Black Lives Matter protests honoring George Floyd, who died on May 25 in police custody, continued Tuesday night across the state. Many of the protests were peaceful or didn’t require police intervention.
Albany - Residents held up signs, chanted and marched during a two-hour Black Lives Matter protest in downtown Albany. “No justice, no peace, prosecute the police,” people chanted as they marched to Ellsworth street. The protest ended at about 6:30 p.m. at Albany City Hall. A later post to the Albany Oregon Police Department Facebook page read, “And that is how a peaceful demonstration is done! Thank you for keeping it respectful and civil.”
Brookings - About 100 people marched in a two-hour peaceful protest in Brookings, Oregon. During the demonstration, participants took a knee for about 8 minutes and 46 seconds and carried signs with messages honoring George Floyd.
Grants Pass - Around 500 people gathered outside the Josephine County Courthouse in Grants Pass, Oregon for a demonstration condemning the killing of George Floyd. About 50 Republicans, some of them who carried pistols, were stationed at the Josephine County Republican headquarters. A crowd of about 50 protestors was still gathered downtown at about 5:30 p.m. However, the Grants Pass Department of public safety said that the event was peaceful with a few verbal altercations between protestors and counter-protestors that didn’t require police intervention.
Some people carried open-carry weapons Monday night in Grants Pass because of rumors regarding Antifa members possible appearances, according to a Facebook post made by Mike Zacchino.
Some people carried open-carry weapons Monday night in Grants Pass, Oregon because of rumors regarding Antifa members possible appearances, according to a Facebook post made by Mike Zacchino.
Twitter reported that a white supremacist group had been posing as Antifa on the platform, tweeting calls for violence that alarmed residents in cities around the country.
Eugene - More than 1,000 protestors were gathered in downtown Eugene, Oregon by about 6 p.m., an hour after the protest started. According to a tweet from KEZI reporter Connor McCarthy, the peaceful protest was at the Federal Courthouse in Eugene by 7 p.m.
Bend - About 1,000 people gathered for a peaceful protest at about noon in downtown Bend, Oregon. This was the second protest downtown in four days. According to an article by ktvz.com, at one point during the demonstration Trump supporters drove by and some protestors removed the flags from the back of their trucks. Bend police Lt. Juli McConkey said the protest was peaceful despite a few moments like these.
Tualatin - Hundreds of people attended a Black Lives Matter march at 3 p.m. in Tualatin, Oregon. The peaceful protest, which was organized by resident Markayla Ballard, started and ended at Tualatin Lake at the Commons.
Portland - Different demonstrations began at 6 p.m. around the city. In one of these demonstrations, hundreds of protestors lay facedown on the Burnside Bridge, held their hand behind their backs and chanted, “I can’t breathe." At the same time, a group of medical professionals dressed in white coats or scrubs kneeled with their fists raised in the air at Pioneer Courthouse Square. They also held up signs with messages such as, “WHITE COATS FOR BLACK LIVES” and “BLACK LIVES MATTER" and listened to different speakers. In addition, thousands of people gathered outside of Revolution Hall and chanted messages such as, “George Floyd. Say his name,” and “Hands up. Don’t shoot.” “This is a 100% peaceful protest. We are not about violence. We are not here to break anything," a speaker said at the event. At about 8 p.m., all of the groups converged in Pioneer Courthouse Square.
McMinnville - Hundreds of people gathered to protest police brutality this afternoon in McMinnville, Oregon. During the protest, which was organized by Cecilia Flores, people held up signs and knelt for 8 minutes and 46 seconds, the amount of time a Minneapolis policeman knelt on George Floyd’s neck. A community discussion and vigil occurred at the Ed Gormley Civic Plaza on Monday night.
Forest Grove - About 300 people gathered for a Black Lives Matter protest at a big flag pole Tuesday afternoon in Forest Grove, Oregon. Many of the people stood on the side of the road and held up signs with messages such as, “WE ARE A NATION UNITED NOT DIVIDED!” and “HONK FOR GEORGE! Black Lives Matter.”
- Madison Smalstig l msmalstig@oregonian.com l @madi_smals l Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories