Portland police made 'multiple arrests' overnight as city nears 100 days of protests
06 September, 2020
Portland Police made multiple arrests overnight on Friday as the Oregon city nears 100 days of demonstrations against racism and police brutality, that have at times turned violent.
“Yes, we've made multiple arrests tonight”, a Portland Police spokesman told Reuters in an emailed statement after police had declared a gathering as “unlawful”. The statement did not give a specific number.
“Officers will continue steadily to make targeted arrests of those who fail to stick to this order. The gathering at N Lombard St and N Campbell Ave has been declared an unlawful assembly”, police said.
Police shot and killed a self-declared anti-fascist activist in Washington state on Thursday night as they moved directly into arrest him on suspicion he fatally shot a right-wing counterprotester last weekend in Portland.
Demonstrations against racism and police brutality have swept america since the death in-may of George Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man who died after a Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for practically nine minutes.
Portland, specifically, has seen over 90 days of daily demonstrations calling for policing and social justice reforms. These have at times converted into clashes between demonstrators and officers, together with between right- and left-wing groups.
The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump deployed federal forces to Portland in July to crack down on the protests. Trump signed a memo on Wednesday that threatens to cut federal funding to “lawless” cities, including Portland.
His Democratic challenger in the Nov. 3 presidential election, Joe Biden, has accused Trump of stoking violence with his rhetoric.
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