PORTLAND, Ore. — A gathering outside Portland's City Hall was declared a riot around 11:20 p.m. Tuesday.
In a press release sent out early Wednesday morning, police say they declared a riot after "a man was seen igniting an aerosol can while spraying it towards City Hall in an attempt to set the building on fire." Police say there were site security guards still working inside the building and a riot was declared because of the "extreme life safety concerns" for those people still inside the building.
Police say that early in the evening, people in the crowd spray painted and broke windows at City Hall, smashed a surveillance camera and lit a fire outside the building, which led to police declaring the gathering an unlawful assembly.
After a riot was declared, police say people in the crowd put rebar ties in the road "in an effort to pop police car tires," shattered a bus stop shelter, shined blue lasers and threw eggs and bottles at officers.
Photos: Portland protests, graffiti and broken windows at City Hall
During crowd dispersal, police say they used crowd control munitions but did not use tear gas. Officers made 23 arrests and detained two juveniles, police said. Most of the crowd left the area by 1:30 a.m.
A group of about 150 people gathered at Shemanski Park in the Southwest Portland park blocks and marched to Portland City Hall at around 9:30 p.m. Upon their arrival, police declared an unlawful assembly.
The front of City Hall is all boarded up but people in the group were able to find an unlocked door and went in, according to New York Times correspondent Mike Baker. Some people spray-painted walls and broke windows.
Around 10 p.m., Portland police arrived to clear the crowd. Police and members of the group blocked an intersection at Southwest Jefferson and 4th Avenue and each stood in a line in a stand-off.
At around 10:20 p.m., police rushed the crowd and made arrests, according to a live stream from Baker.
The group returned around 10:45 p.m. They marched to the backside of City Hall on Southwest 5th Avenue, according to live streams.
At 11:10 p.m., police declared a riot. The crowd was told to leave to the south and west, and officers dispersed the crowd and made arrests. Police say some members of the crowd blocked traffic with rental scooters.
The group returned to City Hall and officers made targeted arrests and used crowd control munitions to clear the crowd. By 1:30 a.m., most of the crowd had left the area.
Tuesday night's event was originally going to take place at Montavilla Park with a march to the Donald E. Long Juvenile Detention Center in Northeast Portland. Earlier in the day, Multnomah County Sheriff's Office called on those in attendance to remain peaceful in the area.
The announcement also prompted a statement from Multnomah County Chair Deborah Kafourey.
"There are 38 young people inside the buliding who have experienced trauma and difficulty in their lives that they are working through," Kafoury said. "There are also youth who are not in custody at all, but living in a residential shelter within the building. Please consider the kids and their parents."
The event was later changed to Shemanski Park.
Portland police released the following information for the 23 arrests made overnight:
- Logan A. Vetter, 21, of Troutdale, Oregon, Disorderly Conduct II, Interfering with a Peace Officer
- Daniel Ryel, 41, of Portland, Oregon, Interfering with a Peace Officer, Disorderly Conduct II
- Simona Arteaga, 39, of Portland, Oregon, Interfering with a Peace Officer, Disorderly Conduct II
- Kelsey Anderson, 30, of Portland, Oregon, Interfering with a Peace Officer, Disorderly Conduct II, Resisting Arrest, Harassment
- Adrienne Garcia, 43, of Portland, Oregon, Interfering with a Peace Officer, Disorderly Conduct II, Resist Arrest, Escape 3
- Olivia Morgan, 29, of Portland, Oregon, Resist, Attempt Escape, Riot, Interfering with a Peace Officer, Disorderly Conduct II
- Riley Haralson, 18, of Portland, Oregon, Interfering with a Peace Officer, Disorderly Conduct II
- Megan Fuller, 37, of Portland, Oregon, Interfering with a Peace Officer, Disorderly Conduct II
- Cory H. Oien, 34, of Tualatin, Oregon, Interfering with a Peace Officer, Resisting Arrest
- Bryan M. Kelly, 36, of Portland, Oregon, Interfering with a Peace Officer, Disorderly Conduct II, Unlawful Directing of Light from a Laser Pointer
- Alma Raven-Guido, 18, of Portland, Oregon, Interfering with a Peace Officer, Disorderly Conduct II, Resisting Arrest
- John Welch, 22, of Portland, Oregon, Interfering with a Peace Officer
- Phillip Pearce, 40, of Portland, Oregon, Interfering with a Peace Officer, Disorderly Conduct II, Assaulting a Public Safety Officer
- Jackalyn Grant, 22, of Portland, Oregon, Disorderly Conduct II, Interfering with a Peace Officer
- Elijah A. Roach, 21, Interfering with a Peace Officer
- Brittney Selivanow, 22, of Portland, Oregon, Disorderly Conduct II, Interfering with a Peace Officer, Criminal Mischief II
- Thurman Holdsclaw, 25, of Portland, Oregon, Disorderly Conduct II, Interfering with a Peace Officer, Trespass II
- Joshua Corbin, 21, of Portland, Oregon, Resisting Arrest, Interfering with a Peace Officer, Disorderly Conduct II
- Uto Iha, 40, of Portland, Oregon, Interfering with a Peace Officer, Disorderly Conduct II, Trespass II
- Brian Steensma, 40, of Lake Oswego, Oregon, Interfering with a Peace Officer, Disorderly Conduct II, Trespass II
- Tanner L. Giles, 20, of Portland, Oregon, Interfering with a Peace Officer, Disorderly Conduct II, Attempt Assault of a Public Safety Officer
- Charles Hadley, 19, of Portland, Oregon, Interfering with a Peace Officer, Disorderly Conduct II
- Zachary Perry, 24, of Portland, Oregon, Burglary II
Portland is now in its 13th week of nightly protests since the killing of George Floyd.
On Monday night, Portland police declared a riot outside the Portland Police Association headquarters in North Portland. Twenty-five arrests were made after multiple fires were set outside the union building.