Group Activity in Portland July 17, 2020 (Photo)

July 18, 2020 03:54

  Follow @PortlandPolice

In the evening hours of Friday, July 16, 2020, a group of a couple hundred people gathered outside the Justice Center in Downtown Portland. For several hours, the group blocked traffic on Southwest 3rd Avenue at Southwest Main Street. While several members of the group peacefully rallied, several others began pulling down the fence around Chapman and Lownsdale Squares.

Around 9:53 p.m., people within the group began moving pieces of the fence from the parks to outside the Justice Center. Once around the Justice Center, the fence was used to barricade Justice Center doors. Portland Police gave announcements from the sound truck, warning people to stop barricading important exits from the building. People kept barricading exits with pieces of the fence at the Justice Center for several hours, including the barricading of exit doors around the Federal Courthouse. Dozens of people worked to barricade the doors while hundreds either cheered them on or assisted.

At 12:32 a.m., the group began shooting commercial grade fireworks and smoke bombs towards the Justice Center near the barricaded doors on the south side of the building. During this time, the group was also using the fence to block traffic on Southwest Madison Street. Portland Police gave announcements from the sound truck to stop barricading the doors but people continued to do it.

At 1:33 a.m., an unlawful assembly was declared due to the threat of life safety to people including those inside of the Justice Center and Federal buildings. An area around the Justice Center was closed. The group was given time to leave the closed area, and told which direction to leave.

By 1:40 a.m. a majority of the group remained in the area, ignoring lawful orders from the sound truck. Officers arrived on scene and began dispersing the crowd to the west. During this time, several arrests were made. While dispersing the crowd, officers took projectiles such as glass bottles, rocks and broken pieces of metal from fencing. After dispersing the crowd to the west, officers disengaged.

At 2:10 a.m., several hundred people returned to the closed area. Once again, officers dispersed the crowd to the west, taking several more arrests. During the arrests, weapons and shields were taken from members in the group.

The remaining groups dissipated in the following hours.

No CS gas was used by the Portland Police Bureau.

Updates on arrest information was not available at the publication of this release. It will be updated when that information becomes available.

Anyone with information about individuals who committed criminal activity at any event is asked to share that information with the Portland Police Bureau. Information can be sent via email to CrimeTips@portlandoregon.gov.

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