Portland police declare riot as New Years protest spirals out of control

Portland Police declared a riot just before 11 p.m. local time on New Years Eve after protesters smashed windows, set off fireworks and set ablaze near the Federal Courthouse, KOIN reported, a subsidiary of CBS News.

Less than half an hour later, Portland police advanced on protesters, who responded by shooting fireworks at them, KOIN said. Agents from the Department of Homeland Security, who have been in the city for months to help police cope regular protests that have often turned violent, faced another group from the city.

KOIN said police used pepper spray or a sledgehammer against protesters at the main site near the Mark O. Hatfield Federal Courthouse, and that pepper bullets, rubber bullets or any other type of ammunition less lethal had been fired.

Protesters gathered in downtown Portland near police headquarters earlier in the evening, then marched through the streets, smashing Starbucks glass before firing fireworks, spraying graffiti on several buildings and causing some fires on the road or sidewalk.

KOIN said there was no clear target for the rally, but flyers at the scene said he was standing “in solidarity with BLM.” The protest was made public through social media posts.

At one point, the protesters aimed with fireworks at the court building.

It came a day after nearly a dozen Portland businesses were vandalized downtown, KOIN said citing Portland police, including the Portland City Hall, the Oregon Historical Society, TriMet and the Portland Police Bureau.

KOIN said no arrests had been made but an investigation was underway.

Portland has been rocked by protests since George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis in May. Under the orders of the Trump administration, federal agents deployed to Portland in July to quell violence. After weeks of fierce clashes including the deployment of tear gas at protesters and dozens of arrests, federal agents began to withdraw in late July.

President Trump has used the Portland protests as a rallying cry in his failed reelection bid, posing as a law and order leader amid nationwide unrest.