PORTLAND—Portland protesters set a fire at the offices of the Portland Police Association (PPA) building on Saturday morning on August 29, which resulted in the declaration of riot. Before that, protesters occupied the mansion of Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler and police ended up making arrests.
The first demonstration was started outside of the Mayor Wheeler’s mansion around 7 p.m., by the group of a dozen demonstrators. They claimed to stay in the lobby “until the mayor listened to demands to address systemic police violence and racism”, as the Oregonian reported. They demanded the mayor to cut the budget of the police, resign the mayor and police commissioner, and etc. Since the mayor did not show up, they left the mansion around 10 p.m.
Folks have locked themselves in the lobby of Mayor Ted Wheeler’s apartment. Saying they won’t leave till the mayor comes and listens to their demands. #blacklivesmatter #protest #pdx #Portland #Oregon #BLM #PortlandProtest #pdxprotest pic.twitter.com/9pYN9ItYP6
— Garrison Davis (Teargas Proof) (@hungrybowtie) August 29, 2020
After the occupation of the Mayor’s house, more than 150 people have been gathered in Peninsula Park in Northeast Portland, said the Oregonian. This gathering started as a vigil for Emmett Till, an African-American man born in Chicago who was brutally killed for allegedly flirting with a Caucasian woman on the same day in 1955 in Mississippi.
People marched to the Portland Police Association building, and more than 150 people arrived at North Lombard Street outside of the PPA building about 12:10 a.m., according to the Portland Police Bureau.
Some of the protesters lit at least one of the dumpsters on fire, but the fire was not life-threatening. Then the individuals put debris including a large mattress against the door and lit it on fire, which reached the roof of the building, said police. The Incident Commander of the police declared a riot as they considered the fire as life-threatening. The crowd was ordered to disperse to the north, and the police announced otherwise people would be subjected to arrest or citation, and police would use tear gas and crowd control agents.
While the police moved the crowd away from the building in order to extinguish the fire, people threw objects including rocks at officers, so the police used crowd control munitions, said police.
Fire damage was made to the front of the PPA building. Police made a number of arrests, and detailed information about it will be released on the website of the PPB, said police.
