Portland enters 3rd week of protests ahead of Portland City Council budget vote

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    PORTLAND, OR (KPTV) — Hundreds of people gathered on Monday to begin a third week of protests in Portland, with organizers saying they hoped to apply pressure ahead of Wednesday’s Portland City Council budget vote.

The budget would divert millions of dollars out of the Portland Police Bureau. Last week, commissioners agreed to cut nearly $16 million in funding to the bureau. The reductions include the elimination of the Gun Violence Reduction Team and the SERT team, with funding to be reinvested in community-based programs, according to Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty.

Protesters on Monday gathered at Revolution Hall again and marched for the first time in over a week from the east side to downtown Portland.

Organizers used the term DRIP to refer to cutting money from the police bureau, standing for defund, reinvest, and protect. Speakers said protesters on Monday wanted to be near City Hall and near the Justice Center so they can be with others who have been gathering downtown every night.

“How can we involve, widen that spectrum of involvement and show this and share this with people that may not be aware even of it, shake them up, make it loud,” said Kinsey Smyth, an organizer with Rose City Justice.

After crossing the Burnside Bridge on Monday evening, protesters made their way to Pioneer Courthouse Square, where they talked mostly about the upcoming city budget vote on Wednesday.

The city’s budget includes the funding for the Portland Police Bureau. Organizers say they want to keep pressure on the system, the mayor and city commissioners. They’ve called for about $50 million to be cut from police.

One speaker talked about what defunding means to them.

“It’s about taking money from places that is doing harm to us, to our communities and putting it back into a place where we are holding each other accountable in a way that makes sense, in a way that is comfortable and also to ensure that we aren’t leaving anybody behind anymore,” he said.

Afterward, many went back to Revolution Hall and others joined a group gathered at the Justice Center.

Police said the crowd threw projectiles over the fence, pointed lasers at officer’s eyes, and used sling shot like devices to send projectiles over the fence.

At around 10:40 p.m., a trash fire was lit near a building in the 800 block of Southeast 3rd Avenue. Portland Fire & Rescue responded and extinguished the fire.

Police declared a civil disturbance at around 11 p.m. and advised the crowd to leave or be subject to arrest. Most of the crowd remained and continued to throw projectiles, including glass bottles, at officers.

Officers began using crowd control munitions and the crowd moved west.

Police said a deputy was struck in the head by a rock that was thrown from behind. The deputy was taken to an area hospital for treatment.

A business in the 900 block of Northwest Davis Street had a window smashed and items stolen at around 11:43 p.m. Police said officers located and arrested some of the suspects involved in the burglary.

The crowd continued through the streets in the Pearl District where graffiti was applied to walls and businesses in the area.

The group then making their way back into the downtown area where arrests were made, according to police.

Police said 10 arrested were made during Monday evening, including several arrests for assaults or attempted assault on officers. Their names and ages, and charges they may be facing have not yet been released.

More than a dozen people were arrested during protests near the Justice Center in downtown Portland on Sunday. Police said a group of protesters threw projectiles at officers, including glass bottles and what appeared to be a commercial-grade firework. More than a dozen people were arrested, with some attempting to climb the fence, officers said.

On Monday, police removed some of the fencing and concrete barriers near the Justice Center, scaling it back to remain directly around the perimeter of the building.

Police said they recognize the fence has been a symbol of divide between the police and the community. Officers said they removed some of the fencing to “show their willingness to have a dialogue and peaceful communication toward starting to heal the community”.

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