After Kyle Rittenhouse's full exoneration by a Wisconsin jury on Friday, attention turned to what the reaction from the Antifa crowd would be. In Portland, Oregon — more than 1,000 miles away from the courthouse in Kenosha — a protest quickly turned violent as more than 100 people gathered outside the county justice center in downtown Portland and began their onslaught.
A large group of protesters circles around the JC, a cop’s tail light is smashed, a smoking trash can, a broken window or two. Mostly people milling around chanting “all cops are bastards” or some variation. pic.twitter.com/nBXRHt4Z5x
— Grace Morgan (@gravemorgan) November 20, 2021
As the Portland Police Bureau (PPB) explains, "at about 7:00p.m., Portland Police learned that a group had gathered at Southwest Main Street near Southwest 2nd Avenue blocking traffic" when a "passing driver called and said someone in the group broke his vehicle's window."
A crowd has gathered near SE 2nd Avenue and SE Madison Street and participants have begun breaking windows and damaging doors of city facilities in the area. People are throwing objects at police officers in the area.
— PPB Event Messages (@PPBAlerts) November 20, 2021
According to PBB, a riot was declared by the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office after about 9:00 p.m. when a crowd of "violent, destructive" agitators "began to breach the gate into the Multnomah County Detention Center (MCDC)."
The rioters attempted to breach the justice center by putting "large tree branches in the way to stop the gate from closing," according to the Portland CBS affiliate. Multnomah County Sheriffs Office personnel "faced off" with rioters and the "hostile" agitators threw "urine, alcoholic beverages, water bottles, and batteries" at law enforcement.
Cops retreat in the face of black block in Portland Or pic.twitter.com/lcdBnO0q4A
— Grace Morgan (@gravemorgan) November 20, 2021
Tweets from the Portland Police Bureau cited the "significant resources" that were "diverted to address" the developing riot, but added responding to the rioters meant response times were affected. "Lower priority calls will have to wait a while," PPB said. "We appreciate your patience!"
Significant resources have been diverted to address this riot and it is affecting response times. While we have officers assigned to address emergencies citywide, lower priority calls will have to wait for a while. We appreciate your patience! https://t.co/VgPe4YXunE
— Portland Police (@PortlandPolice) November 20, 2021
According to a bulletin and photos released by PPB the vandals "broke the windows of the city print shop on Southwest Madison Street between Southwest 2nd Avenue and Southwest 1st Avenue," while "a patrol sergeant vehicle's rear hatch window was shattered" and "additional vandalism was done to the Justice Center building."
After Kyle #Rittenhouse was found not guilty, #antifa in Portland organized an attempt to break inside the Justice Center to burn it down. They attacked police & also smashed up a passing driver's vehicle & targeted nearby buildings. Police declared a riot https://t.co/KhALOWp8AC pic.twitter.com/EA8nVZMPg1
— Andy Ngô ?????? (@MrAndyNgo) November 20, 2021
Apart from graffiti saying "All Cops Are Kyles," the rioters apparently didn't explain why they were taking out their anger over a Wisconsin jury trial on law enforcement officers and government buildings in Portland. Nevertheless, the riot shows that Antifa is more a band of criminal marauders always looking for an excuse to L.A.R.P. as woke gladiators than some sort of justice league seeking to right societal wrongs.
The Portland Police Bureau reports that one arrest was made for a warrant and another individual was criminally cited, and a total of five citations and 17 warnings were issued to those participating in the riot. As of Saturday morning, PPB is still investigating the situation and seeking more information.