| KATU 2 News - Portland, Oregon www.katu.com
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Protestors Create Chaos, Police Take Action March 20, 2003 There is a small group that continues to sit through explosions and smoke.
Thursday afternoon's fairly orderly rally at Terry Shrunk Park degenerated as roving bands of protesters spread out across the downtown area and eastside, blocking traffic and generally causing disruption on the streets and Interstates. At this hour, the Burnside Bridge remains closed. Earlier in the evening, roving crowds shut down several other area roadways. Interstate 5 southbound was closed for some time at the Interstate Bridge that spans the Columbia River. Traffic crews diverted vehicles to I-205 allowing backed up traffic a chance to clear up. Elsewhere, a group of protestors on bicycles forced the closure of Highway 26 westbound at I-405, and also affected both directions of I-84 and the Morrison Bridge. Flanked by police officers in riot gear, and some on bicycles, protestors yelled anti-war slogans, and banged on drums. Others waved flags stolen from a gas station, proving the night was not free from vandalism. There were a few arrests and some acts of vandalism, but Portland Mayor Vera Katz said things could have been much worse. "It's a balance. People are allowed to protest, that's guaranteed by the Constitution. We have the responsibility to keep the city safe and keep the city moving," Mayor Katz said. "It could have been far worse, and it has been in other cities. The challenge is to keep that balance, but most importantly is to keep our officers safe." Mayor Katz estimates that 600 officers were on the streets Thursday responding to the protests. The mayor said 200 officers were working at a time. A splinter group of more militant marchers broke off from the main group and clashed with police on the ramp to the Steel Bridge around 6:30 P.M. The marchers initially tried to ram their way through a line of motorcycle officers and then settled into a standoff after police reinforcements arrived. Police spokesman Brian Schmautz said one policeman was mildly injured by a flying object during a confrontation with protesters at the Steel Bridge. In another incident, KATU News reporter Dan Tilkin witnesses a protestor smash out a window at the McDonald's restaurant at NE Weidler and MLK Boulevard. Other protestors witnessing the window smashing urged the protestor to refrain from vandalism, but the young man broke the window, then ran into the center of the crowd. KATU News also witnessed protestors break off flags posted at a car dealership in northeast Portland and others steal logo flags from a Shell gas station. Eventually the smaller groups of protestors finally returned to the west side of the Burnside Bridge and massed to form a large crowd estimated at close to 2,000. A few radical groups reported earlier to KATU that after the rally they intended to leave the main group and begin what they call "acts of civil disobedience." The activist group Critical Mass showed up on their bicycles around 5:00 P.M. and joined in blocking the streets. Another small group of anti-war protesters briefly confronted a group of people rallying in support of the troops at Waterfront Park. "I like the idea of shutting down commerce and the city to counteract Bush's economic motives for this war," said Eric Anholt, 19, of Portland. Demonstrators, accompanied by medical teams wearing black crosses and equipped with basic remedies for tear gas, said they were prepared for clashes with the police. Many of the war protesters were college students, joining a nationwide walkout. "I feel this war is unjustified," said Celine Fitzmaurice, who was in the crowd at the foot of the Steel Bridge, where police on horses used pepper spray to hold back the crowd. "It's about oil. This is precisely the time to keep the pressure on. People can make a difference." Students said they doubted President Bush's motivations for going to war and disagreed with his break from other world powers. "People all over the world see Bush as a bad guy, doing bad things," said Jesus Martinez, a Portland State student. "It's totally divided Europe, and they think the United States government has totally stepped all over the United Nations." At a pro-war rally a few blocks away, nearly 100 people waved American flags and carried placards with messages like "Kill Saddam" and "Support Our Troops - Not the U.N." Among them was 23-year-old Amanda Gentry, a 23-year-old student at Clackamas Community College, who said her brother-in-law was on the front lines in Iraq. "If we don't take care of Saddam Hussein now, we'll have to take care of him later," she said. "It's just something that has to be done. We need to be supporting the men and women who are down there fighting for us." Another small group of anti-war protesters briefly confronted a group of people rallying in support of the troops. Some of the stranded commuters gave up and read their newspapers, some cheered the protesters on, and others fumed at the holdup. "I think it is great," said Ada Rios-Rivera, a Portland resident who was trying to get to work. "I feel really grateful to these people who have the time and energy to protest this for those of us who don't." But Cecille Kelly, another driver stuck nearby, said she was, "mad as hell. I have every right to access this bridge. They have no idea what extremely important things I have going on in my life, and why I might need to use this bridge." One motorist, angry at the sight of the protesters carrying an American flag, jumped out of his car and tried to wrest it away from them, prompting a short scuffle. |
Bombs blast Baghdad: 
Tony Blair: 
The overall message from protesters for the political and military leaders of the nation, is that they are against war for a variety of reasons.