22 people facing federal charges in connection to Portland protests

A total of 22 people are facing federal charges in connection to the protests in Portland, Ore., federal officials announced Monday.

U.S. Attorney Billy J. Williams announced that 22 people were charged with criminal conduct between July 23 and July 27.

Demonstrations in Portland have persisted since George Floyd died in Minneapolis police custody on May 25. Court documents allege criminal activity has broken out at night outside the Mark O. Hatfield U.S. Courthouse, including assaults on law enforcement officers, destruction of property, looting, arson and vandalism.

A release from Williams’s office said that federal authorities from the U.S. Marshals Service, Federal Protective Service, Homeland Security Investigations and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) “have been subjected to nightly threats and assaults from demonstrators while performing their duties.”

The office charged two people with assaulting federal officers and four people with “failing to obey lawful orders” during the demonstrations that began the night of July 23 and continued into the morning of July 24. The six individuals were between the ages of 18 and 36. 

Homeland Security Investigations and CBP arrested Ronald Bernard Hickey, a 44-year-old Canadian national, for allegedly harassing and stalking federal employees assigned to duties in Portland. Authorities said Hickey released employees’ personal information through Twitter “in an attempt to threaten, intimidate, or incite violence against them.”

During the demonstrations that went from July 25 to July 26 seven people were charged with alleged criminal conduct during a protest, and one person was charged with operating a drone in a restricted airspace. These eight individuals were between the ages of 21 and 65. 

Another seven people were charged with assaulting federal officers during the demonstrations that started Sunday night and ended Monday morning. 

President Trump and his administration sent federal authorities to Portland against the wishes of local officials to crack down on the protests that have continued for two months after Floyd’s death.

Reports of protesters and federal law enforcement clashes have gained national attention in recent weeks and sparked internal investigations into the authorities deployed there.