Portland police arrest 15 more protesters as city passes 100 nights of civil unrest

Officers continued to use teargas to disperse demonstrators 

Louise Hall
Monday 07 September 2020 17:56 BST
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Police have made more arrests in Portland as the civil unrest in the city passes 100 consecutive days, the city’s police department announced.

Officers said they made 15 further arrests in Oregon’s biggest city on Sunday following 59 on Saturday, as demonstrators and police continued to clash violently over the weekend.

Saturday marked the 100th consecutive day that the city has seen demonstrations sparked by the death of George Floyd in May.

Floyd, a black man, died on 25 May in Minneapolis while in police custody after a white police officer knelt on his neck for more than eight minutes.

Police used tear gas against protesters on Saturday after demonstrators threw rocks and firebombs at officers, the Portland police department said in a statement.

On Sunday, a march began at around 9pm from Alberta Park at 2001 Northeast Killingsworth Street, police said.

Protesters then gathered at the North Precinct Community Policing Centre, which has been the frequent location of demonstrations, and some people set fire to mattresses outside, police said. 

The department said the 15 arrests were made on charges including: interfering with a peace officer, disorderly conduct, possession of a dangerous device, and reckless burning.

Later in the evening, the majority of the gathering moved around to the North side of the precinct, blocking traffic on Northeast Killingsworth Street, according to the statement.

“By about 1am, the majority of the demonstration had meandered away,” they added.

The city has seen prolonged violence and unrest following Floyd’s death, which intensified again following the shooting of Jacob Blake on 29 August.

The 29-year-old father of three was shot seven times in the back in Kenosha, Wisconsin by officer Rusten Sheskey.

The last month alone has seen the killing of both a right-wing protester and the man suspected of shooting him in the city.

Aaron “Jay” Danielson was shot during a rally in Portland on 29 August. He was wearing a “Patriot Prayer” hat at the time of the incident, seemingly in support of the far-right organisation.

Last week a suspect in the fatal shooting, Michael Forest Reinoehl, was shot dead by federal agents. Law enforcement agents claim that Reinoehl was attempting to escape arrest and pulled a gun when confronted by the officers.

Months of protests in the city have led to the arrest of at least 500 protesters since May, reports have said. 

Damage to buildings, a number of injuries to both protesters and officers, and a rise in gun crime have also been seen.

Demonstrators are showing no sign of slowing down as they continue to gather in large numbers in the city and protest police brutality.

“I think it’s because a lot of people in this city have skin in the game,” said Jamal Williams, an activist with a group called Portland United for Justice and Equality.

Mr Williams spoke in front of a dozen people during a demonstration one night last week, urging them not to give up.

“A lot of people feel very passionately about things," he said. "They know civil resistance and civil disobedience is the bedrock of change, and that the destruction of property does not equate with the loss of so many black lives in this country, over such a long time.”

Additional reporting by Reuters

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