Weeks of protests and the presence of federal authorities in Portland have brought the Oregon city into the national spotlight as tensions rise amid call for racial justice and changes to policing.
The city has seen nightly protests for nearly two months following the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Floyd was a Black man who died as a white police officer pressed his knee into Floyd’s neck, and his death sparked a national movement and protests to address systemic racism.
In Portland, a city where protests are not uncommon, demonstrators and police have clashed for weeks with protesters lighting fires and law enforcement firing tear gas and other munitions.
Heightening tensions during the protest is the presence of federal law enforcement agents. Video shared on social media from last week showed what appear to be federal officers in unmarked cars arresting people without explanation, prompting outcry and lawsuits.