July 24, 2020; Portland, OR, USA; A tear gas bannister sails back toward a line of federal agents after a protester picked it up and threw it back at them during a protest near the federal courthouse in Portland, Oregon, in the early hours of July 24, 2020. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Hughes-USA TODAY
News: Portland Protest
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A federal judge specifically blocked U.S. agents from arresting or using physical force against journalists and legal observers at the protests in Portland, Oregon.
US District Court Judge Michael Simon blocks federal agents in Portland, Oregon from dispersing, arresting, threatening to arrest or targeting force against journalists or legal observers at protests. https://t.co/XyPWTC9cRS
— Steve Herman (@W7VOA) July 24, 2020
The demonstrations have sparked confrontations between local officials and President Donald Trump over the limits of federal power. Federal agents appeared to deploy tear gas early Friday as thousands of demonstrators had gathered around the federal courthouse, and flash grenades could be heard. U.S. Judge Michael Simon made his ruling late Thursday, a day after Portland’s mayor was tear-gassed by federal agents when he appeared outside the federal courthouse.
Protesters have gathered in Oregon’s largest city for nearly two months straight since the death of George Floyd.
