On Sunday, July 26, a group of approximately 1000 people gathered at the Justice Center & Mark O. Hatfield Federal Courthouse for another night of protests against police brutality and in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. In recent weeks, the protests have also featured calls to end the presence of federal agents in the city and to protest their involvement in policing the events.
By 9:30 p.m., the protest was split. Half the protestors stood in front of the courthouse chanting and half in front of the Justice Center listening to speeches.
“[The Federal agents] are not protecting our rights… We deserve better,” a protestor told the crowd as he spoke on the steps of the Justice Center.
Another speaker called on protestors to use their money as a form of protest as well. He urged those gathered to stop supporting “racist businesses,” such as Amazon.
In front of the courthouse, shields had been placed by protestors in front of the reinforced fence for other protestors. This was done in anticipation of another night of confrontation with federal agents.
Around 9:30 p.m., approximately a dozen veterans marched in formation to the front of the fence. They joined other veterans, as well as moms, who formed the front line six feet from the fence.
These groups and the people behind them chanted off and on for hours. These chants included “Tell me what democracy looks like. This is what democracy looks like,” “No justice, no peace,” “Whose lives matter? Black lives matter” and “What’s his name? George Floyd.”
There were also people in the crowd playing drums to keep the rhythm.
Around 11:40 p.m., protestors fired several commercial-grade fireworks towards the courthouse. This is a pretty common tactic that protestors have been using nightly.
Other than this, the protestors’ energy had been dying down. There was a little pounding on the fence, but it was infrequent and no one attempted to dismantle it or pull it down. The crowd was quickly dwindling.
Then a little after midnight, the Federal Protective Service made an announcement telling protestors to stop tampering with the fence. At the same time, the portico lights were switched off.
Around 12:10 a.m., federal agents came running out of the federal courthouse behind riot shields. They then proceeded to shoot gas, stun grenades and impact munitions at the crowd.
Protestors responded to this by throwing things over the fence. Someone at the far end of the fence, away from the protestors, threw something over the fence that caused a small fire. DHS later reported that this was a Molotov Cocktail. It is unknown whether the person who threw the item was a protestor, an agitator, or someone else.
At 12:16 a.m., the assembly was declared unlawful by the Federal Protective Service. The crowd was ordered to immediately disperse.
After this, federal agents returned back inside to regroup. Then by 12:25, the agents came back out again and briefly shot impact munitions and gas into the crowd.
After they returned back inside, protestors gathered again at the fence behind a wall of shields and umbrellas. They began to chant “Quit your jobs,” “Whose streets? Our streets” and “Feds go home.” Every time the crowd began to chant, protestors would pound on the fence and play the drums in rhythm.
Federal agents came out again a little before 1 a.m. using impact munitions, gas canisters and stun grenades. This interaction occurred again without any known prompting actions from the crowd. The gas was a mix of tear gas and pepper spray. After this the agents returned into the courthouse.
At 1:10 a.m., dozens of federal agents came out into the street and stood in front of the fence. Protestors yelled at them and pointed lasers in an attempt to disrupt their vision.
At 1:18 a.m., the group began to advance from in front of the courthouse towards 4th. No specific action from protestors seemed to have precipitated this attack either. As they advanced, federal agents shoved several people without telling them to move prior.
After this, two standoffs formed. The first was at the intersection of 4th and Main where approximately 50 agents gathered. The second was at 4th and Salmon where a similar number gathered.
At 4th and Main, a small group of protestors stood facing the agents who held munitions guns, pepper spray bottles, gas canisters and more. At least two federal agents were armed with semi-automatic assault rifles.
As the federal agents watched, a protestor began to perform some music. Protestors with shields blocked him from the line and people with drums kept the rhythm.
Around 1:40 a.m., federal agents advanced to the far side of the intersection using impact munitions to push the line up. As they moved, one agent shoved a clearly marked member of the press, despite the man not seeming to be in the way and receiving no verbal warning.
After standing there for a little while, the federal agents at that intersection retreated to the location of the former elk statue where they briefly paused before returning to the courthouse.
Meanwhile, the federal agents at 4th and Salmon faced a larger group of protestors approximately halfway up the street. Around 2:10 a.m., agents shot gas canisters and impact munitions towards the group as they returned back to the courthouse. The gas prevented protestors from following.
After this most of the crowd dissipated and approximately 50 were left in the park.
