I'm going to try and simplify what I witnessed last night in Portland. First and foremost, there were THOUSANDS of peaceful protesters gathered earlier in the evening. People as far as my eyes could see. This included moms, dads, doctors, medical researchers, vets, teachers, etc. 
Just before 11pm, I was on the steps of the Justice Center where a speaker asked everyone to turn their phone flashlights on & chant #BlackLivesMatter. I heard some booms around that time, unclear on who had started it. Protesters then made their way ONE BLOCK to the courthouse.
I emphasize ONE BLOCK b/c the protest zone is tiny. The city is not UNDER SIEGE or BURNING as many (who aren’t even here) claim. The courthouse being “protected” by Feds is a $129mm concrete/marble bldg that is essentially a fortress. Fireworks aren’t going to burn it down.
As I made my way over to the courthouse, I saw #PortlandMoms and veterans linked together on the frontline. Feds deployed excessive amounts of tear gas, pepper spray & flash bangs into the crowd indiscriminately. Leaf blowers helped move the clouds of smoke back to the Feds.
Even with my protective gear, any exposed skin was burning from the myriad of chemicals that was fired toward protesters. Following the excessive spray down, a large % of protesters moved back to Lownsdale Square or left.
Feds continued to fire tear gas canisters, flash bangs, & pepper spray balls/powder while protesters reciprocated w/ water bottles & some instances of fireworks. Protesters were quick to scoop up tear gas & throw it back over the fence. Lot of tactics taken from HK.
Every now and then, Feds would go up to the openings in the fence and fire into people standing at the front. They’d then retreat and fire off more rounds into people further back.
There were multiple points in the evening where people would come by with water for those who needed it. I read a bogus tweet saying “anti-fa” was handing out “water” which was code for lighter fluid. Not true. I know because I grabbed a water and drank the whole thing. #Portland
There were tweets stating it was just arsonists/anarchists/“anti-fa” still outside the courthouse. I witnessed a mix of older protesters up until about 1:30am. I also did not see any identifiable clothing/insignias suggesting that statement had any validity to it. Except for Moms
Around 2am, a small trash fire was started in the intersection of 3rd/Salmon by someone. At one point, a protester ran up & tried to put it out. A few got in his face accusing him of being a Fed. The guy trying to put it out shouted this is exactly the shit Trump/the media wants.
It was also around this time that most protesters had moved to the corner of the courthouse & formed a line of shields as Feds began pummeling them w/ “less-lethal” munitions. I have never experienced so much tear gas & pepper spray in all my years of covering protests in the US.
At 2:30am, Feds left the courthouse & came into the st for an offensive push. They fired off even more tear gas/pepper spray/flash bangs that set off car alarms. There were only a handful of protesters left at this time. They moved down 3rd & made a left on SW Taylor #Portland
The line of LE met up w/ another line at 4th/Taylor. It was at this point police vehicles picked up some LE. The rest of the line pushed people to 4th/SW Main. More tear gas canisters deployed at protesters who posed no threat at this time. And then they were gone.
The last group of Feds disappeared into the PPB bldg on 3rd/SW Main at 3:12 am. The courthouse they‘re here to “protect” was left completely unattended. Some protesters fired more fireworks at it, which of course, did nothing to it. Mainly press still hanging around at 3:30am.
Again, this was what I witnessed. I know there is a lot I might have missed & also some deeper shit that goes down ie. w/ Boogaloo bois, infiltrators. Considering the size of the area & the amount of protesters, the presence of & response by the Feds is completely unwarranted.
