Ongoing Portland riots reach 100 consecutive days this weekend

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Protesters marched through the streets of Portland on Friday night to a police building, where officers stood waiting outside, as the city reached 100 straight nights of protests that have been marked by vandalism and violence.

A few hundred demonstrators met at Kenton Park before making their way to the Portland Police Association building, where police warned protesters to stay off the streets and private property. Those who refused could be subject to citation, arrest, the use of tear gas, crowd-control agents or impact munitions, police said.

Officers donning riot gear and Oregon State Police badges stood stiffly as protesters inched closer to the line, chanting and yelling at officers. Occasionally an officer would direct their flashlights at certain demonstrators as reminders to comply with law enforcement’s orders were played over a loud speaker.

Demonstrations in Portland started in late May after the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

The slaying of a right-wing Trump supporter, Aaron “Jay” Danielson, shot and killed after he came downtown last weekend with a pro-Trump caravan of pickup trucks further roiled things in the liberal city. The prime suspect in the shooting, self-described anti-fascist Michael Forest Reinoehl, was killed Thursday night by law enforcement.

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The exact date of the 100-day milestone depends on how the protests are counted, but everyone agrees the benchmark falls over the Labor Day weekend. Black Lives Matter protests, vigils and speeches marking the occasion are planned over three days, and Trump supporters are planning another caravan rally.

Oregon officials had asked for peace.

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Since Floyd’s killing, nights of unrest that increasingly targeted a federal courthouse prompted President Donald Trump to dispatch U.S. agents to guard the building in July.

The presence of the agents from U.S .Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the U.S. Marshals Service was intended to tamp down on the demonstrations but instead reinvigorated the Black Lives Matter movement.

The U.S. agents began drawing down July 31 under an agreement between the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Democratic Gov. Kate Brown. But as the unrest has continued and picked up, federal authorities have again said they may increase their presence in the city.

It’s not just Portland. Other Democrat run cities are under also under siege. Here’s a sampling from last night:

Cline reported from Salem, Oregon.

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