After more than 110 days of near-nightly demonstrations, those attending the Black Lives Matter protests in Portland have ended up with their arms zip-tied behind their backs more than 1,000 times.
The minimum total number of arrests made by Portland police, federal officers and other Oregon law enforcement agencies is now 1,062 — at least as of Tuesday, Sept. 29.
Of those, the Portland Police Bureau and partnering agencies — such as Oregon State Police and metro area sheriff's deputies — are responsible for at least 964.
That's 90% of the total arrests. It includes all known adults and juvenile arrests, and was compiled by Pamplin Media using a "Mass Demonstration Index" created by the Multnomah County District Attorney's office, as well as press releases from authorities. Some protesters have been arrested on multiple days.
On Aug. 6, U.S. District of Oregon spokesman Kevin Sonoff told Pamplin Media federal agents had made 98 arrests.
A week earlier, Oregon Gov. Kate Brown ordered state troopers to guard the Mark O. Hatfield federal courthouse, hoping to end reports of camo-clad federal agents snatching demonstrators off the streets and putting them in unmarked vans or detaining them inside the downtown courthouse.
"My office is no longer tracking arrests as almost all arrests are now being made by local law enforcement," First Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott Asphaug said on Sept. 29.
Federal police still appear at some protests, especially those at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Southwest Portland, and Portland Police Bureau officers will remain federally deputized until the year ends.
Federal cases have now been filed against 91 people, Asphaug said, with the defendants variously facing charges of destruction of government property, creating a hazard on federal property, depredation of federal property, assault on a federal officer, arson and attempted arson, failure to obey, violation of national defense aerospace and civil disorder.
Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt has announced cases against 23 persons, with the recent allegations focusing on those accused of throwing Molotov cocktails at officers, lighting the Central Precinct or Portland Police Association union building on fire, or throwing rocks at police buildings.
The vast majority of those arrested by local police are expected to have their charges dropped, as D.A. Schmidt has stated he will only pursue cases involving deliberate property damage, theft or the threat or actual use of violence.
