Portland police declared a riot just before 11 p.m. local time on New Year’s Eve after protesters broke windows, fired fireworks and lit fires near the federal courthouse, KOIN, an affiliate of CBS News reported.
Less than half an hour later, Portland police advanced to the protesters, who responded by shooting fireworks at them, KOIN said. Officers from the Department of Homeland Security who have been in town for months to help the police regular protests that have often turned violent, faced another group in town.
KOIN said police used pepper spray or mace against the protesters in the main area, near the building of the Mark O. Hatfield Federal Courthouse, and that pepper balls, rubber bullets or some other less lethal ammunition were fired.
Protesters gathered in downtown Portland near the police station earlier in the evening and then marched through the streets, smashing a Starbucks window before firing fireworks, spraying graffiti on several buildings, and a few fires on the road or strike the sidewalk.
KOIN said there was no clear focus for the meeting, but airmen on the ground said it was being held “In solidarity with BLM.” The demonstration was announced via social media posts.
At one point, the protesters aimed fireworks at the courthouse.
It came a day after nearly a dozen downtown Portland businesses were wrecked, KOIN quoted Portland Police, including Portland City Hall, the Oregon Historical Society, TriMet and the Portland Police Department.
KOIN said no arrests had been made, but an investigation was ongoing.
Portland has been rocked by protests since George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis in May. On the orders of the Trump administration, federal agents Deployed to Portland in July to suppress violence. After weeks of violent clashes, using tear gas on protesters and dozens of arrests, federal agents began to withdraw in late July.
President Trump used the Portland protests as a rallying cry in his failed re-election bid, setting himself up as the leader of law and order amid national turmoil.