Violent rioters once again took over Portland on Wednesday, Sept. 23. This time, their anger was directed at police officers because of the perceived lack of justice relating to Breonna Taylor's death. The mob started fires, continuously pelted police officers with dangerous projectiles, and at several points they even threw Molotov cocktails at police officers, nearly soaking several in flames.
A grand jury in Jefferson County, Kentucky, announced on Wednesday that only one of the three officers linked to the incident that led to Taylor's death will be indicted, but the charges filed against that officer do not directly link him to her death. This was not the outcome that Antifa and Black Lives Matter wanted – and so they rioted.
Portland is experiencing an unprecedented level of chaos. Listen to this episode of the Health Ranger Report, a podcast by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, as he talks about how the global pandemic and the massive engineered rioting and civil unrest, when combined with the ineffective decades of Democratic Party-led governance, is leading liberal cities like Portland, Seattle and New York on the brink of collapsing.
Riot declared in Portland, three officers injured, 13 demonstrators arrested
Immediately after the verdict of the three Louisville officers was announced, demonstrators began forming up and starting marches all over Portland. Several hundred of these people assembled at Southwest 3rd Avenue in downtown Portland, right in front of Chapman Square and the Multnomah County Justice Center, where many peaceful protests transform into violent riots after nightfall. Prominent local Black Lives Matter activists made speeches and led the crowd in chanting lines like “Whose life mattered? Breonna Taylor's!”
These speeches continued past 9 in the evening. While the majority of the crowd was focused on the peaceful protesters, a smaller group of dedicated, violent rioters started forming up in the street behind the Justice Center, right where the Portland Police Bureau's (PPB) Central Precinct is located.
PPB reports state that the people in this group were very violent from the outset. They threw rocks and other heavy projectiles at the precinct, shattering glass windows. Some even used slingshots to try and attack officers, and a small group attempted to enter the building.
This violence prompted the police to declare the gathering an “unlawful assembly.” They warned the mob to leave the street, and when the rioters failed to comply the officers advanced with the help of smoke grenades and other crowd-control munitions. The police were immediately pelted with large rocks, glass bottles and even fireworks.
These rioters retreated to the main protest in front of the Justice Center. They melded into the crowd, and the police retreated. (Related: Black Lives Matter supporter shoots dead three innocent people at a bar in Louisville.)
However, the rioters reformed and came back just moments later. The officers repeated their warnings for the mob to disperse, but they refused to do so. Shortly before 10:30 p.m., this relatively smaller gathering of around 75 dedicated agitators was declared a riot.
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In retaliation, the Antifa and BLM rioters threw more projectiles at the precinct, shattering several more windows, and they started a small fire, burning up some of the wood paneling protecting the precinct. Police reports also said several rioters with green lasers tried to blind the officers, and that they also threw full soup cans at the cops.
Not long after the PPB declared a riot, they expanded the area wherein people were ordered to leave, which included much of the core of downtown, including the larger demonstration occurring in front of the Justice Center.
At one point while the police were dispersing the crowd, rioters threw Molotov cocktails at a line of police officers. One of the incidents was caught on video by journalists, who could hear the man shout “Hey, [expletive] you!” right before throwing the incendiary device at the PPB. Fortunately, the rioter missed and nobody was gravely hurt by the attack. Two other Molotov cocktails were thrown at police throughout the evening.
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“Last night, we saw a level of violence we haven't seen yet,” said deputy police chief Chris Davis during a press conference held the following day. “We're really kind of at the mercy of the people who show up.”
Officers ramped up their dispersal efforts, successfully moving the violent mob several blocks west. The officers formed a defensive line to prevent the rioters from making their way back to the Justice Center. As the officers started retreating, many of the demonstrators followed. These agitators were stopped when the police used crowd control munitions, which helped them disperse for good.
“This type of violence accomplishes nothing,” said police chief Chuck Lovell. “These attacks on police officers, this destruction of property does nothing to advance the goals of the community.”
Smaller groups lingered around the area before finally leaving by 1:30 p.m. Three officers sustained minor injuries during the riot, and 13 people were arrested.
“I am glad we were able to make arrests and hold people accountable for the reprehensible acts of violence,” added Lovell.
The rioters in Portland are escalating their violence. Stay updated on the latest news regarding the civil unrest all over the country by reading the articles at Rioting.news.
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