Protesters arrested, block streets near Portland police precinct

Police arrested more than a dozen people in Portland, Ore., Sunday evening after protesters blocked traffic around a police precinct on the city’s north side.

The Associated Press reported that 59 people were arrested on a variety of charges after demonstrators surrounded the North Precinct of the Portland Police department, with police and news reports indicating that at least one fire was set using discarded mattresses.

Police issued warnings to demonstrators over social media Sunday evening as the protests unfurled.

“To those gathered at North Precinct: You are not to enter the property of North Precinct. Southeast Emerson Street is closed between NE MLK and NE 6th Ave. If you enter the property, you are trespassing and subject to arrest, citation, and/or the use of crowd control munitions,” read one tweet from Portland police.

To those gathered at North Precinct: You are not to enter the property of North Precinct. Southeast Emerson Street is closed between NE MLK and NE 6th Ave. If you enter the property, you are trespassing and subject to arrest, citation, and/or the use of crowd control munitions.

— Portland Police (@PortlandPolice) September 7, 2020

Protests have continued in Portland for more than 100 days over the treatment of Black Americans by police in the U.S. and gained steam in recent days following the shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wis.

The demonstrations have continued amid threats from the White House to cut funds to cities that do not clamp down on instances of violence at protests; President Trump signed an executive order last week directing federal agencies to review and submit plans for funding cuts for programs in cities deemed to be the site of “lawless” protests by the president, who has largely not addressed Blake’s shooting or the recent deaths of numerous Black Americans during encounters with police.

“My Administration will not allow Federal tax dollars to fund cities that allow themselves to deteriorate into lawless zones,” read the memo signed by Trump.

“To ensure that Federal funds are neither unduly wasted nor spent in a manner that directly violates our Government’s promise to protect life, liberty, and property, it is imperative that the Federal Government review the use of Federal funds by jurisdictions that permit anarchy, violence, and destruction in America’s cities,” it continues.