Portland police have arrested 27 people for unlawful assembly after protesters marched to the Portland Police Association building, according to a report.
The protesters were told to stay away from the building, which arsonists had attempted to set on fire in the past. Law enforcement officials told protesters they planned to “proactively prevent fires from being started.”
But protesters ignored those warnings, according to authorities, and at about 11:35 p.m. started to throw rocks, cans and water bottles. That led officials to declare an unlawful assembly. Police began conducting traffic stops on vehicles that supported protests and found an illegal pistol in a car.
Many protests in Portland have remained peaceful, though some demonstrations earlier in the summer devolved into looting and intense clashes with law enforcement, leading to threats from President Trump to send the National Guard to restore order.
While some protests in Portland have been peaceful, others have turned into looting and rioting, with demonstrators fighting law enforcement. That prompted President Donald Trump to threaten to send in the National Guard to regain order.
“Success: Since the National Guard moved into Kenosha, Wisconsin, two days ago, there has been NO FURTHER VIOLENCE, not even a small problem. When legally asked to help by local authorities, the Federal Government will act and quickly succeed. Are you listening Portland?” Trump said in August.
Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler, a Democrat, pushed back against Trump's threat, saying National Guard troops would only bring more disorder to the city.
"We don’t need your politics of division and demagoguery. Portlanders are onto you. We have already seen your reckless disregard for human life in your bumbling response to the COVID pandemic. And we know you’ve reached the conclusion that images of violence or vandalism are your only ticket to reelection,” Wheeler wrote in a letter in August.
“When you sent the Feds to Portland last month, you made the situation far worse. Your offer to repeat that disaster is a cynical attempt to stoke fear and distract us from the real work of our city,” Wheeler added. “Stay away, please.”
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