No arrests have been made so far Saturday night, although authorities said investigations are ongoing.
Photo: JOHN RUDOFF/AFP/Getty Images
Dozens of people gathered in Grant Park in Portland on Saturday night after a large group of protesters marched down Sandy Boulevard smashing windows in what they called a march for abortion rights.
A pamphlet circulating on social media called this a “direct action” and called on attendees to “wear black,” the two phrases frequently used in the Portland protests that erupted in 2020.
“If abortions aren’t safe, then neither are you,” the flyer said.
Authorities reported that they believe about 60 people, most of whom were dressed in black, began their protest at approximately 10:00 p.m. and immediately began smashing windows and scrawling graffiti.
Protesters smashed windows of banks and cafeterias, officials said, and damaged a Portland school bus by smashing windows and tagging it.
Likewise, a pregnancy resource center was also vandalized with graffiti and broken windows.
A Tesla vehicle was severely damaged northeast of Hancock. A witness was able to see what happened and left a note on one of the car windows and tried to file a police report.
Police said the group left around 10:45 p.m., by which time authorities were able to take note of the damage.
Although there was a relatively strong police presence at the scene during the vandalism, PPB agents reported that they “did not have the resources to invest at the time.”
They indicated that at the same time as this was happening, there was a shooting and stabbing in the East Precinct area and an impromptu dance party located in Irving Park, with at least 1,000 people marching and blocking vehicular traffic.
“There were also calls about speedsters doing stunts in various parts of Portland,” authorities said.
No arrests have been made so far on Saturday night, but that “doesn’t mean people aren’t charged with crimes later,” they said. Investigations are still ongoing.
The authorities seek help from the public in two ways: anyone in the area with security cameras should check if they have something useful that happened between 10:06 p.m. and 10:40 p.m. Suggestions can be sent by email: crimetips@portlandoregon.gov.
Second, if anyone was harmed during the demonstrations, please file a police report by calling 503-823-3333.
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