Police in Portland detained a crowd of more than 100 protesters during a Friday night rally, leading a rally just minutes after it began.
The mass detention was an apparent use of kettle, a political tactic to surround a crowd and contain people within a perimeter. Police told the crowd that they had all been detained within the border for the “investigation into a crime” but did not specify the nature of the alleged crime.
Protesters initially gathered in the Pearl District around 8:30 p.m., and began marching about half an hour later. The police minutes after the march began, threatened to arrest protesters and said those in the street walking, blocking traffic and would be subject to arrest, citation or ammunition for people if they do not move.
Police announced at about 9:20 p.m. that they would erect a perimeter around the group and keep everyone going. Police said the detention is temporary and that they protesters one will remove one.
Meanwhile, a crowd gathered outside the perimeter and chanted ‘let them go’ and slogans condemning the police.
At about 10 p.m., videographer CarissaDez captured livestream footage from Portland police spraying two people outside the perimeter confronting police about the arrest.
Around 10:15 p.m., police released legal observers and members of the press one by one. Lawyers have also posted social media reminders about protesters’ rights and means.
Several live streamers and independent journalists said they had been released. The police had them name and date of birth, wrote the information on a piece of tape and gave it to each person to place on their chest. The police took down each person when they left, demanding that they remove their masks.
At about 11:10 p.m., police arrested at least one person. It was not clear why the person was arrested.
According to people who posted the scene on social media around 11:30 p.m., a group of four police officers grabbed a protester and sprayed him with pepper who carried a tree box and took away the speakers. It was not immediately clear why they sprayed the person with pepper spray.
As of midnight, there were still dozens of protesters within the perimeter.
Independent journalist Laura Jedeed reported that one person standing on the sidewalk was arrested shortly before midnight.
Videographers documenting the protest said police had been following protesters since the start of the march, which lasted less than 15 minutes.
Adam Costello, a live videographer, said two windows were broken in the early stages of the protest. Costello suspected that this may have prompted police to set up the perimeter.
A police spokesman did not want to describe the nature of the alleged crime being investigated.
The Portland protesters’ boiler recently attracted attention in January after two federal judges dismissed the civil lawsuit, including one filed by the Oregon ACLU, or recommended challenging the police practice.
The cases, which stemmed from demonstrations in downtown Portland in June 2017, were dropped despite the serious objections of community members against the tactics – and a critical report from Portland’s police review office.
Mayor Ted Wheeler, who serves as police commissioner, said in January he did not like how police used the tactic during his tenure, but he did not say the practice should be banned.
“If boiler is to be used as a technique, it must be well planned and well trained,” he told The Oregonian / OregonLive.
“What I think we need to do is have an open discussion with all our law enforcement partners and legislative leaders about what tools are appropriate and how to best use them,” he said. “I’m not saying kettle should be off the table, but I think we should have a conversation about how we should use it as a tool and use it appropriately if we decide to use it.”
The mass arrests were the second consecutive night that police responded forcefully to protesters in Portland.
On Thursday night, federal officials deployed tear gas at a group of several dozen protesters who gathered at the Hatfield US Courthouse. Some protesters continued their efforts earlier in the day, protesting against an oil pipeline
Police said at least one person detained during the protest.
Juniper Simonis, an environmental biologist studying the effects of chemicals on protesters, went to the protest scene on Friday morning and reported that they had found used containers of HC gas.
HC gas is a toxic and potentially deadly smoke grenade that Portland police used more than two dozen times during the summer as they tried to disperse protesters.
“HC” stands for hexachlorotetane, a common ingredient in smoking devices that is considered by the Environmental Protection Agency to be a probable carcinogen.
This report will be updated.
—Jayati Ramakrishnan; 503-221-4320; [email protected]; @JRamakrishnanOR
Maxine Bernstein and Kale Williams of The Oregonian / OregonLive contributed to this report.