THREAD: This past weekend @AP reporters were both with protesters and federal agents documenting the chaotic fight in Portland, Oregon, that has become an unlikely centerpiece in the protests gripping America. apne.ws/FCHbRrr
Federal agents are under order to protect a federal courthouse, a stately building that now looks like a feudal castle under siege. apne.ws/9yJeMtO 
@AP To the protesters, the men inside the courthouse are at best thoughtless political minions, at worst murderous henchmen. To the agents inside, the demonstrators who come out at night to lob bricks are violent anarchists. apne.ws/2BvC0wU
“They can put out 10 seconds of something (on social media) that unfolded over several minutes, and those are the 10 seconds that look bad for us,” said a senior U.S. Marshals Service official. apne.ws/F0kEMRs
@AP Agents used tear gas to push back the people assailing the fence and throwing fireworks at agents, but smoke also seeped deep into a park across from the courthouse. apne.ws/hbE0ATw
“I think that using chemical warfare on civilians is anything but protecting and serving, which is what they’re supposed to be doing,” said protester Eli Deschera. apne.ws/stWhm0c
@AP Read more about the chaos engulfing a single city block owned by the U.S. government here: apne.ws/tMaCBTR
