Federal officers again use tear gas on protesters as demonstrations grow in Portland

Federal authorities again used tear gas on crowds of protesters Monday night during ongoing protests in Portland, Ore.

Federal officers used pepper balls and threw tear gas canisters and flash bangs, according to CBS affiliate KOIN-TV. Monday marked the seventh night in a row that officers deployed tear gas.

Police in Portland also confirmed on Twitter that federal law enforcement deployed CS gas in an area with hundreds of demonstrators, adding that some people were “throwing projectiles” and “armed with clubs hammers and other weapons.” 

Avoid the area around SW 3rd and SW Main. Portland Police is aware that federal law enforcement have deployed CS gas. Hundreds of people are scattering around the adjacent streets. People are throwing projectiles and are armed with clubs hammers and other weapons. Avoid the area

— Portland Police (@PortlandPolice) July 21, 2020

Protests have continued to rock the Northwest city after federal agencies were dispatched to the area earlier this month, as the Trump administration vowed to protect federal property amid nationwide protests that were initially sparked by the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis in May. 

Federal officials used tear gas after leaving the Mark O. Hatfield Courthouse after midnight on Tuesday. The federal courthouse has been a focal point of ongoing protests and federal officers were brought in to protect the property.

Protesters allegedly banged on a boarded-up door and peeled back plywood from the courthouse into the early hours of Tuesday, CBS News reported.

Portland police also said that protesters tried to break into the courthouse and lit a fire near one of the building’s doors. 

Local officials have repeatedly pushed back on the presence of federal law enforcement in Portland. Mayor Ted Wheeler (D) earlier this week told CNN that “the tactics that the Trump administration are using on the streets of Portland are abhorrent.”

Some federal officers have worn unmarked military fatigues and driven unmarked vans during the process of detaining protesters. 

President Trump has repeatedly defended the presence of federal agencies in Portland and blamed city leadership for ongoing demonstrations, some of which have led to violence.

“Their leadership has, for months, lost control of the anarchists and agitators. They are missing in action,” Trump tweeted Sunday. “We must protect Federal property, AND OUR PEOPLE. These were not merely protesters, these are the real deal!”

We are trying to help Portland, not hurt it. Their leadership has, for months, lost control of the anarchists and agitators. They are missing in action. We must protect Federal property, AND OUR PEOPLE. These were not merely protesters, these are the real deal!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 19, 2020

Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf has also defended federal authorities in the area. Wolf told Fox News on Sunday that “I don’t need invitations by the state, state mayors or state governors to do our job. We’re going to do that, whether they like us there or not.”