Portland Police Defend Handling Of Last Week's Protest Downtown

PORTLAND, OR – Portland Police are defending how they handled a protest downtown last weekend. The protest drew dozens who were upset with the officer-involved fatal shooting of a man the week before.

During the protest, a man driving a Lexus, turns in an attempt to avoid the ongoing march.

Protesters try to stop the vehicle, which is going very slowly. One person puts himself in front of the car with his hands on the hood. Get all the latest information on what's happening in your community by signing up for Patch's newsletters and breaking news alerts.

When the protesters are unsuccessful, they chase after the car. Some pound on the vehicle with what appear to be metal batons.

The entire incident was caught on video by news reporters and private citizens.

At his monthly news conference on Friday, Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler called the actions of protesters "appalling."

The driver later filed a police report, stating that the protesters had caused $3,000 in damage to his car.

Portland Police were heavily criticized for their handling of the incident, particularly in some conservative outlets including Fox News opinion hosts.

Officials say that before the march, police tried to contact organizers to plan a route for the march so that police could make sure that streets were closed to traffic and make sure that the protesters had a safe path.

Police say that the organizers never got back to them.

"We recognize the strong community concern and interest regarding how police officers respond to crowd control situations," Chief Danielle Outlaw said. "There is no cookie-cutter response to these events. The complexity of each demonstration/protest is different and requires thoughtful decision-making.

"We will continue to review the most appropriate course of action and proper balance in our responses for these dynamic events."

There were no injuries at the march.

File photo via Portland Police.