Unlawful assembly declared at police union building
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) -- Demonstrators organized on Monday night for a Direct Action March in North Portland, but didn't get beyond the park before police arrived. After the first confrontation, people regrouped and managed to make it to the Portland Police Association building on N Lombard Street--police union headquarters.
People were instructed to meet at Kenton Park at 8 p.m. with a march to follow at 9 p.m., according to social media.
By 9:30 p.m. there were about 50 to 75 people gathered at Kenton Park. Before a march was even organized, police arrived at the park and cleared people out.
The confrontation didn't deter protesters, and people reorganized back at the park.
Law enforcement officers surrounded the park. At least two people were arrested, according to police.
When police retreated from the park, people gathered and began to march. The destination: the PPA building. At the police union building, police again warned protesters to stay out of the street or be subject to "arrest, citation, and/or crowd control agents."
Police again rushed the crowd of protesters on N Lombard, but the demonstration continued with chants and music.
Around 11:30 p.m., police declared an unlawful assembly and moved in to push protesters out of the area.
Follow reporter Jacquelyn Abad for on-the-ground updates:
Protests return to the city streets this week after a quiet night Sunday, but an active weekend overall after a Proud Boy rally was held at Delta Park Saturday afternoon and counter-demonstrations were organized nearby.
In preparation for the arrival of the right-wing group, Governor Kate Brown on Friday made Multnomah County Sheriff Mike Reese and Oregon State Police Superintendent Travis Hampton joint incident commanders of Portland for the 48-hour period. Portland Police Chief Chuck Lovell said the action provided them with additional resources. “Our goal is to keep people apart,” he said.
There were no large interactions between the groups, which were relatively close to each other but separated by a large police presence. Demonstrations largely disbanded by late afternoon Saturday.
Following the multiple protests in North Portland, people gathered outside the Justice Center downtown Saturday night for a protest against police brutality. Hundreds of people occupied the block outside the building on SW 3rd Avenue.
Police repeatedly warned people to get out of the street and to not throw projectiles at officers. Demonstrators continued to occupy the area and chant.
Shortly before midnight an unlawful assembly was declared and law enforcement moved in to disperse people. Police later said 30 people had been arrested Saturday night.
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