Police declare N. Portland protest a riot, use tear gas to disperse crowd

PORTLAND, OR (KPTV) – A protest in north Portland Tuesday evening was declared a riot by police and officers used tear gas to disperse crowds.

At about 10:15 p.m., police declared the event in the 1800 block of North Lombard Street a riot and told protesters to disperse to the east, KPTV reported.

Protesters were near North Lombard Street and North Fenwick Avenue, which is right by the Portland Police Association Building.

Police said they were using CS gas to disperse the crowd. 

A FOX 12 crew reported seeing several arrests.

By about 11 p.m., a group of about 50 to 100 people remained and officers continued to push them east.

At one point, they blocked the road with garbage bins and started a fire near North Lombard Street and North Albina Avenue. 

There is criminal activity occurring in the crowd at N. Albina Avenue and N. Lombard Street. We are asking community members who live in the area to return to their residence for their safety.

— Portland Police (@PortlandPolice) July 1, 2020

Earlier Tuesday evening, police declared the event an unlawful assembly. 

Meanwhile, workers have installed plywood over windows and washed off graffiti near the entrance to the downtown Portland police headquarters after police say windows were smashed and plywood was removed from doors early Tuesday.

The Oregonian/OregonLive reports the vandalism happened after the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office removed the last of the fencing that circled the Justice Center, the Police Bureau’s Central Precinct, police administrative offices, the county jail and courtrooms, to try to tamp down tension between protesters and police.