Three people were arrested after throwing projectiles at police officers in Portland overnight, the city’s police bureau said.
Tara Bratton, 43; Rosalind Benoit, 31; and John Yingling, 18, all Portland residents, were charged with interfering with a peace officer, disorderly conduct, and both, respectively.
Continuing a monthslong chain of nearly-unbroken nightly demonstrations or riots, a crowd marched to the bureau’s North Precinct late Wednesday.
Because the crowd was blocking a street that serves as “a vital entrance and exit” for both officers and civilian employees, people were told to disperse or face arrest, according to an incident summary issued by the bureau.
The crowd ignored the warnings and some began chucking water bottles and rocks toward officers located on the precinct’s roof. The group later tore down tape and barricades erected by officers and advanced further on the street.
The crowd fizzled out in the early hours of Thursday. No crowd control munitions were used.
One demonstrator that was part of the crowd told The Epoch Times that the gatherings would continue every night until people see a change.
“We’re going to do this every day until we get justice. No justice, no peace,” he said.
Asked what the demands were, he said, “Stop shooting and killing us. Don’t make us your target practice.”
Demonstrators grew upset when, during the response to the riot, a man was tackled to the ground and, after taking off a helmet from an officer’s head, appeared to be struck several times by the officer.
Wheeler referred to the video, saying in a statement: “A police officer was filmed repeatedly striking an individual at a protest.”
Street medics told The Epoch Times that they’ve treated a lot of head injuries.
Portland Police Chief Chuck Lovell said that he’s seen videos circulating since May 28, when the unrest started.
“These videos show force by officers, which by its very nature can look disturbing. These videos raise legitimate concerns,” he said in a Wednesday statement.
“We examine these videos, investigate these incidents for full context, and take action when appropriate. Some officers have been removed from crowd management response while the actions are reviewed. Other officers, who have been assaulted or even injured, are asked to go back out and endure more. We are not perfect. We make mistakes and hold ourselves accountable. The Independent Police Review exists as a separate entity to also hold us accountable,” he continued.
“The employees of the PPB have endured much over the last 3 months and have overwhelmingly performed their duties in a way I admire. We will continue to hold ourselves to the highest standards while providing our duties.”
Portland Police Association president Daryl Turner added during an appearance on CNN this week that a lot of the violence can be stopped before it starts but officers are struggling to do so because they’re hamstrung by city officials.
Another issue, he said, is the new policy from the prosecutor’s office.
“We have to do something to end this violence,” Turner said. “And it needs to be a zero tolerance policy so that we can end the violence. And the elected officials, the district attorney, and our commissioners need to all be on board,” he said.
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