Portland police declared yet another riot Tuesday night on the 83rd consecutive day of protests after a 200-strong mob of protesters torched the city’s famous Multnomah Building.
The group had marched to the county seat of government for the first time, smashing windows and sparking a blaze by pushing lit newspapers through the windows. One image shows the protesters had marked a window to the building with the graffiti: ‘Aim here.’
Demonstrations that often turn violent have racked Oregon’s biggest city for more than two months following the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Video taken Tuesday night shows protesters calling for ‘no cops, no prisons, total abolition’.
According to Oregon Live, the demonstration remained peaceful for more than an hour, but protesters started to set fire to dumpsters and broke windows, and after about an hour, small fires could be seen inside the building. Police said lighter fluid was also sprayed inside the Multnomah.
People could be seen throwing stones through the windows, followed by flaming materials, setting the office ablaze. Some were carrying shields and wearing helmets and gas masks, according to law enforcement.
Police later tweeted to tell protesters the ‘gathering had been declared a riot’, ordering those there to disperse. There were also reports of a stabbing and a shooting in the city overnight.
Two people were arrested – 23-year-old Jesse Hawk and Peter Curtis, 40. Hawk was charged with riot, interfering with a peace officer, resisting arrest, unlawful use of a weapon, assaulting a public safety officer, harassment, disorderly conduct II, and attempted escape. Curtis was charged with attempt criminal mischief and reckless endangering.
See the pics and read the rest here: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8642373/Portland-Government-office-set-fire-200-strong-mob-smash-windows.html