While several groups of protesters gathered peacefully across the city on Saturday night, a small group of about 20 people lit a fire inside the police union building in North Portland.
The action drew police to declare a riot and advance on the crowd using impact munitions and physical force, a pattern that’s unfolded on several recent nights in which a small group provoke police by damaging property and throwing objects at officers.
Mayor Ted Wheeler is expected to address the situation this week, though it’s unclear how. In a press conference last week, the mayor vowed that he would hold the small group committing criminal activities accountable.
The nightly gatherings aimed at police buildings on the city’s east side typically draw a few hundred people each night, compared to thousands who sometimes turn out downtown.
That was true on Saturday night, too, though with a smaller group. About 100 people gathered for the nightly rally at the Justice Center to hear from speakers who discussed constitutional rights and encouraged people to keep attending the gatherings.
“We already know that the most noble thing you can do is stand up for the rights of others,” one person told the crowd. “We’re not down here to get hit by rubber bullets, tear gas. We’re down here because it is our duty under the Constitution to be here.”
Saturday night’s strife: Saturday began peacefully on the city’s east side with speakers at Peninsula Park denouncing systemic racism and calling for reform. The group later marched to the police union building on North Lombard around 10:30 p.m.
Demetria Hester, who leads Mothers United for Black Lives Matter, rallied the crowd and helped lead the march west on Albina Avenue, then north on Denver Avenue. As people marched, leaders shouted, “Whose lives matter?” Several hundred marchers responded, “Black lives matter!”
After they arrived, a few people moved a dumpster to the middle of the street, tipped it over and set its cardboard contents on fire. A few others tagged the boarded-up union building with graffiti or pounded on the plywood.
Around 11 p.m., about 20 people turned their focus to building’s front door while others stood to block their actions from view. Videos on social media showed some people had punched a hole in the plywood and door. A fire was burning cardboard and wood on the floor near the door. One fire truck crew arrived at the building to put out the fire, according to the county’s emergency response map.
The night marked the second time someone set a fire inside the union building, which has turned into a regular site of demonstrations against police violence and systemic racism that began in late May.
The Saturday night standoff moved through North Portland as several other fires were set and extinguished until the group eventually retreated around 1:20 a.m.
Police action: Police confirmed on Twitter that they declared the gathering a riot after the fire was set because it was “terribly dangerous.” Around 11:30 p.m., police ordered people to leave or risk the use of force. Dozens of police and state troopers arrived at 11:40 p.m., forcing the crowd to move. Minutes later, police announced the gathering a riot.
Police used pepper spray and shot some less-lethal impact munitions toward protesters. They also closed streets surrounding the union building, citing an emergency clause in city code as they had on Thursday outside the East Precinct in Southeast Portland.
At one point, an officer shoved a protester into a vehicle. Protesters also threw objects toward officers.
Arrests: Nine arrests were made overnight. Among them was ACLU observer Kathleen Mahoney, who was one of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit that resulted in arrest protections for journalists and legal observers.
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