Armed Feds Deployed to Portland as Rioters Flood Streets, Destroy Property
Violent unrest breaks out in Oregon city yet again
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Armed federal law enforcement officers have been deployed to Portland to quell the violence as rioters continue to flood the streets and destroy property, according to reports.
Unrest erupted in the downtown area of the Oregon city on Thursday night, drawing tear gas and smoke bombs from armed feds.
Violent leftists set fires and smashed windows in the area surrounding the Mark O. Hatfield U.S. Courthouse.
Federal officers were able to drive the rioters away from the court, OregonLive.com reported.
The courthouse is often defended by the Federal Protective Service but it wasn't immediately clear if FPS personnel were the officers involved in Thursday's action.
Portland city police and Oregon state police have also been deployed during past riots in the city.
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The crowd later made a return to the area, managing to break some courthouse windows and set another fire, the report said.
Whether anyone was arrested or injured was not immediately clear.
Earlier in the day, a crowd had gathered to protest plans to replace and expand an oil pipeline that runs between Superior, Wis., and the Canadian province of Alberta, journalist Suzette Smith reported on Twitter.
Protesters assembled in front of the downtown federal courthouse tonight. Old patterns emerge. This is the second push of federal officers clearing the park with flash bangs, less lethal munitions, and gas. pic.twitter.com/78l2w6LtrA
— Suzette Smith (@suzettesmith) March 12, 2021
The protest is a continuation of a daytime #StopLine3 march that occurred this afternoon.
— Suzette Smith (@suzettesmith) March 12, 2021
Protesters also note the recently disassembled fence in front of the courthouse and the beginning of the Chauvin trial as reasons they’re out tonight.
Some protesters also cited the start of the Derek Chauvin trial in Minnesota as a reason for the unrest, Smith wrote.
Chauvin is the former Minneapolis police officer who is facing murder charges in the May 25 police custody death of George Floyd.
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Thursday’s violence in Portland was expected, however.
Some business owners were seen boarding up their premises earlier in the day, OregonLive.com reported.
Oregon’s largest city has seen almost daily and nightly protests for much of the past year.
