PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — A highly charged group of thousands of peaceful protesters grew into a riot Thursday night, making it difficult for police to take action.
Portland Police Chief Mike Marshman said when it comes to the peaceful protests we generally see in Portland, police don’t mind helping facilitate them.
The agreement between the mayor’s office and police bureau was to allow people to voice their concerns, exercise their First amendment and “let them take the streets.”
He said when protests stick to city streets, where it’s safe, police are happy to work with demonstrators. The protests this week, however, have led to freeways and bridges.
“One of the things I’m always concerned about with protest events is when protesters get on freeways where obviously, vehicles are moving very, very fast,” Marshman told KOIN 6 News. “It’s super, super dangerous and it’s also hard to control.”
Pedestrians on freeways is a crime by itself, but Thursday night’s protest became a riot when what police called anarchists took over.
“Last night you have some of the anarchist, or essentially a criminal element, embedding themselves in with other protesters and that’s where you lose the message of frustration and turn to the message of criminal activities,” Marshman said.
Portland riot November 10, 2016
Anti-Trump protesters marched again Thursday, November 10, 2016. (KOIN)
#NotMyPresident protesters on the Hawthorne Bridge, November 10, 2016. (KOIN)
#NotMyPresident protesters on the Hawthorne Bridge, November 10, 2016. (KOIN)
A rioter sets fire to a tree in downtown Portland, November 10, 2016. (KOIN)
Anti-Trump protesters marched again Thursday, November 10, 2016. (KOIN)
A woman is taken into custody during an anti-Trump riot, November 10, 2016. (KOIN)
A rioter sparks fire with a baseball bat, November 10, 2016. (KOIN)
Police form a perimeter during an anti-Trump riot, November 10, 2016. (KOIN)
Rioters in downtown Portland, November 10, 2016. (KOIN)
A rioter sets fire to a newsstand in downtown Portland, November 10, 2016. (KOIN)
A rioter sets fire to a newsstand in downtown Portland, November 10, 2016. (KOIN)
Police used flash bangs to disperse a crowd near Pioneer Square, November 10, 2016. (KOIN)
Rioters smashed the monitor at a TriMet bus station, November 10, 2016. (KOIN)
Police form a perimeter during an anti-Trump riot, November 10, 2016. (KOIN)
Police form a perimeter during an anti-Trump riot, November 10, 2016. (KOIN)
Police used flash bangs to disperse a crowd near Pioneer Square, November 10, 2016. (KOIN)
A rioter destroys a newsstand in downtown Portland, November 10, 2016. (KOIN)
#NotMyPresident protesters on the Hawthorne Bridge, November 10, 2016. (KOIN)
Anti -Trump protesters surround a car on the Hawthorne Bridge in downtown Portland, November 10, 2016 (KOIN)
Police form a perimeter during an anti-Trump riot, November 10, 2016. (KOIN)
Police used flash bangs to disperse a crowd near Pioneer Square, November 10, 2016. (KOIN)
Graffiti on the north side of the DoubleTree hotel in the Lloyd Center during an anti-Trump protest, November 10, 2016. (KOIN)
Anti-Trump rioters break glass in downtown Portland, November 10, 2016. (KOIN)
A protester smashes car headlights at a NE Portland dealership during an anti-Trump protest on November 10, 2016. (KOIN)
A protester set fire to a newspaper box in NE Portland on November 10, 2016. (KOIN)
Portland Police in riot gear block protesters from entering I-5 on November 10, 2016. (KOIN)
Rioters near 13th and Hoyt in Portland on November 10, 2016. (KOIN)
Rioters and police down town on November 10, 2016. (KOIN)
A woman stands on a street sign during a #NotMyPresident riot in Portland, November 10, 2016. (KOIN)
Drivers do burn outs during #NotMyPresident riot, November 10, 2016. (KOIN)
Police in riot gear blocked the crowd at W Burnside Street and Broadway, November 10, 2016. (KOIN)
Rioters spray painted graffiti on businesses in the Pearl District, November 10, 2016. (KOIN)
Rioters and police down town on November 10, 2016. (KOIN)
#NotMyPresident rioters broke windows in the Pearl District, November 10, 2016. (KOIN)
#NotMyPresident rioters broke windows in the Pearl District, November 10, 2016. (KOIN)
Police in riot gear blocked a crowd during a #NotMyPresident demonstration, November 10, 2016. (KOIN)
Police in riot gear apprehend a woman after warning people to leave the area, November 10, 2016. (KOIN)
Rioters and police down town on November 10, 2016. (KOIN)
Rioters and police at NE 8th and Pearl on November 10, 2016. (KOIN)
Anti-Trump protesters marched again Thursday, November 10, 2016. (KOIN)
Anti-Trump protesters gather at Pioneer Courthouse Square on November 10, 2016. (KOIN)
Anti-Trump protesters gather at Pioneer Courthouse Square on November 10, 2016. (KOIN)
Anti-Trump protesters gather at Pioneer Courthouse Square on November 10, 2016. (KOIN)
Anti-Trump protesters gather at Pioneer Courthouse Square on November 10, 2016. (KOIN)
It became a challenge for police to take action against the minority who were committing crimes of vandalism and violence.
“It’s very hard for us to go in, grab the people committing crimes with very few officers and not create our flash point,” Marshman said. “You have to weigh the odds: Which is worse, potentially starting a flash point and having simply innocent folks caught in the swell and getting hurt or pay for a window? I get that. I see both sides.”
Hours into the riot, police did resort to using non-lethal force, including flash bangs, rubber bullets and tear gas, in attempts to control the crowd.
“Once it started turning toward there’s property damage, the mayor’s office and I, again, agreed that now it’s time for the police to step in,” Marshman said.
With more protests and rallies expected to follow Thursday’s actives, police are reaching out to organizers of various groups.
“We’re simply asking them to take a break,” Marshman said. “Take a day off from doing this because we don’t want the criminal element to use the protesters as way to embed themselves in to commit crime.”
