The New York Times - USA (2020-08-01)

A14 Y THE NEW YORK TIMES NATIONALSATURDAY, AUGUST 1, 2020

Scenes of billowing tear gas,
burning fires and federal agents
in riot gear have made Portland
a national flash point and
spurred debate over the author-
ity of the federal government to
respond to protests. Often miss-
ing from that debate was a full
picture of what was happening
on the ground.
As negotiations continue over
when the agents will leave the
city, here’s a look at how many
recent nights of protest and
confrontation have unfolded.
The clashes with federal offi-
cers were largely confined to a
two-block stretch of downtown
Portland. The mood tended to
follow a predictable pattern, with
large, peaceful gatherings in the
evening turning to chaos later at
night.
Much of the recent activity
focused on the Mark O. Hatfield
Courthouse, a high-rise structure
of limestone and glass to which
the Trump administration dis-
patched federal agents for pro-
tection in early July, after a
month of continuous demonstra-
tions.
Typically, confrontations flared
up at night, with protesters set-
ting fires and attempting to climb
or cut down a fence that sur-
rounds the courthouse.
But the area was much quieter
during the day.
People driving on Southwest
Third Avenue slowed as they
passed the courthouse, staring at
the vandalized building and
occasionally honking their sup-
port for the protests.
Portland’s daily demonstra-
tions against police violence
have been among the longest-
running in the country since
George Floyd was killed by the
police in May.
Lownsdale Square, one of
three parks across the street
from the courthouse, served as
the primary staging area for the
protests.
During the day, the park re-
sembled a campsite. Volunteers
served free food and handed out
water bottles and medical sup-
plies from a cluster of tents, and
a small homeless encampment
was staged nearby. The police
cleared the park on Thursday.
Protesters relaxed near a tall
monument in the center of the
park, repurposed as a canvas for

protest graffiti. Gawkers and

journalists circulated, while

construction workers nearby

patched damage from the previ-

ous night.

Southwest Main Street runs

along the southern edge of

Lownsdale Square. A circular

patch in the middle of the road

marks where a statue of an elk

stood before fires set by pro-

testers damaged its base and it

was removed.

On the other side of Lownsdale

Square, Southwest Salmon Street

leads to a fountain in a large

riverfront park a few blocks

away.

The fountain was an early

gathering point for protesters

most evenings. The crowd lis-

tened to music and speeches,

chanted slogans and waved

protest signs.

Eventually the crowd would

begin to walk up Salmon Street

toward the courthouse and the

Multnomah County Justice Cen-

ter, which houses a jail and the

Portland Police headquarters.

On recent nights, a group of

mothers in yellow shirts calling

themselves the Wall of Moms led

the three-block march. This

week, the group faced debate

over its leadership, which had

been primarily white, and ques-

tions about whether its main

focus was opposing the federal

presence or supporting Black

Lives Matter.

The Justice Center, which

neighbors the federal court-

house, drew protesters for weeks

before federal officers arrived in

Portland. Protesters set a fire

inside the building on the night of

May 29, four days after Mr. Floyd

was killed.

On more recent nights, activ-

ists stood on the steps in front of

the building and delivered

speeches to the crowd.

This stage of each evening

tended to be peaceful. Later,

protesters shifted their focus to

the federal building and the

clashes that broke out there.

Protesters have focused on the

courthouse since the protests

began in late May. But the size

and intensity of those gatherings

have grown since federal au-

thorities arrived in the city.

A fence that federal officers

erected around the courthouse

on July 22 became a site of griev-

ance. City officials have fined the

federal government more than

$200,000 for keeping up the

fence, which blocks a bike lane.

Protesters tried to pull the

fence down, and used power

tools to try to disassemble it.

As most nights wore on, agi-

tated protesters would shake and

bang on the fence, throw water

bottles and fireworks over it and

set small fires inside.

Federal authorities fired tear

gas to keep the crowd away from

the fence. The clouds of gas

could drift for several blocks,

even as far as the waterfront

park where the protests had

begun. Last week, inmates at the

Justice Center said the gas had

wafted into their cells, causing

panic.

A federal court order in June

limited the situations in which

city police could use tear gas.

But the order does not apply to

federal officers.

Each wave of gas would win-

now the crowd of protesters,

leaving behind a smaller, more

hardened group.

On some nights, federal offi-

cers and city police rushed out of

the courthouse to physically

clear protesters from the fence,

firing pepper balls, rubber bul-

lets and more tear gas.

They flushed protesters out of

the parks and sometimes made

arrests in the streets.

Legal experts have questioned

how far federal agents are al-

lowed to chase protesters beyond

the boundaries of the federal

property they were sent to pro-

tect. The state lost its bid to

restrict how federal agents were

operating on Portland’s streets,

but several other challenges are

still making their way through

the courts.

New York Times journalists

witnessed federal forces range as

far as three blocks away from the

courthouse.

Nights would end after most

protesters were cleared from the

area and the federal agents had

retreated to the courthouse.

President Trump, who used

images of the clashes in cam-

paign ads, said Portland would

be lost without federal interven-

tion, and vowed to “dominate”

the protesters. Gov. Kate Brown

of Oregon argued that the

agents’ presence was a worrying

sign of federal overreach that

would lead to greater violence.

Ms. Brown and administration

officials negotiated the with-

drawal of federal agents from the

city, but some officials insisted

that the forces would remain

until federal buildings in the city

were secure.

On Thursday, Mr. Trump re-

newed his criticism of Ms. Brown

and her handling of the protests:

“We will not be leaving until

there is safety!”

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Mike Baker, Sergio Olmos, Mason
Trinca and Octavio Jones contrib-
uted reporting. These photographs
were taken over the course of a
week of protests in Portland.

Music by Day, Mayhem by Night: Behind the Lines in Portland

1 Protesters have set fires in and tried to climb the
Mark O. Hatfield U.S. Courthouse, prompting the
federal government to dispatch camouflage-clad
agents to protect it and to build a wall around it.

2 Lownsdale Square has served as a primary staging

area for the protests. Volunteers there handed out free

food and water, and a small homeless encampment

popped up. The police cleared the park on Thursday.

3 A fountain in a riverfront park served as an early

gathering point for demonstrators on most evenings.

After music and speeches, the crowd began to walk

toward the courthouses and the police headquarters.

4 In May, protesters set a fire in the Multnomah County

Justice Center, but more recently, as the focus has

shifted to the federal courthouse next door, activists

have used its steps as a place to deliver speeches.

Clouds of tear gas fired by federal officers have drifted for blocks,

causing panic among inmates at the nearby Justice Center.

How Calm Rallies

Became Standoffs

With U.S. Agents

Federal agents sent to protect U.S. property have strayed several

blocks from the courthouse as they pursued demonstrators.

Protesters and federal agents clashed at the U.S. courthouse, where a fence put up in July has become a major front in the standoff.

By KATE CONGER

and DEREK WATKINS

Photographs by MASON TRINCA

The president used

clashes with forces

sent in by him for his

campaign ads.

Struggle for Racial JusticeProtests in Portland