Chaotic Scenes in Portland as Backlash to Federal Deployment Grows

PORTLAND, Ore. — With a ski helmet and goggles on her head, Allison Hyder recounted how she had told relatives that she planned to stand at the rear of protests in downtown Portland. But, in the early hours of Tuesday, the grandmother of five found herself right up front, locking arms with other mothers dressed in yellow.

Standing with a pack of other protesters, she chanted in front of the boarded-up entrance to the federal courthouse. She remained resolute even as some in the crowd began prying at the wood affixed to the building, leaving Ms. Hyder uneasy about where things were headed.

“I am the face of ‘anarchy,’” Ms. Hyder declared. “The people of the U.S. need to know that moms, grandmas and nurses are out here in the middle of the night demanding rights for everybody.”

The demonstrations that have shuddered through Portland for 54 consecutive nights have drawn out a complicated mix of grievances, with a wide array of people expressing them using a multitude of tactics to make sure they get heard.

In Oregon, a state with a deep history of racism that included racial-exclusion laws that extended into the 20th century, the Portland protests have persisted since George Floyd’s killing even as Black Lives Matter demonstrations have waned in many other parts of the country.

But some leaders in the Black community, grateful for a widespread discussion on race, worry that what should be a moment for racial justice in Portland could be squandered by violence. Business owners supportive of change have been left demoralized by the mayhem the protests have brought. The city’s mayor, Ted Wheeler, despised by many of those in the streets, has now been fighting to have federal officers leave them alone.

Amid the Gordian knot of frustrations and escalations, most everyone seems to agree about one thing: The combative deployment of camouflaged federal agents has only made things worse.

The president’s portrayal of Portland and the crackdown he has unleashed have infuriated protesters who believe that Mr. Trump is trying to use the city’s unrest as political theater during an election year. He has forced a federal police presence on a city that does not want it — a city with such a rich tradition of protest that an aide to another Republican president, George H.W. Bush, reportedly referred to it as Little Beirut.

Chad F. Wolf, the acting secretary of homeland security, said at a news conference on Tuesday that he had tried to collaborate with Mayor Wheeler and Gov. Kate Brown, asking them this month whether they were overwhelmed and wanted resources, including personnel.

He said that when he asked what they needed to “bring the violence to a close and still allow the peaceful protesters to protest each and every night,” they told him to stay out of the city.

“I asked the mayor and governor, How long do you plan on having this continue?” Mr. Wolf said. “Is it 82 nights or 92 nights?”

While the protests have consumed parts of downtown after dark, much of the city has been left untouched. By day, boaters putter up the Willamette River while joggers run down the trail alongside it. On Monday evening, large groups of diners were eating on outdoor patios a few blocks away from the county’s Justice Center, where protesters were amassing for the night.

To the protesters, the president’s unusual deployment of federal power has provided yet more compelling evidence that their fears about rising fascism in the United States are justified.

In the Portland area, activists aligned with the loosely organized group known as antifa have long denounced police militarization and a punishing criminal justice system, and have clashed with the police in recent years. Some of the activists operating under the antifa umbrella, wearing all black, have embraced anarchist-style tactics, while others have shown up to demonstrate peacefully.

The protests of the last seven weeks developed a near-nightly cycle of conflict between protesters and the authorities, with officers reacting to objects being thrown by protesters and protesters expressing alarm by the use of tear gas that wafted over peaceful people.

Reflecting an oft-heard refrain, Angel Almanza, 44, said a government could only suppress people so much before they would respond in kind. “This has been an act of self-defense,” Mr. Almanza said.

The strife on the streets escalated with the arrival of federal forces, which have relied heavily on tear gas, munitions fired from paintball-style guns and batons.

Among the others concerned by the federal crackdown was Joey Gibson, a far-right activist who has long battled with Portland’s antifa demonstrators and was charged with a felony last year for his role in a street brawl with activists. He said he found it somewhat frightening to see video of one officer whacking a Navy veteran with a baton, and he worried that the Trump administration was setting a precedent that would encourage other presidents to embrace a more expansive use of federal forces.

“It is very concerning,” Mr. Gibson said.

On Tuesday morning, dozens of agents moved around the streets and at times threw people to the ground to detain them. From behind a wood facade of the federal courthouse, officers at times used small tactical holes to shoot less-lethal weapons or pepper spray. As federal officers appeared to try detaining one person, others in the crowd rushed to free the person.

The Portland authorities have cited continuing troubles with the protesters, and on Tuesday the police said a jewelry store had been looted. Protesters tried to light fires against the federal courthouse, drawing officers back out to disperse them.

The nightly protests have also alarmed the owners of downtown businesses, who were first hit with widespread looting in the aftermath of Mr. Floyd’s death in Minneapolis on Memorial Day and have struggled to navigate the weeks since. Stacey Gibson, who owns a Subway sandwich shop downtown, said the store’s windows have been boarded up much of the time, which has contributed to shrinking sales already limited by the coronavirus and related lockdowns.

Ms. Gibson said she was frustrated that the city’s Police Department did not seem to have the resources to respond when there was a problem, and she was upset that city leaders have been unable to find a resolution. She is not optimistic about the future of her store, either.

“At this point, I’m just trying to figure out how to get out and to minimize the damage,” Ms. Gibson said.

While the numbers dwindled over the subsequent weeks and Governor Brown expressed a belief that things were beginning to cool off, the crowds have surged back in recent days, with protesters chanting “Feds go home” and focusing much of their ire on the federal courthouse.

The demonstrations have continued to have a strong component of calls for racial justice, including on Monday night, when thousands chanted “Black Lives Matter” and young Black activists led the predominantly white crowd in speeches and song.

But some Black leaders have grown wary of the persistent unrest, fearing that it is distracting from the goals of racial justice. Antoinette Edwards, the former leader of the city’s Office of Youth Violence Prevention, called for peace and said she wanted to meet with protesters.

“I will be there to have a conversation with folks: What can we do to move this forward, for peace, for policy, for all of us?” she said.

The mayor and the governor have both called on federal forces to leave in order to ease tensions and give the city space to resolve the differences.

Sergio Olmos contributed reporting from Portland and Zolan Kanno-Youngs from Washington.