Protests in Portland still going strong

Protesters have clashed with police in Portland, Ore., for nearly two months, setting fires, launching fireworks, and spray-painting graffiti on public buildings. While most protests over the death of George Floyd have died down in other parts of the country, demonstrators in this Pacific Northwest city continue to turn out every night. Police have used tear gas to disperse the protesters and arrested dozens.

What is the effect on the city? Businesses in downtown Portland face millions of dollars in property damage and lost sales. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security deployed officers to the city last week. Officials on Monday said the U.S. Marshals Service is investigating an incident involving a federal agent who fired a non-lethal round at a protester, leaving him critically injured. Mayor Ted Wheeler criticized the escalating violence as a distraction from the Black Lives Matter movement. “In all the years that I have lived here, I have never seen the community more divided,” he said. “Nor have I seen it look worse.”

Dig deeper: Read my report in The Sift about the “occupied protest zone” four hours north of Portland in Seattle.