Video of the event at link. (I watched the video. Unless the protester did something prior to the shooting, not caught on video, I think someone could be in trouble.)
Oregon leaders, including the governor, are denouncing violence after a weekend of unrest that left one protester injured, in serious condition. OnSaturday night, protesters gathered in the area around the Mark O. Hatfield U. S. Courthouse, where federal agent were inside, according to Portland...
katu.com
Oregon leaders react after Portland protester injured, in serious condition
by KATU Staff
Sunday, July 12th 2020
PORTLAND, Ore. — Oregon leaders, including the governor, are denouncing the weekend violence by federal officers.
On
Saturday night, protesters gathered in the area around the Mark O. Hatfield U.S. Courthouse, where federal agent were inside, according to Portland police.
PPB said that federal officers released tear gas and other crowd control munitions on the protesters in downtown.
Video that KATU News has obtained shows the moments when a protester, now identified as Donovan LaBella, is hit in the head with a projectile, reportedly sending him to the hospital.
A nursing supervisor at the hospital says that LaBella is in serious condition.
Gov. Brown has since released a statement, condemning the violence and events that took place in downtown Portland over the weekend.
"The events of last night at the federal courthouse were the tragic and avoidable result of President Donald Trump, for weeks, continuing to push for force and violence in response to protests," she said in a statement. "The cycle of violence must end. President Trump deploying armed federal officers to Portland only serves to escalate tensions and, as we saw yesterday, will inevitably lead to unnecessary violence and confrontation," Gov. Brown said in the statement sent to KATU News.
Senator Ron Wyden echoed similar sentiments as the governor in a statement posted online.
"The consequences of Donald Trump unilaterally dispatching [federal] law enforcement into U.S. cities played out in Portland [with] a peaceful protester shot in the head. Trump & Homeland Security must now answer why [federal] officers are acting like an occupying army?" Wyden said.
Senator Jeff Merkley has also since made his concerns known
on Twitter.
"Given Trump’s misuse of force against protesters outside the White House and elsewhere, the deployment of federal agents in Portland raises serious concerns. We need answers," Merkley said.
Portland City Commissioner, Jo Ann Hardesty later released a full statement, as well.
"Last week, it was disconcerting to see militarized federal officers with war weapons embedded with the Portland Police Bureau and stationed around Portland. Since then their presence brought on an escalation of violence towards protesters – an extreme response to a movement challenging police violence. This reckless and aggressive behavior has now put someone in the hospital. This protester is still fighting for their life and I want to be clear: this should never have happened. If this continues a life will be taken and it won’t matter whether a federal officer or Portland Police officer did it – it won’t bring that person back.
While I absolutely condemn the federal troops’ presence in Portland and demand that they withdraw, I am not naïve enough to think that their withdrawal alone will solve the issue. Even prior to the federal troops entering Portland, reports and videos of police violently responding to protesters came out nightly. Watching things reach a boiling point, I sent an open letter to Chief Lovell asking him to de-escalate the events unfolding and to publicly explain his and the bureau’s response to the nightly protests.
While we need to continue to challenge systems of white supremacy, including the ‘ok’ symbol found in the window of the Hatfield Courthouse, we also need to examine and tackle our own responsibility and complacency in these systems. It is our police force that has been responding violently to protesters before the federal troops entered the stage. If Portland will not lead in de-escalating the situation then the federal troops will take lead, and we have already seen how dangerous that will be for Portlanders exercising their first amendment rights.
We have had more than enough. The federal troops need to withdraw immediately, and after that we have the hard task of picking up the pieces and responding to what the public and this movement asks of us."
KATU News has reached out to Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler and Portland Police Bureau for comments. We will update this story if we hear back.
