Militarized federal agents deployed by the president to Portland, Oregon, fired tear gas against protesters over the weekend as the city’s mayor demanded that the agents be removed and as the state’s attorney general vowed to seek a restraining order against them.
Federal agents, some wearing camouflage and some wearing dark Homeland Security uniforms, used tear gas at least twice to break up crowds late Friday night, The Oregonian/OregonLive reported.
Protests against systemic racism and police brutality have been a nightly feature in deeply liberal Portland since Minneapolis police killed George Floyd on May 25. President Donald Trump has decried the disorder and Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf blasted the protesters as “lawless anarchists” in a visit to the city, helping make the clashes between police and demonstrators a national focus.
We check in with what’s been going on.
With files from the Associated Press.
With guest host Libby Denkmann.
Guests:
Chris David, navy veteran and Portland resident
Tuck Woodstock, independent journalist who’s been covering the protests; they have bylines with Portland Mercury, Washington Post, NPR and more; they tweet