Portland Police Union Office Set Ablaze (+Video)
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The Portland police union building was set on fire amid growing hostility between protesters and law enforcement in the US state of Oregon’s largest city.
The blaze was later put out as officers cleared the area.
A group of demonstrators targeted the Portland Police Association office on Saturday night, barricading a nearby street and lighting dumpsters on fire. A video of the incident shows protesters outside the breached door of the building, as the office’s interior glows orange from the fire inside, RT reported.
In a Twitter update, the Portland Police Bureau said that officers had extinguished the blaze and “restored order to the neighborhood.” Law enforcement declared the anarchic situation a riot and used tear gas to disperse the crowd that had gathered around the building.
Elsewhere in the city, protesters dismantled fences and barriers used to protect Portland’s federal courthouse. The building has become the main flashpoint between law enforcement and demonstrators.
Federal agents charged with guarding the site have come under scrutiny, after being accused of seizing and detaining protesters without probable cause.
Meanwhile, Oregon’s attorney general has sued the Department of Homeland Security and other agencies in order to end the alleged practice, while Portland’s mayor has banned federal police from sharing headquarters with city police.
