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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 12, 2020)
Wednesday, August 12, 2020 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon 7 Unrest continues in Portland over weekend Sisters man arrested By Martha Bellisle & Gillian Flaccus Associated Press PORTLAND (AP) 4 A fire inside a police union building led authorities in Portland to declare a riot and force protesters away from the offices as violent demon- strations continue in the city that had hoped for calm after federal agents withdrew more than a week ago. Three officers were hurt, including two who were taken to a hospital, during efforts to clear a crowd of several hundred people outside the Portland Police Association building late Saturday, police said in a statement. The two hospitalized officers have since been released. Rallies had been held earlier in the afternoon and evening throughout the city, including at Peninsula, Laurelhurst, and Berrydale parks, local media reported. Police said a group from Peninsula Park marched to the Portland Police Association building, which is located about 5 miles north of the federal courthouse that had been the target of nightly vio- lence earlier this summer. The Portland Police Association is a labor union that represents members of the Portland Police Bureau. A group of demonstra- tors broke into the building, set the fire and were add- ing to it when officers made the riot declaration just after 11:30 p.m., police said. Video shot by a journalist, and sur- veillance video from inside the building obtained by the police department, shows smoke and flames arising from inside the building. Officers formed a line and used flash bangs and smoke canisters to force the protest several blocks away. Demonstrators congregated at Kenton Park, where they were again ordered to dis- perse. Most of the crowd had left by 2 a.m., police stated. The gatherings this week had been noticeably smaller than the crowds of thousands who turned out nightly for about two weeks in July to protest the presence of U.S. agents sent by the Trump administration to protect the federal courthouse downtown. This week9s clashes have, however, amped up tensions after an agreement between state and federal officials seemed to offer a brief reprieve. Police arrested 24 people during demonstrations over- night Friday after they said people defied orders to dis- perse and threw rocks, frozen or hard-boiled eggs and com- mercial-grade fireworks at officers. An unlawful assem- bly was declared outside the Penumbra Kelly public safety building. Most of those arrested were from Portland, while one man was from Oakland, California, and another was from Tulsa, Oklahoma. Most were in their 20s or 30s. The charges included assault on an officer, interfering with an officer, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest. An Oregon State Police trooper was struck in the head by a large rock and suffered a head injury, police said. The trooper9s condition was not immediately known. Some demonstrators filled pool noodles with nails and placed them in the road, caus- ing extensive damage to a patrol vehicle, police said. Oregon State Police worked with Portland officers to clear the protesters. Since George Floyd was killed in Minneapolis, pro- tests over racial injustice and police brutality have occurred nightly for more than 70 days. Democratic Mayor Ted Wheeler said violent protest- ers are also serving as politi- cal <props= for President Donald Trump in a divisive election season where the president is hammering on a law-and-order message. Trump has called the protest- ers <sick and dangerous anar- chists= running wild in the city9s streets. during Prineville rally Michael Satcher, 42, of Sisters was arrested after an altercation during a Black Lives Matter rally at the Crook County Courthouse in downtown Prineville on Saturday. The demonstration was organized by the Central Oregon Diversity Project and Central Oregon Peacekeepers. Satcher, 42, was charged with disorderly conduct, interfering with a police officer and harassment. He was reportedly released on bail. In addition, Ronald Campbell, 57, of Prineville, was charged with disorderly conduct. Jasmine Barnett, 40, of Bend, was charged with disorderly conduct and harassment. Luke Richter, presi- dent of the Central Oregon Peacekeepers, provided The Nugget with a statement on the incident: <Two Central Oregon BLM leaders faced an attack and violence from counter protestors. The people defending them were arrested as a result, while counter protestors who instigated the attack were allowed to walk free. Due to impending legal action, we will refrain from further comments for the time being.= Video from the Central Oregon Peacekeepers9 Facebook page appears to show Satcher filming the arrest of another pro- tester with a phone. Satcher appears to step forward between two officers as they are escorting the hand- cuffed protester away from the scene; an officer then immediately grabs Satcher, restrains him against a police vehicle and takes him into custody. Prineville has seen mul- tiple Black Lives Matter protest rallies in the past two months. Unlike Sisters9 demonstrations, which have been trouble free, the Prineville protests have often featured confronta- tions between demonstrators and counter-protesters. 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