack down on police use of force, stop the nightly violence, and address other issues in the city, according to the Oregonian. In Portland, the mayor is historically also the police commissioner.
Wheeler, a Democrat who has sparred with President Trump about federal aid to prevent violent protests, emailed his neighbors on Tuesday and notified them that he would be moving out of the 16-floor apartment building he’s lived in after months of demonstrations outside the property.
Author : Mica Soellner
Source : Washington Examiner : Portland police declare riot and dozens arrested on 100th straight night of protests
