Two federal courthouses in Portland have been forced to close and several other buildings in the city's downtown have been evacuated d...
Two federal courthouses in Portland have been forced to close and several other buildings in the city's downtown have been evacuated due to 'a threat of violence in the area'.
On Thursday evening, authorities reportedly 'received a threat that a vehicle filled with explosives would hit a federal building', which prompted the closure of The Federal Bankruptcy Court and the Mark O. Hatfield United States Courthouse.
Staff were also ordered to keep away from a third federal building near Portland's Lloyd Center for all of Friday.
The threat also prompted an urgent evacuation of the Standard Insurance and Standard Plaza buildings on Friday morning out of an abundance of caution.
Oregon Live spoke with a source who said the threat had not been directed towards one particular building.
The alleged attackers also did not specify an exact time of attack.
According to the publication, the FBI is now investigating 'to figure out the credibility of the attack'.
On Thursday evening, authorities reportedly 'received a threat that a vehicle filled with explosives would hit a federal building', which prompted the closure of The Federal Bankruptcy Court and the Mark O. Hatfield United States Courthouse. The Hatfield Courthouse is pictured
Mark O. Hatfield Courthouse has been closed for all of Friday amid the violent threat. The building has been damaged during recent protests (pictured)
It's not the first time government buildings have been closed in the city in recent weeks.
Last month, Portland City Hall was forced to close on two separate occasions.
On July 2, workers were ordered to leave the building after someone called the building claiming there was a bomb inside that was set to explode.
Less than two weeks later, on July 15, the building was closed a second time while police removed a suspicious package found at the site. It turned out to be harmless.
Residents are on edge in Portland, as the city is beset by ongoing anti-police protests that have often turned violent.
The demonstrations have been continuing nightly since the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis on May 25.
The Mark O. Hatfield Courthouse was temporarily blocked off by fencing on one side after it was vandalized late last month. The exterior is pictured on July 23
The Mark O. Hatfield Courthouse is pictured on July 23. Portland has been beset by ongoing anti-police protests that have often turned violent and destructive
On Thursday night, there was more chaos, as protesters marched on the city's ICE compound for a second night running as cops revealed they have arrested more than 500 people over 85 nights of demonstrations.
Protesters banged on the windows of the federal complex while some of them tried to disable its security cameras, ignoring loudspeaker warnings not to damage the building.
The protest was declared an 'unlawful assembly', with three people arrested as police used tear gas to clear the crowds who had failed to disperse - but cops did not declare a riot as they did on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Cops have declared 17 riots in 85 days and only seven nights have been free of vandalism, fireworks or deliberate fires, a newly-released timeline shows - while more than 500 people have been detained including 17 in the last week.
Department of Homeland Security officer emerges from the Mark O. Hatfield United States Courthouse after demonstrators lit a fire out front on August 2
Protesters were seen outside the courthouse on July 31
Portland's police department released this timeline on Thursday showing the scope of the protests over the last three months since the death of George Floyd. More than 500 people have been arrested while 17 separate riots have been declared
According to KOIN 6, protesters gathered in Elizabeth Caruthers park last night close to the ICE building which was the focus of demonstrations for a second night.
The crowd was smaller than on Wednesday but protesters waved a Black Lives Matter flag and flashed strobe lights towards the ICE compound.
Parts of the building have been boarded up after windows were smashed with rocks on the previous night's demonstrations.
Later there were clashes between police and protesters which led to cops firing tear gas and pepper spray in a bid to disperse the crowds.
Several people in the crowd were seen carrying shields and wearing helmets and gas masks' while others set fire to a dumpster nearby, police said.
Protesters confront with the police near an Immigration and Customs Enforcement centre in Portland, Oregon, U.S., August 20, 2020
Protesters confront with the police near an Immigration and Customs Enforcement centre in Portland, Oregon, U.S., August 20, 2020
One person was seen lifting up another protester to help them try and reach a security camera on the outside of the ICE compound.
Others allegedly tampered with the control panel at the ICE gate while others sprayed paint into port holes on the side of the building, meaning officers could not see out of the building.
A loudspeaker warning blared out saying that protesters could face 'arrest or use of crowd control munitions' if they damaged the federal building - but protesters nonetheless sprayed graffiti on the side of the compound.
Police announced in the early hours of Friday that the ICE protest had been 'declared an unlawful assembly', but not yet a riot.
The decision was made after protesters 'blocked traffic, vandalized the ICE building, set fires to dumpsters, and threw projectiles' at federal officers, according to Portland's police bureau.
'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,' a statement said.
Three people - 30-year-old Christopher Wise, 18-year-old Riley Haralson and 27-year-old Courtney Pace - were arrested on various charges including harassment and disorderly conduct.
In addition to the ICE protest, around 100 people marched to the offices of Portland's police union on Thursday night
The Portland police timeline shows how dozens of people were arrested in the early days and weeks after Floyd's death. The numbers for each date show the number of people arrested, while the symbols show various kinds of protest violence
Violent acts continued in July with riots declared four times in 13 days after protesters started fires and vandalized buildings
Riots have been declared regularly throughout August as protests have continued, the most recent ones targeting the ICE building in Portland
Separately, around 100 people marched to the offices of Portland's police union on Thursday night, according to the Oregonian.
'The goal right now is to disrupt the peace,' a 17-year-old demonstrator told the crowds outside the boarded-up building.
'If you’re here right now you need to be loud. You need to be exhausted. Because we’re exhausted.'
Some protesters sat in the street while other Portland residents applauded from their balconies nearby.
Elsewhere, a crowd gathered in Kenton Park for a protest organized by the PDX Black Youth Movement, where at least one person held a sign calling for the abolition of Portland's police department.
As protests continued to rage, Portland's police department released a detailed timeline of the 84 nights of protests so far.
According to police figures, more than 500 people have been arrested at the demonstrations including more than 100 in the first week of riots after George Floyd's death.
Two people - Joshua Buckley, 30, and Mark Putman, 25 - were arrested on Wednesday night on suspicion of disorderly conduct and interfering with a peace officer.
Seventeen people have been arrested in the last week with a riot declared on four of the last nine days after protesters set fires and threw projectiles including rocks and glass bottles.
Police have declared a riot 17 times over the 84 nights of protest, with acts of vandalism committed on 49 nights and fires lit on 41 separate days.
Cops define a riot as 'when six or more persons engage in tumultuous and violent conduct and thereby intentionally or recklessly create a grave risk of causing public alarm'.
Since the protests began on May 29, police have only recorded seven nights that were free of vandalism, fireworks or intentional fires.
A crowd outside the ICE building which was described as smaller than the protest on Wednesday which was declared a riot
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