Portland Mob Targets ICE Agents with Rocks, Lasers
Protesters in Portland, Oregon, have clashed again with federal agents outside a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement building that has become a new focus of the demonstrations that have gripped Portland for months, officials said Friday.
A group around 100 people gathered late Thursday night and sprayed the building with graffiti, hurled rocks and bottles at agents, and shined laser lights at them, Portland police said in a statement.
“To those near SW Bancroft St and S Bond Ave,” police tweeted early Friday morning, “This gathering has been declared an unlawful assembly.
“This gathering has been declared an unlawful assembly. All persons near SW Bancroft St and S Bond Ave must disperse by traveling to the NORTH,” police added.
To those near SW Bancroft St and S Bond Ave:
This gathering has been declared an unlawful assembly.
All persons near SW Bancroft St and S Bond Ave must disperse by traveling to the NORTH. You are ordered to disperse immediately.— Portland Police (@PortlandPolice) August 21, 2020
“You are ordered to disperse immediately.”
The federal agents set off smoke and tear gas and used crowd-control munitions to try to disperse the crowd, The Oregonian reported.
Three people were arrested, according to the police statement.
The violence came a day after protesters clashed with federal agents for the first time since July, in a demonstration that also targeted the ICE building.
“After several such rounds, officers used stun grenades and gas about midnight to break up the crowd,” The Oregonian reported.
Two people were arrested and several officers suffered minor injuries.
Violent demonstrations have occurred in Oregon’s largest city for more than two months after a police officer knelt on the neck of George Floyd for nearly nine minutes in Minneapolis on May 25.
On Thursday, police released information that showed during more than 80 nights of protests in Portland, authorities declared riots about 17 times and arrested about 500 people.
The riot declarations allowed police to use tear gas, flash-bang grenades and other non-lethal weapons to try to break up crowds.
Failure to comply with this order may subject you to citation or arrest, and may subject you to the use of tear gas, crowd control agents, and or impact munitions.
— Portland Police (@PortlandPolice) August 21, 2020
Portland police define riots as events “when six or more persons engage in tumultuous and violent conduct and thereby intentionally or recklessly creating a grave risk of causing public alarm, excluding persons who are engaged in passive resistance,” The Oregonian reported.
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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