This article is from the source 'nytimes' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/21/us/portland-photos-protests.html

The article has changed 11 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 6 Version 7
Photos: Federal Forces Clash With Demonstrators in Portland Photos: Federal Forces Clash With Demonstrators in Portland
(32 minutes later)
PORTLAND, Ore. — Federal agents fired tear gas outside the Mark O. Hatfield U.S. Courthouse in downtown Portland again on Tuesday night, as clashes between federal law enforcement agents and protesters, which have intensified in the past week, continued. PORTLAND, Ore. — Fueled by a wide array of grievances, including against police brutality, protests have rocked Portland for eight weeks, persisting even as demonstrations have waned in many other parts of the country since the killing of George Floyd in police custody in Minneapolis.
On Tuesday night, which marked 55 consecutive days of demonstrations in the city, protesters pried parts of the building away and, at one point, a fire broke out on the facade, before law enforcement officers chased them away. The city has also become a target of President Trump, who has embraced a law-and-order message in his re-election campaign. While federal officers were deployed to Portland to purportedly quell unrest and protect federal property, their arrival has only galvanized the movement, with the numbers of protesters each night swelling into the thousands.
Customs and Border Protection confirmed that three paramilitary-style units had been deployed in Portland to combat the protests, which have brought together an unlikely cohort that includes self-proclaimed “moms,” alongside veteran protesters. Though many protesters have acted peacefully, in recent days some have exhibited unlawful behaviors, like throwing cans and bottles, shooting fireworks and pointing lasers at officers, which federal officials have cited to justify their crackdown. On Wednesday night and into Thursday morning, protesters gathered around a temporary fence that federal officers had erected during the day. They shot fireworks at the building, and some breached the fence. Federal officers, wearing camouflage and tactical gear, emerged to fire tear gas and less-lethal munitions, and to arrest those who breached the fence.
The acting secretary of homeland security, Chad Wolf, defended the actions, claiming agents were acting lawfully. “We are only targeting and arresting those who have been identified as committing crime,” he said at a news conference on Tuesday.“They are not Gestapo as described.” Among the crowd outside the courthouse was the mayor of Portland, Ted Wheeler, who was left coughing and wincing from the tear gas. Mr. Wheeler scrambled to put on goggles and denounced what he called the “urban warfare” tactic of the federal agents.