Portland Protests

Starting in May 2020, demonstrations over the police killing of George Floyd have been held in the city of Portland, Oregon, concurrent with protests in other cities around the United States and around the world. As of July 2020, many of the protests, which have been held every day since May 28, have drawn more than 1,000 participants. Some of the protests in Portland have been peaceful, but some have involved injury, vandalism, arson, looting, and heated confrontations with police, sometimes involving injury to protesters and police, declaration of riot, and use of tear gas and other less-lethal weapons. In early July, the federal government sent in law enforcement officers, including some not easily identified as such and some in unmarked vehicles, to Portland to "safeguard federal property", but engaged in tactics–such as seizing protesters not on or near federal property–that were criticized by Portland's mayor and most of the state's congressional delegation. Several lawsuits were filed, including suits by and on behalf of journalists and legal observers against local and federal law enforcement, and suits by the state against several federal agencies.