PORTLAND, Oregon. – Police officers found a crowbar, hammers, bear spray and firearms after cornering a group of about 100 protesters, Portland police said on Saturday.
In a press release, the police department said police officers surrounded protesters about 15 minutes after the march began on Friday night in the Pearl district at 9 pm because some began breaking windows.
The department said it had warned the crowd that failure to comply with legal orders could result in arrest and exposure to tear gas and invited reporters, legal observers and anyone with medical conditions to leave the area closed.
Those who left were identified and photographed as part of an investigation, police said. Others locked their arms and refused; police escorted and arrested them, including a suspect in the previous hooliganism, police said.
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Some of the protesters also faced the police, throwing stones and cans full of beer, the department said. The officers used pepper spray.
Among the items left behind by the protesters were crowbar, hammers, bear spray, knives and what the department described as a “rocket weapon”.
This Friday, March 12, 2021, the photo shows several items left behind by people within the perimeter of a march, including high-impact slingshot and knives, after cornering a group of about 100,000 protesters on Friday. night in Portland, Oregon. (Portland Police Department via AP)
Thirteen people are facing charges due to the protest, including disorderly conduct, resistance to arrest and interference with the police.
One, identified as Katrina Walker, 26, from Portland, was cited for illegal possession of a firearm; another, Tara Walker, 34, was charged with illegal possession of a firearm and possession of a loaded gun in a public place, among other charges. It was not immediately known if they were relatives or if they had lawyers who could speak on their behalf.
Katrina Walker. (Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office)
On Saturday, three civil rights groups asked Attorney General Merrick Garland to investigate the Portland Police Department over Friday’s arrests.
This Friday, March 12, 2021, the photo shows several items left behind by people within the perimeter of a march, including a crowbar, hammers, bear spray, rock hit weapon, slingshot. high impact and knives. (Portland Police Department via AP)
In a statement, the Oregon Justice Resource Center, the Oregon Council on American-Islamic Relations and the American Civil Liberties Union of Oregon said: “Under the authority of Mayor and Police Commissioner Ted Wheeler and Chief of Police Chuck Lovell, that PPB did lasted Night – kettling – is an aggressive and indiscriminate police tactic to surround and box a group of people and block all exit points.
This Friday, March 12, 2021, the photo shows broken windows left behind by people inside the perimeter of a march by a group of about 100 protesters on Friday night in Portland, Oregon. (Portland Police Department via AP)
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“Both the Oregon Justice Resource Center and the Oregon ACLU are currently representing clients in federal lawsuits against PPB’s use of the kettling tactic against anti-Trump protesters in 2017. In neither case has the court approved or found this abusive tactic to be constitutional. “
Portland has been the scene of frequent protests, many involving violent clashes between police and protesters, since the assassination of George Floyd by the police in Minneapolis in May. During the summer, there were demonstrations for more than 100 consecutive days.
Mayor Ted Wheeler denounced what he described as a segment of violent agitators who distort the message of police responsibility and should be subject to more severe punishment.