BLM Agitator: Portland Riots Are 'A Dream Come True'
The arrest during a Portland, Oregon, protest of a woman who has become a leading activist has angered local and national Black Lives Matter groups.
Demonstrators took to the streets again Monday night, and police broke up a riot outside a police precinct substation after they said protesters shined strobe lights at officers and hurled eggs and water bottles at them.
Nine people were arrested when clashes broke out at a riot that lasted into early Tuesday morning, with some protesters throwing rocks and golf balls in the mayhem.
One officer suffered an arm injury in a scuffle for which she was treated and released from a hospital, Portland police said in a statement.
Portland has endured more than two months of nightly, often violent protests since George Floyd was killed in Minneapolis, including weeks of clashes between protesters and federal agents dispatched to the city by President Donald Trump to protect a federal courthouse under siege by the demonstrators.
Authorities said the prominent activist, Demetria Hester, won’t be charged following her predawn Monday arrest after a protest that started Sunday night and turned violent outside the union headquarters for Portland’s police.
Hester, 46, had been booked on suspicion of disorderly conduct and interfering with a police officer during the protest. Hester’s arrest drew the ire of national Black Lives Matter activists, who are increasingly focusing on demonstrations in Oregon’s largest city.
After her release, Hester told reporters that she would keep protesting.
“I was born and bred to do this. This is a dream come true,” Hester said. “This is a revolution and we’re getting reparations.”
Hester and 15 other people were arrested during Portland’s 73rd consecutive night of protests, when a group of about 200 demonstrators gathered at a park and then marched to the union headquarters building, where some people set fires outside the building and launched fireworks at officers.
Two officers were injured, including one who was burned on the neck when a firework exploded, police said. Police declared that the event was a riot shortly after 10 p.m. and began arresting people, including Hester.
Trump wrote on Twitter that Portland was “out of control.” He urged Democratic Gov. Kate Brown to bring in the Oregon National Guard.
The Western Journal has reviewed this Associated Press story and may have altered it prior to publication to ensure that it meets our editorial standards.
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