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Demonstrators Gather In Portland For 2nd Consecutive Night, Despite Curfew

UPDATE (11:22 p.m. PT) — Scores of people assembled in downtown Portland for the second consecutive night Saturday, despite an 8 p.m. curfew imposed by the mayor, as nationwide protests in the name of George Floyd continued.

On Monday, Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who is white, planted a knee in Floyd's neck while arresting him, pinning Floyd to the ground for nearly nine minutes and suffocating him. Floyd, who is Black, died in police custody.

Portland implemented an 8 p.m. curfew for Saturday after violence upended otherwise peaceful remembrances late Friday.

Still, demonstrators gathered downtown hours before the curfew was set to kick in. Portland police declared an unlawful assembly shortly after 7 p.m. and used tear gas in an attempt to disperse people gathered outside the Multnomah County Justice Center.

The facility, which houses the county jail and the Portland Police Bureau, Friday night was broken into and set on fire.

By 9 p.m., protesters had largely dispersed after police herded them across the Steel Bridge and cut off access to the west side of the Willamette River. At 9:39 p.m., police declared another unlawful assembly as the demonstration shifted to the Lloyd District.

Portland police announced just before 11 p.m. that they had arrested at least 16 people Saturday night.

Multnomah County also remains under Oregon's stay-home order to slow the spread of COVID-19.

TriMet suspended MAX light rail and bus service in downtown Portland due to the demonstrations.

In Eugene, where Friday night demonstrations also grew raucous, the city implemented a 9 p.m. curfew for the downtown area.

In Seattle, Saturday protests erupted in violence that prompted Washington Gov. Jay Inslee to activate 200 unarmed members of the National Guard.

This story will be updated.

A person stands on top of a parked car during demonstrations in downtown Portland, Ore., Saturday, May 30, 2020. The death of George Floyd at the hands of a white Minneapolis police officer sparked nationwide protests against police brutality amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Jonathan Levinson /
A person stands on top of a parked car during demonstrations in downtown Portland, Ore., Saturday, May 30, 2020. The death of George Floyd at the hands of a white Minneapolis police officer sparked nationwide protests against police brutality amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Copyright 2020 Oregon Public Broadcasting

OPB Staff