I was at Kenton Park when this happened. The march hadn’t happened yet. Most people were sitting in the grass talking with friends in small groups when two white vans rolled up and a group of about 20-30 heavily armed police officers clad in riot gear swarmed into the park. https://twitter.com/portlandpolice/status/1310804765400395776
The marchers immediately got up and retreated across the park while others went to confront the officers about why they were there. I approached an officer with an beam bag rifle. I asked him what was going on they said they were looking for weapons and
this particular group is known to be violent” and that he couldn’t answer any more questions as they followed people across the park. Later I watched them attempt to grab a sign from a mans hands and when he resisted they sprayed pepper spray in his eyes and wrestled him to the
ground, an officer kicked him multiple times as several officers forced his hands behind his back while other officers formed a protective circle. I watched them cite another woman for having pepper spray and banned her from Kenton Park for 30 days. When the march eventually made
PPA building via the sidewalks I watched an officer jump off a van and tackle a man off a moped so hard the man didn’t move. I watched them chase several individuals down the street before arresting them although it was unclear what they had done.
I walked down the street passed a lone police medic and asked him how his night was. He said “good” in a completely dejected voice. I watched several protestors urge a passing vehicle to run over the cops in a circle around a detained individual.
After they left back to the main protest up the street I heard two women cops chat with each other about one of them being their first day on the job. She mentioned something about job security. I witnessed another police officer talking with several protestors and he mentioned
he didn’t want to be out here, he wanted to be back at his patrol duty answering domestic violence and shooting calls. I observed him twice that night talking with protestors. When the cops finally got back on their vans, a few of them waved at protestors as they drove off, the
protestors yelled as they drove away and one cop yelled back “all you do is talk shit.” In all it was madness. Orders shouted over loud speakers that I could still hear in my house after I left. Heavily armed police descending on angry protestors.
Absolute madness. Many examples of excessive force. No accountability. A cry for change that fell on mostly deaf ears.
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