Protests explode across the country; police declare riots in Seattle, Portland
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In Seattle, police said protesters set fire to a construction site for a juvenile detention facility. In Portland, protesters breached a federal courthouse.
Portland, Oregon, police declared a gathering Saturday night a riot after hundreds of demonstrators who have been protesting in the city since the death of George Floyd broke into a building and set it ablaze and started dumpster fires.
The protesters broke into the Portland Police Association at around 10:45 p.m. Saturday, police said, and “ignited a fire inside.” That prompted police to declare the event a riot “due to the violent conduct of the large group creating a grave risk of public alarm.” The fire inside the Portland Police Association building was put out a short time later.
“As the crowd was dispersed, several people in the crowd were arrested and officers were able to extinguish the fire,” Portland Police said Sunday in a statement. “Portland Police did not use any CS gas,” a commonly used term for tear gas.
However, several reporters and bystanders shared photos and videos on social media that they said show police using tear gas to help clear the area.
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