Police declare 'civil disturbance,' arrest and release 13
The Portland Police Bureau has released the identities of the 13 people arrested during a chaotic downtown protest on Saturday, Aug. 17.
Authorities say only two people were detained in the downtown jail and then released, while another nine were cited and released without being formally booked. Two juveniles were also arrested.
Police also released photos of some of the weapons that were confiscated during the fray, including lumber, a painted shield, various knives, batons and bear spray.
Here's who was arrested:
• Alexander Gorman Dial, 37, was charged with second-degree attempted assault and unlawful use of a weapon.
• An unidentified man of unknown age was charged with second-degree disorderly conduct.
• Michael A. Mitchell, 44, on charges of second-degree disorderly conduct, resisting arrest, interfering with police and possession of weapons in a park.
• Jamal O. Williams, 43, on charges of second-degree disorderly conduct.
• Hezekiah Bulnes, 23, on charges of second-degree disorderly conduct.
• Richard J. Klimek, 51, on charges of second-degree disorderly conduct.
• Teagan Winkler, 21, on charges of second-degree disorderly conduct and interfering with police.
• Alonna Mitsch, 26, on charges of second-degree disorderly conduct.
• Ryan Georgioff, 30, on charges of giving false information to police.
• Zachary Lange, 21, on charges of second-degree disorderly conduct.
• Brandon Howard, 33, on charges of second-degree disorderly conduct and fourth-degree assault.
The 17-year-old male juvenile and 15-year-old female were both charged with one count of second-degree disorderly conduct.
Read our previous report below:
Portland police declared a "civil disturbance" and said at least 13 people were arrested during an eight-hour violent protest downtown on Saturday, Aug. 17.
At least four people were treated by first responders, with all injuries considered "minor," officials said. One person was taken to the hospital, who police said was injured before authorities arrived.
Small bands of black-clad demonstrators lingered downtown hours after a group of conservatives had left the scene — leaving the self-proclaimed anti-fascists to face off with officers rather than their stated enemies. Police had not announced an end to the event by 7 p.m., though many attendees appeared to have left the area.
At a press conference at the Justice Center, authorities praised a measured response to a rapidly-unfolding series of conflicts across the central city.
"We were preparing for the worst case scenario," Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler told reporters. "We are relieved that this did not happen."
Police Chief Danielle Outlaw said more than 1,200 gathered for the series of dueling rallies — noting that officers used force on at least six occasions, including one deployment of pepper balls and additional "take-downs or control against resistance."
"While the greatest potential for conflict appears to be winding down, there is considerable work still to be done," Outlaw said. "We will continue to monitor hotspots through the evening to ensure that we are prepared if the demonstrators attempt to re-engage in conflict with each other."
A violent brawl broke out in downtown Portland today. Video by Sergio Olmos/Portland Tribune. Full story: https://t.co/ewtX3wdcyE pic.twitter.com/BgayMfuQQh
— Portland Tribune (@ThePortlandTrib) August 18, 2019
The police chief said charges are likely to include disorderly conduct; interfering with police; resisting arrest; possession of a weapon in a park; and unlawful use of a weapon.
Protest flash-points occurred near Pioneer Courthouse Square, Director Park and near Southwest Yamhill Street at Park Avenue. Protesters blocked MAX tracks in the area for a moderate duration.
In an incongrous finale to the rally, both protest medics and licensed first responders assisted a cyclist who was clipped by a protester, causing injury to the bicyclist, who was transported from the scene by ambulance.
Read our previous report here:
UPDATE: Large crowds continued to march without a permit through the streets of downtown Portland on Saturday, Aug. 17.
Multiple people have been detained, at least 13 arrested and hundreds of Portland Police Bureau officers dressed in riot gear responded to the situation.
In one of the most climatic moments of the day so far, black-clad protesters swarmed two short buses — one painted black with a sign reading "antifa = terrorism" — in an attempt to overwhelm conservative demonstrators inside the vehicles.
CONTENT WARNING: Demonstrators attacked two buses during an outbreak of violence at the #PortlandProtest today. Full story here: https://t.co/YCG6VYcgt0 pic.twitter.com/NnpNljidqz
— Portland Tribune (@ThePortlandTrib) August 17, 2019
The protesters unleashed pepper spray and swung hammers, as captured by the Tribune on video, but ultimately the buses departed off the Morrison Bridge off-ramp and sped away.
Moments later, protesters yelled as a masked attendee was detained while bleeding from the face.
Several other people told the Tribune they had been injured during the protest.
A man who gave his name as "Ricky" said he rushed forward to watch as police detained another man, but was shot with two non-lethal rounds by a uniformed officer around 12:45 p.m.
"They pushed me back and shot me," Ricky said, lifting up his shirt to expose two chest bruises. "I tried to look around and see what happened and I got shot."
Cory Elia, a journalist associated with the local alternative radio station KBOO, said he was hit with a baton in the gut by an officer while filming.
"I got tangled up by one of the police bikes," he said. "The officers have done a good job of separating them all, but they have been extremely violent."
Earlier in the day, hundreds of liberal protesters gathered at Tom McCall Waterfront Park, just north of the end of the concrete barricade wall erected by city workers.
While police did not allow protesters to cross the line at times, both sides had members to the north, leading to heated shouting matches and at least one arrest of a man on a bicycle underneath the Morrison Bridge. Protesters shouted in outrage and banged on dumpsters as the scene unfolded.
Protesters made many unpermitted street marches, and smaller interactions turned brutal. One man filming the event on his phone was pepper sprayed around 12:30 p.m., after protesters perceived that he was conservative.
A few minutes later, a man had mayonnaise dumped on him, and was trailed by protesters while attempting to withdraw. "I feel like I need some cheese and ham," the man said.
Men hit with food, trailed by protesters #PortlandProtest pic.twitter.com/FuRgMoKwEg
— Zane Sparling (@PDXzane) August 17, 2019
During much of the melee, Patriot Prayer leader Joey Gibson and a band of followers stayed in the city's Central Eastside. Gibson eventually left the gathering by car, while others journeyed across the river.
As the crowds first gathered around 10 a.m., some of the conservatives said they hoped the events of the day would be peaceful.
Wearing a "Make America Great Again" hat and a flag promoting the Q-anon conspiracy, Drakken Saer, 27, said the anti-fascist fighters known as antifa were engaged in "cultural suppression."
"They're trying to spread their ideology by force," Saer said. "We're treating them as we would any bully."
At the liberal gathering point, recent L.A. transplant Cassie Brighter said she wanted to represent her beliefs as a trans and Latina woman.
"It's shocking to me how much the country has deteriorated," she said, referring to the time period since the election of Donald Trump. "This is a historic moment ... and I'm not going to be a bystander."
Some at the rally felt both sides were wasting their time.
Josh Hamilton, a 24-year-old Boring resident, said he believed the left-vs.-right rumble was a classic case of "divide and conquer."
"Instead of fighting, we should band together and actually address problems," such as sex trafficking and the country's many foreign wars. "We think there's a lot of diversion going on. It's a 1,000-year-old doctrine."
The protest had not concluded by 3:30 p.m. This story will be updated.
Click here for our previous report:
Large crowds gathered Saturday in Portland's Waterfront Park as far-left and far-right forces met for a potentially violent clash.
But by noon, police had allowed the right to march across the Hawthorne bridge to the eastside, then stopped the left from following. With the combatants separated by the Willamette River, little violence had yet to erupt.
Only sporadic incidents of violence were being reported by 2 p.m., as most of the protesters had drifted away.
Earlier in the day, anti-ramming barriers had been set up along Naito Parkway to keep any vehicles from plowing into the park — a form of terrorism seen in cities such as New York, Barcelona and Charlottesville, Virginia.
Across Naito, a car's stereo blared Kaiser Chief's, "I Predict a Riot."
Two blocks away, police barricaded Southwest Second Avenue from Main to Madison, in front of the Multnomah County Justice Center and Portland Police headquarters.
By 10:45, several hundred far-left protesters gathered at the lighthouse Battleship Oregon Memorial Marine Park. An estimated 50 far-right protesters gathered nearby.
An anxious city had battened down the hatches ahead of the Saturday, Aug. 17, protest which drew thousands of demonstrators and curious observers, and hundreds of state, local and federal law enforcement officers to Portland.
Prior to the protests, here's what the city was braced for:
Gibson back in: Despite his arrest Friday, Aug. 16, on riot charges stemming from a May Day brawl on the patio of a Portland cidery, the controversial leader of the Patriot Prayer movement announced he would arrive at the waterfront protest by 11 a.m. Gibson, the flashpoint for many of the recent protests between liberals and conservatives, stayed away from a June 29 rally after he was targeted by several lawsuits.
A total of five men have been booked on criminal charges related to the May Day brawl at Cider Riot! music venue and drinking establishment.
• Closed: Several downtown businesses such as Banana Republic and Southpark Seafood were closed for the day, in anticipation of smashed windows or vandalism, as has been seen at other downtown protests. The proprietors of Maya's Taqueria at Southwest Morrison and 10th closed the doors and barricaded them to foil vandals.
• Lawsuit filed: The Oregon Justice Resource Center filed an eleventh-hour lawsuit against the organizers of the "End Domestic Terrorism" conservative rally — Joe Biggs and Tara Larossa — and 100 "John Does."
Plaintiff for the suit is Luis Enrique Marquez, a well-known anti-fascist participant who says Portland Police relayed "credible" threats to his life in July related to the looming rally. The complaint seeks $322,000 from organizers and demands an emergency injunction to stop the protest, though a reporter for the Washington Post tweeted skeptically: "An interesting move, but it seems like it is probably too late to actually stop the rally."
• Trump Tweets: President Donald Trump appears to be watching the Rose City closely. Around 7 a.m., he tweeted: "Major consideration is being given to naming ANTIFA an "ORGANIZATION OF TERROR." Portland is being watched very closely. Hopefully the Mayor will be able to properly do his job!"
Major consideration is being given to naming ANTIFA an “ORGANIZATION OF TERROR.†Portland is being watched very closely. Hopefully the Mayor will be able to properly do his job!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 17, 2019
Wheeler responded on CNN, saying he had ignored the White House tweets to focus on the protests. Wheeler also confirmed the Federal Bureau of Investigation was monitoring the scene. Police Chief Danielle Outlaw tweeted that officers have invested "hundreds" of hours preparing for the protest.
• Bridge, roads shuttered: The Hawthorne Bridge is closed to all vehicle and pedestrian traffic today. The Portland Bureau of Transportation says other downtown streets likely will close sporadically due to marches starting around 11 a.m.
"The public is advised to avoid the area from SW Madison Street to SW Alder Street, and from SW Fourth Avenue to Waterfront Park," PBOT said.
• Whereabouts unknown: Andy Ngo transformed into a household name after his assault by anti-fascist fighters was caught on camera about seven weeks ago. The livestreamer and often conservative opinion writer hasn't signaled whether he will attend the rally today, though he has taken to Twitter to criticize Mayor Ted Wheeler.
"Police seem to be at a breaking point. They are severely understaffed," Ngo told Fox News recently.
Watch Portland mayor & police commissioner Ted Wheeler get grilled on Fox News about antifa. He struggles to condemn the movement when asked directly about its violent extremism. Full interview: https://t.co/tA3gJId9Zc pic.twitter.com/tLyrlhJFnq
— Andy Ngo (@MrAndyNgo) August 15, 2019
• Barricades up: Naito Parkway was fenced in with concrete barricades on Friday night, at a cost of $50,000, according to the Tribune's news partner, KOIN 6 News.
NOW: Per PPB’s request, PBOT is installing concrete barriers along Waterfront Park to prepare for tomorrow’s protest. PBOT says this is costing the city (ultimately taxpayers) $50k. #KOIN6News pic.twitter.com/6lJ7oFH28h
— Elise Haas (@EliseKOIN) August 16, 2019
• Oath broken: A militia group, known as the Oath Keepers, said previously its members will not attend the protest.
Journalists Jonathan House, Kit MacAvoy and Dana Haynes contributed to this article.
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