Portland, Oregon, police formed a perimeter and arrested about 100 protesters who allegedly broke windows in the northwestern Pearl district during a “direct action” event on Friday night.
“You are not free to leave. You must stay where you are and comply with the law enforcement orders of the police,” an official said over a loudspeaker to the detained protesters, according to a video by a FOX 12 Oregon reporter. “If you try to leave, you will be subject to arrest.”
“You are not free to leave. You must stay where you are and comply with the officers’ legal orders.”
The official said the protesters were being held for “investigating a crime”. He said failure to comply could result in the use of tear gas or impact ammunition.
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The department noted on Twitter that the detention was “temporary”, saying the protesters would eventually be released one at a time. “Please stay calm and wait for instructions,” said the tweet. The accredited media was allowed to leave.
Police surrounded the group at around 9:30 pm PT, about 90 minutes after the group started marching, KOIN-TV in Portland reported.
Friday marked the first time that city police, who have been dealing with near-night protests since last summer, used the perimeter tactic, FOX 12 reported.
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Some onlookers surrounding the detained protesters shouted “Let them go!” while others shouted, “Arrest them!” KOIN reported.
The police started following the protesters after they started marching in nearby Jamison Square, notifying them through a loudspeaker that the group was not allowed to participate in the event, as they started walking on the street and blocking traffic. The police surrounded the group when they started vandalizing properties.
The department, in a tweet, advised the protesters to “Prepare to be escorted by police officers”, one by one, around 10:30 pm.
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The police began escorting the protesters out of “temporary detention” on Friday night – warning them if they did not obey, they could be arrested – and some of the protesters had their pictures taken by the police, according to a reporter of KOIN. It was not clear why his photos were taken or how many arrests were made.