Hundreds of protesters return to downtown Portland on Saturday night

11 p.m. update:

Portland police tweeted that they continue to make arrests and that so far, 16 people have been arrested.

9:45 p.m. update:

Twice, protesters tried to turn east on Southeast Grand but were pushed back by police. The group has mostly dispersed and only a few small groups were seen near Halsey.

9:15 update:

A couple dozen people stopped on Southeast Grand, trying to figure out their next strategy. Some were on bikes, some scooters and most, walking. One in the crowd tried to point them toward the Rose Quarter, while others were pushing to head back over the bridge.

The group eventually began moving up Grand Avenue toward Lloyd Center and causing a traffic jam near the Northeast Portland mall. The police trailed the group, but was not yet interacting with them.

9 p.m. update:

A large group of protesters are headed toward Northeast Portland, where residents are reporting the sounds of helicopters overhead. An hour past curfew and hundreds are still out on the streets. Reporter Jim Ryan reported seeing a group of 100 or more walking south up Northeast Martin Luther King Junior Boulevard after police approached the crowd and appeared to detain at least one protester.

Crowds have mostly dispersed from downtown, with only small groups of people roaming the empty streets.

8:40 p.m. update:

Many businesses across the city boarded up their windows on Saturday, concerned about what the rest of the weekend could bring. Workers attached plywood to the large display windows of the Microsoft store near Pioneer Place. Same went for the Target store on Southeast Powell Boulevard.

On Friday night, protesters broke the windows at the nearby Apple store and took a desktop computer they used to break the window of another store. Numerous retailers reported building damage and looting.

As police pushed the crowds out of the downtown core, protesters headed for the waterfront. One group set out for the east side over the Burnside Bridge, while another larger group was bound for the Steel Bridge.

Some protesters took off in the other direction, however, and pounded on cars they passed waiting at the light on Southwest Broadway. The crowd crossed back and forth across Broadway, blocking traffic as they ran through the street past Pioneer Square and up toward the Multnomah County Library.

8:21 p.m. update:

A skirmish broke out near the Multnomah County Courthouse with dozens of protesters appearing to turn on each other. At one point, someone carrying an American flag was on the ground with others attempting to grab the flag out of his hand. Other protesters walked up to the fight and began to throw debris into the middle of the crowd.

In another disturbing scene nearby, a man appeared to have been kicked in the face by another protester while he was on the ground. He was able to get up.

Police continued to warn protesters to leave via loudspeaker as they pushed the crowd toward the waterfront. Thick clouds of tear gas hung in the air near Southwest Second Avenue and Yamhill Street.

8 p.m. update:

Portland police tweeted another warning about 15 minutes before the curfew took effect and already, the arrests had begun.

Hundreds of protesters moved through Old Town, with many protesters stopping to tag buildings with George Floyd’s name and “1312,” a reference to a slur against police. They also took the street yelling “Whose street? Our street” -- a call that continued throughout the night at various points in downtown.

Police started moving toward the crowd in Northwest Portland as people shared the sound of flash-bang devices going off and helicopters overhead.

Update 7 p.m.:

A day after destructive protests led Mayor Ted Wheeler to impose an 8 p.m. curfew, protesters began gathering in downtown Portland around 5 p.m. on Saturday and appear prepared to violate the current order.

With a few exceptions, the curfew calls for Portlanders to stay home until 6 a.m. on Sunday. Violators can be fined as much as $500.

Portland awoke Saturday to scenes of destruction across the city, from graffiti on buildings along Northeast Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard to shattered glass and burned out offices of the Multnomah County Justice Center in downtown. Though Friday began peacefully with gatherings to protest the death of George Floyd, a black man who was killed by police in Minneapolis, the riot ended with major police response, tear gas and the arrests of 13 people, most who live in the Portland area, according to public records.

Saturday night’s turnout already appeared to reach at least a thousand by 7 p.m.

At around 7:15, marchers were heading up Fourth Avenue near Alder Street chanting “I can’t breathe.” Earlier, several dozen people sprawled on the ground in front of the justice center while the honking of several car horns joined the chorus.

Nearby in front of the justice center, Portland Police declared the gathering “an unlawful assembly” and ordered protesters to disperse with a surge of officers and an accompanying wave of tear gas.

Instead, protesters wearing face masks began building a barricade across Southwest Harvey Milk Street at Fourth Avenue. With about 20 minutes until the curfew, the crowd began marching again up Southwest Harvey Milk.

Around 7:45 p.m., TriMet officials announced they had suspended all MAX and bus service in downtown Portland.