Portland Protesters Gassed After Setting Fire at Courthouse – gvwire.com

PORTLAND, Ore. Protesters outside Portlands U.S. courthouse set a fire in the buildings entryway early Monday in yet another night of conflict with federal agents who repeatedly tear gassed the demonstrators to drive them away, officials said.

Authorities over the weekend erected large fences around the building in an effort to keep away the protesters who have been on Portlands streets daily since the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis nearly two months ago.

But video posted online showed protesterstaking down the fencingand a statement from Portlands city police department described the protesters tactics as they repeatedly headed toward the courthouse and were repelled by federal agents who emerged from inside.

Hundreds of protesters were at the scene Sunday night into early Monday morning and at one point dozens of people with shields, helmets, gas masks, umbrellas, bats, and hockey sticks approached the doors of the courthouse until federal officers came out and dispersed them, the Portland police statement said.

The protesters later lit a fire at about 1:30 a.m. Monday within the portico of the courthouse, said Portland police, who stressed that their officers were not involved in any crowd control measures, did not fire tear gas and were not present during any of the activity described.

Other people added wood and debris to the fire to make it larger and federal agents came out of the courthouse, dispersed the crowd and extinguished the fire,the statementsaid.

The violence happened as local and state leaders expressed anger with the presence of the federal agents, saying that the citys protests had started to ease just as the federal agents started taking action on the streets of Portland.

Speaking on CNNs State of the Union, Democratic Mayor Ted Wheeler said federal officers are not wanted here. We havent asked them here. In fact, we want them to leave.

Top leaders in the U.S. House said Sunday they were alarmed by the Trump administrations tactics against protesters in Portland and other cities, including Washington, D.C. Theyve called on federal inspectors general investigate.

Federal agents disperse Black Lives Matter protesters near the Mark O. Hatfield United States Courthouse on Monday, July 20, 2020, in Portland, Ore. Officers used teargas and projectiles to move the crowd after some protesters tore down a fence fronting the courthouse. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)

This is a matter of utmost urgency, wrote House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler, D-New York, Homeland Security Committee Chairman Bennie G. Thompson, D-Mississippi, and Oversight and Reform Committee Chairwoman Carolyn B. Maloney, D-New York, in a letter to the inspectors general of Department of Justice and Department of Homeland Security.

The Democratic lawmakers are seeking an investigation into the use of federal law enforcement agencies by the Attorney General and the Acting Secretary of Homeland Security to suppress First Amendment protected activities in Washington, D.C., Portland, and other communities across the United States.

The Democratic lawmakers are seeking an investigation into the use of federal law enforcement agencies by the Attorney General and the Acting Secretary of Homeland Security to suppress First Amendment protected activities in Washington, D.C., Portland, and other communities across the United States.

President Donald Trump has decried the demonstrations, and Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf labeled the protesters as lawless anarchists in a visit to the city last Thursday.

We are trying to help Portland, not hurt it, Trump tweeted Sunday. Their leadership has, for months, lost control of the anarchists and agitators. They are missing in action. We must protect Federal property, AND OUR PEOPLE. These were not merely protesters, these are the real deal!

Late Saturday, Portland police said protesters broke into the building of the Portland Police Association labor union that represents officers. Dumpster fires were also set and fencing was moved and transformed into barricades, police said.

Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum sued Homeland Security and the Marshals Service in federal court late Friday, alleging that unidentified federal agents grabbed people from Portlands streets without warning or explanation, without a warrant, and without providing any way to determine who is directing this action.

Rosenblum said she was seeking a temporary restraining order to immediately stop federal authorities from unlawfully detaining Oregonians.

It was not immediately unclear whether anyone was arrested or detained during the protest that started Sunday night.

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Portland Protesters Gassed After Setting Fire at Courthouse - gvwire.com