Finally a peaceful night of protests in Portland: Local cops take over guarding courthouse from federal agents sent in by Trump ahead of their withdrawal as HUNDREDS of demonstrators gather for a 64th night (38 Pics)
Oregon police took over protecting a federal courthouse in Portland that's been a target of violent protests as local authorities try to tamp down demonstrations that have wracked the city every night for more than two months.
Having state and local officers step up their presence was part of a deal between the Democratic governor and the Trump administration that aimed to draw down the number of U.S. agents on hand during the unrest.
Portland police cleared out a park Thursday morning across from the Mark O. Hatfield Federal Courthouse that demonstrators have used as a staging ground but reopened the park shortly before dark.
By 10:30pm, hundreds of people had gathered and were listening to speeches in front of the Justice Center, a building that is one block over from the courthouse and houses city and county law enforcement offices. There was no sign of state troopers or local police and the crowd remained peaceful.
Later on Thursday evening, more than 1,000 people were still on the streets of downtown Portland, without any federal law enforcement in sight.
Police said demonstrators put out fires and told others to stop climbing the fence in front of the federal courthouse. As a result, police said they didn't have any interactions with demonstrators downtown.
A demonstrator waves a U.S. flag in front of federal officers after tear gas is deployed during a Black Lives Matter protest at the Mark O. Hatfield United States Courthouse on Thursday night
A demonstrator waves a U.S. flags in front of federal agents after tear gas is deployed during a Thursday night's protest
Crowd members raise their fists as speakers chant 'Black Lives Matter' outside of the Justice Center in Portland on Thursday
Protestors rest along the perimeter barricade outside the Mark O. Hatfield federal courthouse pictured on Thursday night
Federal officers began a phased withdrawal from the city Thursday, prompting the first peaceful night in weeks of violent clashes with protesters
Gary Floyd speaks to the crowd gathered outside the courthouse during Thursday's protests in Portland, Oregon
Under the deal announced by Gov. Kate Brown, federal agents sent by President Donald Trump were to begin a phased withdrawal, with Oregon State Police taking over outside the building. But federal officials insist agents wouldn't leave the city completely but be on standby in case they're needed.
Brown lashed out against Trump: 'I think we've had enough political grandstanding from DC,' Brown tweeted. 'The President's plan to "dominate" the streets of American cities has failed.
'And today, federal troops are preparing to leave downtown Portland. We will protect free speech and the right to protest peacefully,' she added. 'The massive and non-violent protests led by Black Lives Matter activists have inspired the nation.
'Let's get to work and make this vision a reality.'
Trump said in a tweet that U.S. officers would stay in Portland until the violence was under control.
'If she can't do it, the Federal Government will do it for her. We will not be leaving until there is safety!' Trump wrote about Brown, saying that she wasn't doing enough to control the 'anarchists & agitators.'
Trump doubled down on the need for federal intervention.
'The governor and the mayor, we've been dealing with them, and we think they don't know what they're doing, because this should not have been going on for 60 days,' he told reporters.
'It's not our job to go in and clean out the cities. That's supposed to be done by local law enforcement,' Trump added.
A protester carries police caution tape that had cordoned off the parks across from the courthouse on Thursday
Paul Clay Jr., of Portland rests on a protest shield prior to a rally against racial injustice and police brutality in front of the Mark O. Hatfield U.S. Courthouse on Thursday
Protesters walk through Lownsdale Square during a rally against racial injustice and police brutality on Thursday
A crowd of about a hundred people marched past courthouse on Thursday night in Portland, Oregon
Police in Portland cleared parks and nearby roads around the city's center in anticipation of a phased pullout by federal forces who have inflamed anti-racism protests in the city.
Dozens of officers encircled Chapman Square Park and Lownsdale Square Park on Thursday, ordering everyone in the vicinity to leave immediately.
Some 50 people gathered nearby chanting 'Murderers' and 'Quit your jobs.' Others carried signs that read 'This is not a riot, it's a revolution,' and 'We won't let the police stop us.'
'We want change, we want something to happen,' said Emily, 35, adding that the federal forces' withdrawal will not alter the resolve of protesters.
'They are just replacing the feds with police,' she added. 'I don't expect tonight to be any different.'
United States Navy veteran Jim Longstreth, second from left, talks to another veteran as they line up alongside protestors outside of the Portland Justice Center and federal courthouse on Thursday
Wall of Veterans organizer LeShan Terry asks a fellow veteran if he has a helmet as they form a line outside of the Portland Justice Center and federal courthouse on Thursday
A far smaller crowd than previous nights appeared for the nightly Black Lives Matter protest in Downtown Portland Thursday
A protestor ties a bunch of balloons to the corner of the fence that has been at the center of many clashes with federal officers over the last few weeks in Downtown Portland
A protestor who identified himself as Fabian speaks to a small crowd gathered outside of the federal courthouse in Downtown Portland on Thursday. Fabian called for the abolition of police forces, but welcomed others with differing opinions to speak up
The mood was far more peaceful during Thursday night's protests in downtown Portland
The Black Lives Matter-inspired vigil wound down early Friday morning. There was virtually no sign of the Oregon State Police officers who had taken over protection of the federal buildings at the center of the protests
Portland has been rocked by 64 consecutive days of demonstrations. Protestors are pictured on Thursday evening
Alicia Goss, who said she had been to 60 consecutive nights of protests, also said late on Thursday she was skeptical of the deal.
'I don't believe anything anymore,' she said. 'I won't believe it until I see it.'
Jaleel Oneman waited for speeches to begin as the crowd grew earlier in the evening and said he didn't expect much difference between the federal agents and state police who would be patrolling the protesters Thursday for the first time.
'Stop hiding behind everything that you're saying. Stop hiding behind your badges, stop hiding behind your lies, stop hiding behind the system that's just been beating us up every day,' he said, referencing law enforcement. 'There ain't no difference to me. No, not at all.'
In preparation for the handover, state troopers, the local sheriff and Portland police met and agreed not to use tear gas except in cases where there's a danger of serious injury or death, Mayor Ted Wheeler said. Federal agents sent to the city in early July have used it nightly as protesters lob rocks, fireworks and other objects.
The police would work with the city's parks and recreation department, the sheriff's office and outreach workers, Wheeler said in a tweet.
'This is at the request of @ORStatePolice as part of the plan for federal officers to leave our community.'
Wheeler, who himself was gassed when he joined protesters outside the courthouse last week, added that tear gas 'as a tactic really isn't all that effective' because protesters have donned gas masks and often return to the action after recovering for a few minutes.
The Democrat also apologized to peaceful demonstrators exposed to tear gas used by Portland police before federal officials arrived.
Calm returned to Portland on Thursday night, as Black Lives Matter demonstrators staged a peaceful vigil downtown, with virtually no sign of law enforcement officers
Lownsdale Park is quiet during the nightly Black Lives Matter protest in Downtown Portland on Thursday. The park was cleared of an encampment earlier in the day by police forces as federal agents announced a phasing out of their presence in the city
The Wall of Veterans form a line around protestors outside of the Portland Justice Center and federal courthouse on Thursday
Protesters noted that without a notable police presence, the crowd had a different atmosphere
Demonstrations have at times attracted up to 10,000 people for peaceful marches and rallies around the city. But some violence has been increasingly directed at the courthouse and other federal property
The imposing figures of federal officers were notably absent for the first time in weeks during the 64th night of protests in downtown Portland on Thursday
An enormous crowd gathered to listen to speakers and chant anti-law enforcement slogans. The mood was celebratory, if subdued
A pigs head burns during a protest against racial injustice and police brutality during Thursday night's protests
Federal officers were expected to begin leaving the city on Thursday which made the evening's protest far calmer in nature
Police Chief Chuck Lovell said he believes the new collaboration between local law enforcement agencies will be seen 'as a victory in many ways.'
'A lot of people came out to express their displeasure of folks from the federal government here and engaging in crowd control with members of our community,' Lovell said. 'So I´m hoping that on many levels that people are happy in this development.'
Lovell said he is 'very happy and very hopeful' with the collaboration between city and state police and Multnomah County Sheriff´s Department.
'We have trained and worked with Oregon State Police and crowd control events extensively, throughout the years,' Lovell said.
Jonathan Luczycki paints a scene of speakers outside of the Justice Center in Portland on Thursday
People look at a memorial to honor 216 Black people who have been killed by racial violence on Thursday
The memorial appeared on Portland's waterfront earlier this week, in the spot where the Wall of Moms and other protest groups have been assembling before walking to the Justice Center
The memorial displays pictures and names of men and women who have lost their lives at the hands of the police in the U.S.
A demonstrator raises his arms in front of federal officers during a BLM protest at Mark O. Hatfield Courthouse Wednesday
A demonstrator kneels and uses a makeshift shield as federal agents launch tear gas during a BLM protest on Wednesday
Portland has seen demonstrations since George Floyd died in May after a white Minneapolis police officer pressed a knee into the black man's neck for nearly eight minutes.
Demonstrations have at times attracted up to 10,000 people for peaceful marches and rallies around the city. But some protesters have turned to violence that's been increasingly directed at the courthouse and other federal property.
The Trump administration sent federal agents to guard the courthouse earlier this month and quell the unrest but the deployment had the opposite effect, reinvigorating protesters who found a new rallying point in opposing the federal presence.
Many of the federal tactical teams wore combat-like gear, but their deployment inflamed the situation, especially following footage of protesters being snatched off the street by federal agents and put into unmarked cars.
The U.S. government had arrested 94 people as of Wednesday. During the past two months of protests, Lovell said the city police department has made more than 400 arrests and undertaken many different strategies in an attempt to deescalate the situation.
'It´s been a long two months,' he said.
Federal agents arrest a demonstrator during a BLM protest at the Mark O. Hatfield United States Courthouse on Wednesday
A demonstrator tries to shield himself from tear gas deployed by federal agents during a BLM protest on Wednesday
A demonstrator is pepper sprayed shortly before being arrested during a Black Lives Matter protest on Wednesday night
Tyshawn Ford, a leader of Black Unity, is dragged away by Springfield, Oregon Police on Wednesday at a barricade erected by police during a protest by the racial justice group in the town. Ford was charged with disorderly conduct, interfering with police, and resisting arrest
A Thurston neighborhood resident and a Black Unity protester square off as Black Unity protesters left the Springfield, Ore., neighborhood after marching through the streets in Springfield on Wednesday
Finally a peaceful night of protests in Portland: Local cops take over guarding courthouse from federal agents sent in by Trump ahead of their withdrawal as HUNDREDS of demonstrators gather for a 64th night (38 Pics)
![Finally a peaceful night of protests in Portland: Local cops take over guarding courthouse from federal agents sent in by Trump ahead of their withdrawal as HUNDREDS of demonstrators gather for a 64th night (38 Pics)]()
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July 31, 2020
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