Rioters at the federal courthouse in Portland are finding out that the feds are not fooling around. On Sunday night the rioters showed up and it was actual peaceful through the early part of the night. As the time went on many of the protesters had gone leaving about 200 of the worst of the lot behind. Soon they were banging on the fences, shooting fireworks into the compound.
That brought out the feds. And instead of getting multiple warnings, they got just one and then the feds began firing off peeper gas and flash bangs into the mob. The feds made their way out through a side street and they encircled the fence from the outside and they began forcing the mob from the area. Several fights broke out and the feds detained a number of people for various crimes.
The feds were able to move the mob away and in the process showed Mayor Ted Wheeler how it’s supposed to be done.
Officers are back out and pushed back the crowd before quickly going back into the courthouse. The crowd is already returning to the fence pic.twitter.com/yLC2drG7Vp
— Shelby Talcott (@ShelbyTalcott) July 27, 2020
More officers are arriving and that flashing light is STRONG. Officers are now standing the line pic.twitter.com/lpUiGt37lW
— Shelby Talcott (@ShelbyTalcott) July 27, 2020
It’s been lit on fire. This could get HUGE…there’s a massive amount of garbage on the other side of the fence pic.twitter.com/yxSu11acE8
— Shelby Talcott (@ShelbyTalcott) July 27, 2020
Some crowd control munitions were fired, forcing the remaining people to retreat into the park. Officers are putting out the fires and standing guard. It’s just before 3:30am. pic.twitter.com/YBHhjQ8v2a
— Shelby Talcott (@ShelbyTalcott) July 27, 2020
Sunday’s protest ended with a small group tossing garbage from the park over the fencing guarding the federal courthouse. As trash piled up in multiple spots just outside the courthouse, a few individuals lit it on fire. The fires continued to spread inside the fencing and some people in the park could be heard chanting, “the feds is on fire … let the motherf*^#er burn.”
Officers quickly responded as the fires continued to grow, firing crowd-control munitions at the few remaining people while putting out the flames. Portland’s recent protests and riots have often seen fires, which typically start on the other side of the fence at the courthouse after bags of trash are tossed over.