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Steve Humphrey

Update, 12:34 am:

As things are devolving in the streets of downtown Portland, we are pulling our reporter from the scene. And as you'll see from one of Alex Zielinski's last dispatches, emotions are running hot even without the intrusion of the police.

Then there's this video, captured by an onlooker downtown, that apparently shows someone wielding a metal object and threatening the protesters passing by their building.

The police achieved one minor goal in clearing people away from the Justice Center, leaving behind a broken and battered Fence™ and a fair amount of debris from the demonstration and the efforts to break it up after it apparently got too dangerous for the officers on hand.

We're about done here for the night but before we go, here's some video from our badass freelancer Tuck Woodstock that shows the police breaking up the protest at the Justice Center and continuing the use of crowd control munitions in downtown—including further uncalled for acts of aggression by some officers.

Stay safe out there, Portland. We'll see you tomorrow.

Update, 12:04 am:

We shared this in our last update, but are moving it up here to re-emphasize how absolutely disgusted we are to see one of our colleagues in the media treated like this by the Portland Police.


It doesn't help matters much that the police aren't making it easy for anyone to get out of the area that they've deemed off-limits.

Update, 11:47 pm:

The police and protesters are still crossing paths and butting heads throughout downtown, with more flash bangs and force from the former, and more efforts to hold the line by the latter.

And here's the official word from the PPB, presented without comment:


Update, 11:18 pm:

Confusion reigns downtown as police have been working to push protesters out of the area they have designated as closed... even as they change the borders of that area and fire more munitions into the crowd at the location where they were supposed to be safe.


Update, 11 pm:

Twenty minutes after this was projected on the side of the Justice Center...

...the police cleared the protesters from Chapman Square with smoke, flash bang grenades, and other munitions.


And now, the story of how the press is being treated by PPB in two tweets:

It remains a stark contrast to the rally and march that just got back to Revolution Hall, with plans to return there tomorrow night.


Update, 10:50 pm:

The announcements from the police are taking on some urgency as they have declared an unlawful assembly and are directing protesters to leave. Which, if the past two weeks are any indication, means that they are gearing up to disperse the crowd soon.


Update, 10:32 pm:

As if on cue, things started heating up around the Justice Center at 10 pm tonight, including lasers, an important message being projected onto the building, and, once again, protesters climbing on and cutting into The Fence™. The police are not amused.

The more disconcerting development was caught on camera by freelance journalist Robert Evans.

Meanwhile, protests in Atlanta are continuing tonight after the fatal shooting of Rayshard Brooks outside of a Wendy's by the city's police. So far, the demonstrators have burned that same Wendy's to the ground and have held up traffic on one of the city's highways.

And news has broken over the last hour that the officer that shot Brooks has been fired by the Atlanta Police Department.

Update, 9:54 pm:

Despite what Marc Bolan has led you to believe, you can stop children of the revolution. The planned autonomous zone apparently ain't happening tonight.


What is happening so far is a lot of hanging out and pizza eating at Chapman Square, and the end of the rally at Cleveland High.


Update, 9:36 pm:

The crowd around the Justice Center continues to grow, as does a world of suspicion and confusion around the supposed creation of an autonomous zone. Earlier in the day, this image made the rounds on social media:

But there have been some serious concerns that announcing it so loudly would only inspire a bigger response by Portland Police tonight—something that veteran organizer Lilith Sinclair has been pointing out tonight on their Twitter account.

(The bridge they're referring to, by the way, is the Hawthorne Bridge, which was closed down by the police a few hours ago.)

We'll be sure to let you know if anything actually goes down at the appointed AZ time.

Speaking of AZ time, let's check in with our own Alex Zielinski on how things are progressing outside the Justice Center.

Over at Cleveland High School, the rally continues with speakers and a performance by local hip-hop artist C3 The Guru.


Update, 8:31 pm:

While Chapman Square and the area around the Justice Center remains quiet for the time being, the march to Cleveland High is as loud as can be and about to reach its destination, with protesters working to encourage people in the apartments on their route to join in the march and wishing a speedy farewell to the current occupant of the Oval Office.

Meanwhile, on the stately campus of the University of Oregon.


Update, 7:13 pm:

The march from Revolution Hall to Cleveland High School is underway. But before they got moving, the assembled crowd heard some sage words from Marceau Michel and Carlos the Rollerblader—"I love Tiger King. I love Target. But we have to pick people over institutions"—and an amazing rendition of the classic protest anthem "If I Had A Hammer," as sung by LaRhonda Steele and Arietta Ward.


Original post:
Good evening, friends and fellow citizens. We are now entering our third week of protests in and around Portland, fueled by anger and frustration at how the police continue to disproportionately harm people of color in our country and set ablaze by the killing of George Floyd on May 25.

Last night, the ongoing demonstrations featured moments of oratorical power on behalf of the people speaking at Grant High School earlier in the evening and terror as Portland Police once again used force to disperse the crowd that had grown around the Justice Center. While I encourage you to read up on Friday's events as reported by our own Steve Humphrey and Suzette Smith, this video from Sergio Olmos, one of our peerless freelancers, sums it up with unsettling clarity.

Saturday has already been a busy one for protest events around Portland. OHSU's Physician Assistant Program led a march earlier today from the Robertson Life Science Building down to Pioneer Square, while a student march took over the streets of NE Portland. And just wrapping up now is a protest bike ride that will land participants right at Revolution Hall for the start of tonight's rally and march. The destination for the Rev Hall event, led, in part, by Rose City Justice, is Cleveland Community Field. Andrew Jankowski, another of our amazing team of freelancers, will be reporting from that event. Be sure to follow his Twitter account for live updates as it happens.

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Thank you all so much for your patience in announcing our location for this evenings march. We will be meeting at Revolution Hall at 6PM for our openings speeches and remarks and then heading on to Cleveland Community Field. Cleveland, a burrow of Portland, along with other burrows like Brooklyn, and the majority of the East Side of Portland, were once predominantly diverse neighborhoods. Now Cleveland High school is comprised of 68% European-Americans. In April 2019, Cleveland was the site of a controversy involving culinary arts students making a cake resembling blackface. What do you all think about that? We sure don’t stand for that type of thinking, and that is why it should come to surprise that we have chosen this park as our destination for tonight’s march. We know it is rainy, we know it is cold, but we need your support and presence on nights like this more than ever. #blm #portlandoregon #blacklivesmatter

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As for the nightly protest at the Justice Center, our illustrious news editor Alex Zielinski will be downtown throughout the evening. Again, follow her on Twitter if you want regular updates. With the events of Friday—protesters breaching the ever-loving fence and reports from the PPB of their officers allegedly getting marbles, metal bars, and other crap thrown at them—fresh on people's minds, and the news being shared around social media that the demonstrators are looking to set up their own autonomous zone, a la Seattle's CHAZ, the evening could prove to be a momentous one. Buckle up, Portland. It's gonna be a bumpy ride.