PORTLAND, Ore. — A Clackamas County man faces misdemeanor charges after prosecutors said he pushed a dumpster into the street and ran from police during a protest near city council candidate Rene Gonzalez’s election party on Tuesday night.
Jarrid Bailey Huber, 23, was arrested three blocks away from Gonzalez’s campaign office after a Portland Police officer saw Huber and several others push two dumpsters into the roadway. Officers had been in the area because activists had advertised a protest in the area, implying they would march to Gonzalez’s office.
Huber and other protesters pushed the dumpster behind a police car then ran away after the officer ordered them to stop, according to a spokeswoman for Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt.
Other officers arrived and arrested Huber. He was charged with disorderly conduct and interfering with a peace officer – both misdemeanors. Two others were cited for disorderly conduct.
A news release from the DA’s office described Huber as an “anarchist” and said he was wearing all black with a black mask – a tactic called “black bloc” that is common among anarchist protesters.
Huber did not respond to an email from KGW requesting comment.
Huber has two other cases pending in Multnomah County – one stemming from a protest in May 2021 and another from October 2021 where he’s accused of recording a video where another man made statements towards Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler.
In the May case, Huber was accused of felony arson and criminal mischief after prosecutors said he pushed a dumpster against the Multnomah County Justice Center and lighting it on fire.
A prosecutor wrote that Huber helped start the fire that “burned intensely and threatened to start the justice center on fire.” The building suffered minor damage before the fire was extinguished.
Prosecutors said that same night Huber attempted to break windows at Portland City Hall and the downtown Nordstrom’s store.
In October 2021, Huber was charged with misdemeanor harassment after prosecutors said he recorded a video in which a man named Sean Lopez threatened violence against Wheeler if he didn’t resign.
In a probable cause affidavit, the prosecutor said police obtained surveillance video that showed Huber filming Lopez as he made the video under the Burnside Bridge. A detective later obtained a search warrant for Huber’s phone and found the original videos, according to affidavit.
The video also contained Wheeler’s home address. Wheeler had seen the video and told police he was concerned for he and his family’s safety, according to the affidavit.
Huber pleaded not guilty to the charges from both the protest and the Wheeler video. Lopez was also charged with misdemeanor harassment, to which he has also pleaded not guilty.
