Portland officers injured after protesters threw nearly 10-pound stone, police say

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“Portland Fire & Rescue treated two members of the Portland Police Force injured by stones thrown by individuals into the crowd. Both went to the hospital for further treatment,” the PPB statement read. Police said a stone weighed 9.5 pounds and was thrown by one among a group of people with the word “press” on their clothes.

Tensions in Portland have been high amid the national awareness of race and police sparked by the police murder of George Floyd. The situation in Portland was exacerbated in July by the presence of federal agents dispatched by the Trump administration, allegedly to protect federal property.
As the Trump administration and the Democratic Governor of Oregon reached an agreement to remove federal officers late last month, protests – and clashes between police and protesters – continued.

Protesters gathered outside the Penumbra Kelly Building, a facility used by the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office, on Saturday night, according to the PPB.

The comings and goings between the police and the demonstrators continued into the night. Protesters threw stones, frozen eggs and glass bottles, according to the PPB statement, citing agents on the ground. Protesters also pointed lasers at officers and entered the property, police said. In one case, a security camera was spray painted.

Officers ordered protesters to disperse around midnight and began making arrests. According to the police, the demonstrators – some of whom were hiding among individuals with “press” written on their clothes – continued to throw stones and bottles at the police and their vehicles.

It wasn’t until around 3 a.m. that the crowd dispersed. PPB said it would release details of the arrests later Sunday.

A protester yells at police during a standoff in a Portland neighborhood in Portland, Oregon on August 15, 2020.

Shots were reportedly fired at an earlier protest

Saturday night’s protests followed clashes earlier in the afternoon between members of the far-right group Patriot Prayer and counter-protesters, KOIN reported, which resulted in reports of at least two shots.

KOIN reported that Patriot Prayer gathered outside the Justice Center in downtown Portland. Some members told KOIN that they were protesting against anti-fascists, commonly known as Antifa; others said they were rallying to support the police. According to KOIN, some participants carried guns.

Black Lives Matter counter-protesters rallied across the street, the station reported.

Why Portland? The history of the city's protest takes an exceptional turn
The PPB did not name the groups involved in the conflict in a statement on Saturday evening, but said two groups had gathered by the Justice Center to protest. “Over the course of two hours or more, the groups sometimes quarreled and fought with each other.”

The PPB statement said the groups “apparently used weapons against each other,” such as paintball guns, a sledgehammer or bear repellant. At least one person was injured when she was hit in the face with a paintball.

At one point, the groups clashed, PPB said. “During this confrontation, a person allegedly shot a gun,” the statement said.

“Anyone who has been the victim of a crime is encouraged to call the police to report the crime,” he said.

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