Portland police suspend some services citywide because of Patriot Prayer and Proud Boys rally
Police in Portland, Oregon announced this afternoon that they were suspending some services citywide because of tensions surrounding a rally being held by far-right groups Patriot Prayer and the Proud Boys.
The Portland Police Bureau posted a tweet at 1 p.m. local time announcing that officers would only respond to emergency calls “because of events occurring near Waterfront Park.” The park is where the two groups were meeting and where hundreds of counter-protesters were showing up to confront them. The department said it was suspending response to non-emergency calls citywide.
The Proud Boys, an SPLC-designated hate group, and Patriot Prayer, led by U.S. Senate candidate Joey Gibson, have clashed with counter-protesters at past events in Portland and talked about bringing firearms to the event today.
However, the department also announced that because of "threats of violence" it was enforcing a city law that would bar anyone from openly carrying firearms at or near the rally site.
In addition, police posted photos on Twitter showing “multiple items that can be used as weapons” they had confiscated from demonstrators. The photos showed homemade shields with the Confederate battle flag, multiple sticks and what appeared to be canisters of pepper spray.
Here are screengrabs of several tweets from the Portland Police Bureau:
