Riot Declared in Portland After Fire Outside of Mayor’s Home

On the 96th consecutive night of demonstrations in Oregon’s largest city since the killing by police in Minneapolis of an unarmed black man sparked protests across the nation, around 200 people marched to the apartment where mayor Ted Wheeler lives, the Independent reported.

Wearing black hats to “celebrate” the mayor’s 58th birthday, people stood in the street and demanded that he resign, complaining that he had failed to reform the city’s police force.

At least one window was broken and a firework was reportedly set off in the building. Someone also dragged a picnic bench to the intersection and set it on fire.

Shortly afterwards, officers from the Portland Police Department (PPD) moved in, using loudspeakers to declare a riot and warning people to disperse or else face arrest.

“This was the arson fire that prompted a riot declaration tonight,” the PPD wrote on Twitter, of an image of the blaze. “It was critical to secure the area to allow firefighters to respond to this dangerous situation.”

One protesters, who asked to use the initials FO, was using a loud hailer to call on Mr Wheeler to resign and the police officers to quit as well.

“They need to quit, and they need to defund the police,” she said.

Events on Monday night were just the latest flare-up in Portland, a Democratic-controlled city which has been attacked by Donald Trump and his supporters as an alleged hot bed of anarchy.

“Portland has been burning for many years, for decades it’s been burning,” he told Fox News.