Police Arrest Six Protesters in Downtown Portland

Police arrested six protesters in downtown Portland, Oregon, on Sunday evening after some of them vandalized buildings and blocked traffic, according to the Portland Police Bureau (PPB).

A march began in Tom McCall Waterfront Park on Sunday evening and continued to the Multnomah County Courthouse.

As the group reached their destination, the police warned the protesters via a loudspeaker and on social media not to vandalize the area or block traffic and that they would face arrest if they did so, the PPB said in a statement.

Several people spray-painted the building, and police made at least one arrest in that incident. The suspect was transferred to the custody of the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office.

A support van going the wrong way on a one-way street and was blocking traffic was towed.

The group then marched to Central Precinct in downtown Portland, where some buildings were vandalized, and the police made some arrests.

The gathering continued on to City Hall, but the crowd dispersed by 12:30 a.m.

The following people were arrested by the police that evening:

Patrick Welsch, 29, of Seattle – second-degree disorderly conduct
Jeff Singer, 33, of Portland – assaulting a public safety officer; first-degree criminal mischief; interfering with a peace officer; escape in the third-degree
Devlin O’Neill, 30, of Portland – first-degree criminal mischief; interfering with a peace officer; second-degree disorderly conduct
Jason Grant, 22, of Vancouver – first-degree criminal mischief
Conor Finnegan, 28, of Portland – first-degree criminal mischief
Amber Purkapile, 21, of Portland – second-degree criminal mischief

Protests have been taking place in Portland for months since the death of George Floyd in May. Many of these protests have become violent, where property or lives have been damaged as a result.

On Friday, officers arrested four people in Portland when a protesting crowd turned hostile, and in a separate incident in September, protesters threatened to burn down a home for displaying the American flag.