Protesters try to set Portland courthouse on fire with federal officers inside [Video]

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• Another violent altercation had transpired between the protesters and federal officers on Tuesday night up to Wednesday at the Mark O. Hatfield Courthouse in Portland.
• Local officials had criticized the White House for deploying federal officers in the city as Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler said that it stirred more anger from the public.
• President Donald Trump praised the federal officers for doing a “fantastic job,” and even suggested to deploy more officers in other cities.

Portland demonstrators and federal officers went into another brawl on Tuesday night that extended to Wednesday. The protesters barricaded the officers inside the Mark O. Hatfield Courthouse and tried to light it up.

According to a tweet from the Clypian, an online news outlet by South Salem High School students, some of the protesters barricaded one of the courthouse doors with wooden beams and sandbags as the crowd chanted: “Black Lives Matter!.”

Clypian shared videos that displayed protesters pulling out plywood covering another entrance while the feds launched tear gas and pepper bombs. 

Another footage showed the burning plywood facade of the courthouse which prompted more officers to come out.

The protests have grown in recent days compared to previous weeks as some people said that the presence of feds deployed by President Donald Trump had stirred more outrage.

“People are legit afraid for their rights… They are coming for our rights. They are exercising martial law,” Najee Gow, a 22-year-old nurse, told USA Today.

The placement of federal officers in the city was condemned by public officials. Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler said that the presence of feds has worsened the chaos.

“What’s happening here is we have dozens, if not hundreds of federal troops descending upon our city and what they’re doing is they are sharply escalating the situation…Their presence here is actually leading to more violence and more vandalism,” he said.

A written letter, sent on Monday and addressed to Attorney General William Barr and Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf, Wheeler, alongside other various city mayors, had described the deployment of feds as an “abuse of power,” as CNN reported.

The mayors were calling to withdraw the feds from their current disposal and to prevent them from being deployed to other cities as they have spent a “significant force” in Portland.

On the other hand, Trump has commended the feds’ response in Portland. He was suggesting to also start deployment in other cities such as New York and Chicago.

Based on the documents filed on Tuesday, USA Today reported that 114 federal officers who came from the Federal Protective Service, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, US Customs and Border Protection, and the US Marshals Service were deployed to the West Coast city. Many officers wore a Department of Homeland Security patch without having name tags.

Source: New York Post