[11] Other recent police killings of people of color, including Breonna Taylor,[12] Elijah McClain,[13] and the shooting of Jacob Blake contributed to the national and local unrest driving the protests.

[58][59] The demonstrations were mostly peaceful until later in the evening; most protesters marched across the Burnside Bridge,[60] but police used stun grenades and tear gas on a smaller, separate group of people who were throwing projectiles.

[19] That night, several hundred people gathered at Chapman Square and let off illegal aerial fireworks, some of which were aimed directly at the Justice Center, actions that were condemned by the PPB and the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office.

[18] On July 14, Mayor Wheeler called on Acting DHS Secretary Chad Wolf to remove federal agents from the city, accusing them of causing violence and using "life-threatening tactics" and saying "we do not need or want their help".

[90][105] The following day, four of Oregon's U.S. lawmakers issued a statement condemning the recent actions of federal law enforcement officials in Portland, who used tear gas and other aggressive techniques multiple times since July 10.

Representatives Suzanne Bonamici and Earl Blumenauer, accused the federal government of a "politically driven" response and of seeking "to target, attack, or silence those peacefully exercising their First Amendment rights".

Hundreds of protesters, including what Portland police described as "dozens of people with shields, helmets, gas masks, umbrellas, bats, and hockey sticks," repeatedly advanced on the U.S.

[141][142] At around 2:30 a.m. on the morning of July 25, the Federal Protective Service declared the protest an unlawful assembly and began dispersing the crowd down Third Street with tear gas, pepper balls, and mass force.

[146] Under a deal worked out between Governor Kate Brown and the Trump administration, federal agents withdrew to standby locations on July 30, while state and local law enforcement forces took over responsibility for protecting the courthouse; they made no arrests and mostly stayed out of sight.

However, video emerged apparently showing a group of Portland protesters using an American flag and a Bible to kindle a bonfire outside the federal courthouse shortly after midnight; according to KOIN 6, the fire was subsequently put out by members of Moms United for Black Lives Matter.

Captain Tony Passadore, the incident commander, sought to distance the violent rally from the greater George Floyd protests, saying "I don't want people to get confused to think that this was something related to Black Lives Matter ...

Hundreds of people gathered at Waterfront Park to hear activist and worship pastor Sean Feucht speak at the "Riots to Revival" event, where he sought to "flip the script" on recent unrest.

Fights and scuffles broke out between the dueling demonstrators with solid objects thrown and some protesters firing paintball guns and using baseball bats, smoke canisters, and pepper spray; one man was seen pointing a revolver at the counter-protesters.

Police declared an unlawful assembly and forced the crowd away from the building while making arrests, prompting protesters to spend the next hour marching through downtown before reconvening at city hall.

Around 11:45 p.m., at Peninsula Park, a civil rights vigil transformed into at least 150 people marching to the boarded-up PPA police union building, in which demonstrators set two dumpsters on fire and barricaded roads.

Demonstrators presented the protest as a birthday celebration, with some wearing party hats, chanting, dancing to music, and, according to police, launching "illegal commercial-grade" fireworks over the building.

After initially observing the demonstration, police subsequently declared a riot around 11:00 p.m. after protesters had set fires in the street, smashed windows, burglarized a business, and a person threw a burning object into an occupied apartment building.

[180] On September 5, the 100th consecutive day of protests, two simultaneous sit-ins took place on the city's east side and at 2:00 p.m. a pro-Black Lives Matter "PDX Car Caravan" rally began on the Portland Community College Cascade campus.

During the stand-off, someone in the crowd threw what authorities described as a molotov cocktail towards the police line–setting a protester's feet on fire in the process[181]–after which a riot was declared; the injured man was later taken to the hospital in a private car, officials stated.

On September 15, a 36-year-old man was indicted by a grand jury after he had allegedly shined a blue laser directly into the eyes of police officers "on multiple occasions" during demonstrations in downtown Portland on August 25.

However, as air quality improved, organized protests resumed with the PNW Youth Liberation Front announcing new demonstrations for September 18 targeting the Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility near South Waterfront.

Kevin Allen said they were legally required to make that warning despite not using the agent, and Mayor Wheeler confirmed on September 19 that no tear gas was deployed by city police despite its use by federal personnel.

"[212] Sara Boone, chief of Portland Fire & Rescue, attributed the protests and violence to Floyd's murder and "a system that allows people of color to 'feel fear every day.

[218] Motorized scooter services (including Lime and Spin) were temporarily suspended in select parts of Northwest and Southwest Portland, the Central Eastside, and the Lloyd District.

[243] On July 23, Michael Horowitz, the Department of Justice Inspector General, announced that he and the Inspector General's office at the Department of Homeland Security would be investigating the federal law enforcement responses in Portland, "examining the training and instruction that was provided to the DOJ law enforcement personnel; compliance with applicable identification requirements, rules of engagement, and legal authorities; and adherence to DOJ policies regarding the use of less-lethal munitions, chemical agents, and other uses of force.

[147] On August 13, a spokesman for the Oregon State Police, Timothy Fox, communicated a statement saying that the agency was withdrawing the deployment assigned to protect the federal courthouse pursuant the Brown-Pence agreement two weeks earlier, citing, as Reuters reported, "frustration at a prosecutor’s decision not to indict many people arrested in protests there" in the intervening weeks; according to the same report, Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt had stated two days earlier that he would "dro[p] lesser charges" against protestors "such as rioting and disorderly conduct", focusing prosecutions only on protesters "arrested for assault, theft or property damage".

[247] Following violent protests on the night of August 25, President Trump tweeted that Governor Brown and Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler should request the deployment of the National Guard to "end this problem immediately" while also urging them to "stop calling these anarchists and agitators 'peaceful protestors'".

[257] The following day, the PPB deputy police chief, Chris Davis, commented on the challenges of coordinating with federal officers, and the distinction between what he termed "legitimate protest" vs. "criminal activity.

[261] Some restaurant owners expressed support for the protesters via social media and by contributing to organizations working to assist people of color and combat police brutality, among other causes.

Le Pigeon sustained damage during the demonstrations; owner Gabriel Rucker said, "To the person that smashed my window last night I hear you and I hope you find a voice that screams louder than broken glass.