Two of them remained peaceful, but the others resulted in “material damage and arrests,” he said. CNN is trying to find out more about the organizers of the protests.
A group of about 150 people converged on the ICE building in the South Waterfront neighborhood on Wednesday night around 9 p.m., Allen said.
Some protesters carried pepperball guns, fireworks, shields, rocks and “electronic control weapons similar to Tasers”.
In an updated statement Thursday morning, police said many members of the crowd were wearing gas masks and helmets, and within minutes, people began marking the ICE building with graffiti.
CNN affiliate KOIN reported that the graffiti included messages such as “Reunite families now” – a possible reference to the separation of migrant children from their parents. There were other posts with anti-law enforcement sentiment, calling for the abolition of ICE along with another symbol of anarchy. A message read: “Kill the cops !!!”
Federal authorities declared it an illegal gathering after protesters started throwing stones and vandalizing the building,
Allen said.
Federal law enforcement officials deployed “crowd control ammunition,” Allen said, although he did not say what type, referring to federal officials. Portland Police did not deploy CS gas (commonly known as tear gas), Allen added.
CNN affiliate KOIN reported that its reporters at the scene saw law enforcement using what appeared to be tear gas, as well as stun grenades and pepperballs. Several people appear to have been taken into custody, according to KOIN.
Allen said Portland Police were in the surrounding neighborhood and “arrests have been made.”
The city and the ICE building have been the scene of repeated clashes between protesters and federal authorities in recent months. Police did not characterize the makeup of groups involved in Wednesday’s protests.
8 arrests after vandalism at Democratic Party headquarters
The protest at the ICE building followed another earlier in the day, when a crowd of around 150 gathered at Revolution Hall before marching to the Oregon State Democratic Party headquarters.
Officers on bicycles met the protesters in a parking lot at Revolution Hall, where “dozens of people pressed on the police and then took one of the officers’ bikes,” Portland Police said in a statement. Other officers arrived to help and managed to retrieve the bike. The crowd blocked the passage of officers as they tried to leave.
The group then left Revolution Hall and marched towards the Democratic Party headquarters, where some protesters “smashed windows and vandalized the building,” Allen said.
At one point, the crowd “showed aggression by swarming with officers and throwing things,” Allen said.
Footage from CNN affiliate KATU showed a spray-painted anarchy symbol next to the building’s front door with a layman reference to newly inaugurated President Joe Biden on the other side. Another pointed to the crowd going up the street, many of them dressed in black, carrying a sign saying, “We are ungovernable.” The station reported that the protest was billed as a protest against Biden and law enforcement, while supporting the rights of indigenous peoples.
At least 8 people have been arrested on various counts, including criminal mischief, possession of a destructive device and riots, Allen said.
In a statement, the Oregon Democratic Party said none of its staff were in the building at the time, but were “frustrated and disappointed.”
“This isn’t the first time our building has been vandalized in the past year – none of the past incidents have deterred us from our important job of electing Democrats by ballot, and this one will be no different “, says the press release. said.
Seattle Federal Courthouse also damaged
Seattle Police also reported vandalism at several downtown buildings on Wednesday night, including a federal courthouse.
The Seattle Police Department shared photos on Twitter, claiming that “several windows” were smashed at the William Kenzo Nakamura courthouse, used primarily by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.
CNN affiliate KOMO reported that the group also lit the American flag and threw objects in the streets to block the passage of motorists. Participants also damaged several vehicles before police ordered them to disperse, KOMO reported.
Other photos shared by police showed a
Amazon Go store with symbols of anarchy and anti-Biden and anti-police graffiti. Several windows were smashed. Other photos showed broken glass in a Starbucks display case.
Several arrests were made, police said, some for property damage and assault. Another man has been arrested in connection with a Starbucks burglary investigation.
CNN’s Dave Alsup, Andy Rose, and Joe Sutton contributed to this report.
