livingston
20×102mm Vulcan
Altercations start early at dueling downtown Portland protests
August 6, 2017
Dueling protests made their way through downtown Portland Sunday afternoon, with a few violent altercations but little police involvement. Three people were arrested on disorderly conduct charges.
The protests began about 2 p.m. at Salmon Street Springs in Tom McCall Waterfront Park, with about 150 supporters of President Trump waving American flags and wearing red Make America Great Again caps.
Joey Gibson, leader of the conservative Patriot Prayer movement and organizer of the rally, said the aim of the march was to promote "freedom and tolerance for people who think differently."
But nearby, anti-fascist protesters in similar numbers characterized the Patriot Prayer group as white supremacists, chanting, "No Trump, no KKK, no fascist USA." Many wore black bandanas to cover their faces and at one point gathered in a smaller group to burn an American flag.
As Gibson used a megaphone to rally the crowd, skirmishes began to break out.
In stark contrast to recent protests, where Portland riot police formed a virtual wall separating protesters from each other, the police presence was minimal. Reporters spotted one police officer standing nearby shortly after the protests began, and a van of police officers in riot gear was spotted several blocks away on stand-by.
Altercations start early at dueling downtown Portland protests
August 6, 2017
Dueling protests made their way through downtown Portland Sunday afternoon, with a few violent altercations but little police involvement. Three people were arrested on disorderly conduct charges.
The protests began about 2 p.m. at Salmon Street Springs in Tom McCall Waterfront Park, with about 150 supporters of President Trump waving American flags and wearing red Make America Great Again caps.
Joey Gibson, leader of the conservative Patriot Prayer movement and organizer of the rally, said the aim of the march was to promote "freedom and tolerance for people who think differently."
But nearby, anti-fascist protesters in similar numbers characterized the Patriot Prayer group as white supremacists, chanting, "No Trump, no KKK, no fascist USA." Many wore black bandanas to cover their faces and at one point gathered in a smaller group to burn an American flag.
As Gibson used a megaphone to rally the crowd, skirmishes began to break out.
In stark contrast to recent protests, where Portland riot police formed a virtual wall separating protesters from each other, the police presence was minimal. Reporters spotted one police officer standing nearby shortly after the protests began, and a van of police officers in riot gear was spotted several blocks away on stand-by.
Altercations start early at dueling downtown Portland protests
