Mike Marshman Says Detaining, Photographing Demonstrators Was Necessary to Curtail Violence in June 4 Protests - Blogtown - Portland Mercury

24.6.17

Mike Marshman Says Detaining, Photographing Demonstrators Was Necessary to Curtail Violence in June 4 Protests - Blogtown - Portland Mercury: "The temporary detention of these persons was done after consultation with the City Attorney’s Office and the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office," Marshman writes, of a police "kettle" of demonstrators and journalists near SW 4th and Morrison. He notes: "The brief detention (which ranged from a few minutes to about under an hour depending on the speed with which the person was processed) also served to deescalate the threat of violence between groups. While the Chapman Square group was being detained the federal officers closed down Terry Shrunk Plaza and required everyone to vacate the Plaza."

The kettling—and the decision to force protesters to have their photos taken—was among the more controversial moves by authorities on June 4, when right-wing Trump supporters in Terry Schrunk Plaza squared off with counter-demonstrators on three sides. A sizeable police presence at the event pre-empted serious violence, but there were skirmishes between police and "anti-fascist" demonstrators gathered in Chapman Square.