Police fired tear gas at Portland protesters last night as they returned to Downtown on the 77th night of demonstrations as neighbors expr...
Police fired tear gas at Portland protesters last night as they returned to Downtown on the 77th night of demonstrations as neighbors expressed their fury over violent riots in the suburbs.
Hundreds of people gathered around the steps of the Justice Center, the focal point of the past 77 nights of protests, with speakers addressing the crowd.
Activist Edreece Phillips, 48, a Black hip-hop artist who's been protesting for weeks, addressed the crowd, criticizing what he called 'opportunists' for using the protests to cause destruction.
'We're not about destruction', he told the growing crowd. 'We're about the rebuild.'
A second activist, TommieMC, added that the cause of the protests was still important and that the 'fight is not over', though the three-hundred strong crowd was small in comparison to the thousands that have attended at previous rallies.
As the non-violent speeches wrapped up around 10.30pm in front of the justice center, a group of around 250 people remained, with some letting off fireworks and starting fires, while others tried shaking the fence around the federal courthouse.
Officers in riot gear showed up to the demonstrations and footage from the scene showed them launching tear gas at protesters. The Oregonian added that they initially tried to disperse the demonstrators using a loudspeaker, saying 'This criminal behavior must stop now'.
Pictured: Protesters stand in the smoke of tear gas on the 77th consecutive night of protests in Portland
Pictured: Protesters stand in the smoke of tear gas on the 77th consecutive night of protests in Portland
Pictured: Protesters stand in the smoke of tear gas on the 77th consecutive night of protests in Portland
According to the The Oregonian, drivers beeped their horns and shouted 'Black Lives Matter' as they passed through the crowd early in the protests, with people handing out signs labeled 'defund the police' and 'no justice no peace', later in the evening.
Destiny Houston, a black woman who has spoken before at the protests, told white people that they need to 'run this marathon' and that black liberty is 'tied to your freedom'.
The Oregonian noted that the protests have been split into two camps, those who wanted to battle with police, and those who called for peaceful protests. Those who have gathered at the Justice Center have been of the latter method.
Portland police and Oregon State Patrol officers work together to arrest a protester in front of the Portland Police Bureau North Precinct on the 75th day of protests against racial injustice and police brutality on Tuesday in Portland, Oregon
Portland police and Oregon State Patrol troopers work together to arrest two protesters in front of the Portland Police Bureau North Precinct on the 75th day of protests against racial injustice and police brutality on Tuesday in Portland, Oregon.
A protesters slaps his shield while marching toward the Portland Police Bureau North Precinct on the 75th day of protests against racial injustice and police brutality on Monday in Portland, Oregon
However, the main action on nights before last night have been centred around the residential neighborhood east of the Willamette River and residents are unhappy with the protesters and police gathering on their quiet streets.
Many have taken to Facebook and Reddit to air their grievances.
'Lots of people worked hard to make our little neighborhood pleasant and to help the local businesses stay open,' wrote Redditor WheeblesWobble in a post called 'Leave Kenton Alone!'
A protester hold his hands in the air while walking past an arrest during a crowd dispersal in front of the Portland Police Bureau North Precinct on the 75th day of protests against racial injustice and police brutality on Monday in Portland, Oregon
Protesters hold their hands in the air while marching toward the Portland Police Bureau North Precinct on the 75th day of protests against racial injustice and police brutality on Monday in Portland, Oregon
'Now it's trashed,' the user wrote. 'This was not a BLM protest, this was a tantrum by a bunch of entitled kids.'
The post was in response to a gathering on Saturday, which was declared a riot, when protesters lit a fire inside the Portland police union building.
The writer of the post noted that a Black-owned business called Po'Shine's, had its dumpster damaged in the fire.
Po'Shine's head chef James Bradley, who called the protests on Saturday 'tomfoolery', told the Oregonian Tuesday: 'What a dumpster has to do with Black Lives Matter, I don't know.'
'If people want to protest,' he said, 'find your hands busy doing something for the people that you're protesting for. There's a blueprint, and the blueprint is called the civil rights movement.'
A resident local to the police union building, which was set alight Saturday, said: 'The violence and fires have definitely disturbed my family.
'Having to close all of the windows so that tear gas doesn't get in isn't fun as we don't have air conditioning.'
'I feel sad about the state of Portland right now in general,' Burch added. 'If I could have family visit, I would tell them not to.'
While many of the residents are furious at the protesters, others are unhappy with the police.
'Downvote me if you like,' wrote user Illegalacquiescence, 'but as a person of color all I read and see here is white privilege asking politely that the protesters leave their insured property out of the struggle for equality and the defunding/abolition of the police.'
Earlier this month, Mayor Ted Wheeler and Portland Police Chief Chuck Lovell said they supported the movement but condemned violence at some protests.
'If you are a nonviolent demonstrator and you don't want to be part of intentional violence, please stay away from these areas,' Wheeler said. 'Our community must say that this violence is not Portland, that these actions do not reflect our values and these crimes are distracting from reform, not advancing.'
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