PORTLAND—At the straight 100th night of Portland protest against racism on Saturday, September 5, fire bombs were thrown at police officers and the fire injured one of the community members. Police declared a riot, used tear gas and arrested more than 50 people.
Around 9 p.m., more than 400 demonstrators gathered at the Ventura Park around 9 p.m. and started marching toward East Portland Community Policing Center, which has been damaged by protesters’ violent acts for weeks, said police.
Many of the protesters were carrying shields and wearing protective gear, so the police commented “It was clear that the intent of the crowd was not peaceful protest.” Police announced that they are not allowed to arrive at the police station, for the sake of “the safety of city employees, community members and nearby residents.” Portland Police has the power to shutdown areas in cases of emergencies.
A group of police officers came to Stark Street at about 9:15 p.m., and some of the crowd threw “Molotov cocktail-like devices” toward officers, the Oregonian said. Others began throwing fire bombs at officers, which exploded in Stark Street. One of the community members caught in fire and was injured. The victim was offered treatment by Portland Fire and Rescue medics and taken to a hospital by private car, said police.
Police declared a riot and warned the protesters to leave for the east. Police said failure to follow the order would lead to arrest or use of crowd control agents including tear gas. Some of the protesters began throwing fireworks, rocks and mortars toward officers. In reaction to those acts, police used tear gas and made numerous targeted arrests. The video posted on Twitter shows fireworks, tear gas, and violence between police officers and protesters.
Police arrest protester, apparently for… insulting them? Other police fire smoke grenade into middle of arrest. Protester may be injured, was heard screaming inside police van.#PortlandProtests #PortlandProtest #PDXprotests #PoliceBrutality pic.twitter.com/Hh2YQFHP5y
— Kerry Harwin (@flashhardcor) September 6, 2020
The crowd tried to reach East Precinct, avoiding the police blockage for hours. They were walking around the Mill Park, and again lit fires in the streets including dumpsters, garbage cans, and wooden pallets, said police. During the fight, a sergeant of PPB was hit by a commercial grade firework, which injured his hand. On the other hand, police forced the crowd to move, releasing stun grenades in the air, and many people coughed for several minutes, said the Oregonian.
Over 50 people were arrested during the night. Their profile and charges will be published in a later update.
