Police use tear gas to disperse Portland protesters as they march on ICE building for a second night running - amid anger that a significant portion of the 500 arrested over 85 nights of unrest won't be prosecuted
Portland protesters marched on the city's ICE compound for a second night running last night as cops revealed they have arrested more than 500 people over 85 nights of demonstrations.
Protesters banged on the windows of the federal complex while some of them tried to disable its security cameras, ignoring loudspeaker warnings not to damage the building.
The protest was declared an 'unlawful assembly', with three people arrested as police used tear gas to clear the crowds who had failed to disperse - but cops did not declare a riot as they did on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Cops have declared 17 riots in 85 days and only seven nights have been free of vandalism, fireworks or deliberate fires, a newly-released timeline shows - while more than 500 people have been detained including 17 in the last week.
Protesters gathered outside Portland's ICE building for a second night running on Thursday night as protests continued for an 85th day in the city despite the police chief's plea to call off the 'senseless criminal activity'
Protesters wave a Black Lives Matter flag outside the ICE building during last night's demonstrations in Portland, which were declared an 'unlawful' assembly with tear gas fired on the crowds
Portland's police department released this timeline on Thursday showing the scope of the protests over the last three months since the death of George Floyd. More than 500 people have been arrested while 17 separate riots have been declared
Protesters confront with the police near an Immigration and Customs Enforcement centre in Portland, Oregon, U.S., August 20, 2020
Protesters confront with the police near an Immigration and Customs Enforcement centre in Portland, Oregon, U.S., August 20, 2020
Protesters confront with the police near an Immigration and Customs Enforcement centre in Portland, Oregon, U.S., August 20, 2020
Protesters confront with the police near an Immigration and Customs Enforcement centre in Portland, Oregon, U.S., August 21, 2020, in this still image from a video obtained from social media
According to KOIN 6, protesters gathered in Elizabeth Caruthers park last night close to the ICE building which was the focus of demonstrations for a second night.
The crowd was smaller than on Wednesday but protesters waved a Black Lives Matter flag and flashed strobe lights towards the ICE compound.
Parts of the building have been boarded up after windows were smashed with rocks on the previous night's demonstrations.
Later there were clashes between police and protesters which led to cops firing tear gas and pepper spray in a bid to disperse the crowds.
Several people in the crowd were seen carrying shields and wearing helmets and gas masks' while others set fire to a dumpster nearby, police said.
One person was seen lifting up another protester to help them try and reach a security camera on the outside of the ICE compound.
Others allegedly tampered with the control panel at the ICE gate while others sprayed paint into port holes on the side of the building, meaning officers could not see out of the building.
A loudspeaker warning blared out saying that protesters could face 'arrest or use of crowd control munitions' if they damaged the federal building - but protesters nonetheless sprayed graffiti on the side of the compound.
Police announced in the early hours of Friday that the ICE protest had been 'declared an unlawful assembly', but not yet a riot.
The decision was made after protesters 'blocked traffic, vandalized the ICE building, set fires to dumpsters, and threw projectiles' at federal officers, according to Portland's police bureau.
'Failure to comply with this order may subject you to citation or arrest, and may subject you to the use of tear gas, crowd control agents, and or impact munitions,' a statement said.
Three people - 30-year-old Christopher Wise, 18-year-old Riley Haralson and 27-year-old Courtney Pace - were arrested on various charges including harassment and disorderly conduct.
In addition to the ICE protest, around 100 people marched to the offices of Portland's police union on Thursday night
The Portland police timeline shows how dozens of people were arrested in the early days and weeks after Floyd's death. The numbers for each date show the number of people arrested, while the symbols show various kinds of protest violence
Violent acts continued in July with riots declared four times in 13 days after protesters started fires and vandalized buildings
Riots have been declared regularly throughout August as protests have continued, the most recent ones targeting the ICE building in Portland
Separately, around 100 people marched to the offices of Portland's police union on Thursday night, according to the Oregonian.
'The goal right now is to disrupt the peace,' a 17-year-old demonstrator told the crowds outside the boarded-up building.
'If you’re here right now you need to be loud. You need to be exhausted. Because we’re exhausted.'
Some protesters sat in the street while other Portland residents applauded from their balconies nearby.
Elsewhere, a crowd gathered in Kenton Park for a protest organized by the PDX Black Youth Movement, where at least one person held a sign calling for the abolition of Portland's police department.
As protests continued to rage, Portland's police department released a detailed timeline of the 84 nights of protests so far.
According to police figures, more than 500 people have been arrested at the demonstrations including more than 100 in the first week of riots after George Floyd's death.
Two people - Joshua Buckley, 30, and Mark Putman, 25 - were arrested on Wednesday night on suspicion of disorderly conduct and interfering with a peace officer.
Seventeen people have been arrested in the last week with a riot declared on four of the last nine days after protesters set fires and threw projectiles including rocks and glass bottles.
Police have declared a riot 17 times over the 84 nights of protest, with acts of vandalism committed on 49 nights and fires lit on 41 separate days.
Cops define a riot as 'when six or more persons engage in tumultuous and violent conduct and thereby intentionally or recklessly create a grave risk of causing public alarm'.
Since the protests began on May 29, police have only recorded seven nights that were free of vandalism, fireworks or intentional fires.
A crowd outside the ICE building which was described as smaller than the protest on Wednesday which was declared a riot
A crowd of people outside the ICE building which has been partially boarded up following the demonstrations in Portland
Demonstrators stand near the fence at the federal compound, which has been the focus of protests in the last two days
The city's Justice Center which houses the police department's Central Precinct was the focus for the first few weeks of demonstrations.
However, other federal buildings as well as separate police precincts and most recently the ICE complex have also been targeted by protesters.
Cops in Portland have repeatedly clashed with crowds targeting the city's federal courthouse.
ICE has long been a target of criticism from the left, especially after the Trump administration separated thousands of migrant children from their parents.
However, Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden has rejected calls from some quarters to abolish ICE, which was founded in 2003.
In a statement, officers said initially peaceful demonstrations after Floyd's death in Minneapolis had mutated into 'criminal behavior' in recent weeks.
'The members of the Portland Police Bureau are sworn to facilitate the peaceful and lawful exercise of free speech and assembly,' the statement said. 'Bureau members do everything possible to support these activities.'
'In late May and early June, there were several large peaceful demonstrations where no police interaction was needed.
'However, a second group began to commit crimes that necessitated law enforcement response.
'When criminal behavior occurs, especially behavior threatening the safety of those near the event or those targeted by the event, law enforcement must respond.'
Wednesday night's protests (pictured, a member of the media stands amid tear gas near the ICE building) had been declared a riot with two people arrested
Police claimed protesters were throwing glass bottles and 'softball-sized rocks' and shining lasers at federal officers leaving the ICE building on Wednesday, while two people were arrested before the crowd was finally cleared after 1am
Portland police chief Chuck Lovell had pleaded on Wednesday for protesters to call off their 'senseless criminal activity'.
'To effect change, we must work to build and not destroy,' said Lovell.
'This is more than property paid for by community members; these buildings host critical materials and spaces that provide essential services and support to our community at large.
'The damage is costing millions of dollars that could be used to help people during an already challenging time.'
Separately, a US judge granted a preliminary injunction on Thursday exempting journalists and legal observers from orders to disperse in a riot.
The 61-page order prohibited federal officers from seizing any 'photographic equipment, audio- or video recording equipment, or press passes'.
A lawyer from the U.S. Justice Department had argued that the press does not hold any special right when police declare an unlawful order crowds to break up.
'If military and law enforcement personnel can engage around the world without attacking journalists, the federal defendants can respect plaintiffs' First Amendment rights in Portland', said US District Judge Michael Simon.
The order came in a class-action lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Foundation of Oregon, which called it 'a crucial victory' for civil liberties.
Donald Trump has continued to rage at the violence in Portland, saying on Tuesday that the city was a 'disaster' - putting New York and Chicago in the same category.
'The Democrats have to start enforcing Law and Order in their cities and states,' he said, reviving one of the key themes of his re-election campaign.
Trump's chief of staff Mark Meadows told Fox News on Wednesday that Trump told him on a recent trip: 'We've gotta do something about it. We send in the FBI.'
Asked if federal forces could return to the city, he said: 'It looks like we're going to have to, they're not doing the job. We want to make sure that not just Portland's safe but every city across the country is safe.'
Police use tear gas to disperse Portland protesters as they march on ICE building for a second night running - amid anger that a significant portion of the 500 arrested over 85 nights of unrest won't be prosecuted
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August 21, 2020
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