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EXCLUSIVE VIDEOS: Officers Make Quick Work Dispersing Portland’s ‘Unlawful Assembly,’ Multiple People Detained

Federal officers detained multiple people Sunday in front of the courthouse Portland. (Screenshot Twitter Shelby Talcott)

Screenshot — Twitter — Shelby Talcott

Shelby Talcott Senior White House Correspondent
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PORTLAND, Ore. – Multiple people were detained Sunday after federal officers declared an unlawful assembly at the Mark O. Hatfield Federal Courthouse in Portland, Oregon.

Sunday’s protest began fairly peacefully, with many people listening to speeches and others chanting, according to Daily Caller reporters on the ground. The crowd size was far smaller compared to Saturday’s protest and riot, which included multiple battles with officers guarding the courthouse and eventual help from the Portland Police Department.

As the evening wore on, some protesters left the area while a crowd of a few hundred remained. The crowd became increasingly unruly, with some banging on the fence and others launching multiple fireworks at the courthouse. Bottles were also thrown over the fence and lasers were pointed through small peepholes.

Officers issued a warning to leave the fence alone just after midnight and quickly came out of the courthouse to fire crowd-control munitions. During previous nights, officers would issue the warnings for far longer before leaving the courthouse in an attempt to disperse the crowd, reporters on the ground noted.

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The crowd, hurting from dwindling numbers, retreated but quickly returned to the fence. The scene was declared an “unlawful assembly” shortly after officers first left the courthouse.

A brief back-and-forth battle then ensued, with federal officers deploying tear gas, flash bangs and more through the fence into the crowd. As members of the crowd began to slam against the fence once more, officers returned and deployed crowd-control munitions again.

After retreating back into the courthouse, federal officers marched up side streets and surrounded the courthouse from outside the fence. Officers soon began to push the crowd back through the park. Some people resisted – even going after officers at times – and Daily Caller reporters witnessed multiple detainments.

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One woman screamed, “I can’t breathe,” as she was on the ground with an officer trying to put her hands behind her back. A second woman was taken down by officers after trying to interfere with the first detainment.

“I’m a nice young woman from Wisconsin … you guys are fucking pieces of shit!” the second woman shouted after trying to kick an officer detaining her. (RELATED: ‘We All Should Be Patriotic’: Veteran Hangs American Flags At Portland Courthouse)

The federal officers successfully pushed the crowd past the park, taking away multiple protesters in the process. A brief standoff ensued after the crowd was pushed back.

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Those remaining slowly crept closer to officers during the standoff. In return, federal officers fired more crowd-control munitions and eventually retreated back to the courthouse. Federal officers appeared to successfully disperse much of the crowd far faster than previous evenings, according to reporters.

Sunday’s protest ended with a small group tossing garbage from the park over the fencing guarding the federal courthouse. As trash piled up in multiple spots just outside the courthouse, a few individuals lit it on fire. The fires continued to spread inside the fencing and some people in the park could be heard chanting, “the feds is on fire … let the motherfucker burn.”

Officers quickly responded as the fires continued to grow, firing crowd-control munitions at the few remaining people while putting out the flames. Portland’s recent protests and riots have often seen fires, which typically start on the other side of the fence at the courthouse after bags of trash are tossed over.

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