Fireworks fired in downtown Portland, Oregon, on Thursday night had little to do with New Year’s Eve celebrations – and more to do with the continuing unrest that has plagued the city for nearly a year, according to reports .
Once again, city police declared a riot when a meeting estimated to be about 100 people targeted a federal court, Oregon’s FOX 12 reported.
“Participants threw various incendiary bombs at police officers and launched commercial-grade fireworks at the Federal Court and Justice Center,” wrote the Portland Police Department on Twitter as soon as the new year arrived on Friday.
PORTLAND MARCHERS VANDALIZE BUSINESS, GOVERNMENT PROPERTIES: POLICE
A series of messages included a warning to those who congregated on the streets.
“If you do not leave, you will be subject to arrest, summons and / or use of force,” wrote the police, “including, but not limited to, impact weapons and tear gas.”
Protesters also smashed windows and set the area on fire, Portland’s KOIN-TV reported.
The police started using pepper spray or apples against the crowd, as well as what appeared to be rubber bullets or pepper balls, KOIN reported.
Some videos shown on social media showed police officers advancing against the crowd.
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Thursday’s unrest came a day after nearly a dozen companies and government agency headquarters were vandalized, KOIN reported.
Most of the disturbances in Portland have occurred since May 25, when George Floyd was killed while in police custody in Minneapolis. That same event sparked several other protests and unrest across the US