On the first night of protests after President Trump ordered the withdrawal of federal agents from the streets of Portland, the city saw no violence amid hundreds of protesters in the streets.
Going into the early hours of Friday morning, with little overt presence of Oregon State Troopers or other law enforcement, the crowd wound down their protest, dispersing peacefully from Lownsdale Square and Chapman Square, the sites of the most confrontations between federal agents and protesters in the previous week.
Instead, Portland police cleared some semi-permanent structures that had been used by protesters in past nights, with about 100 Oregon State Troopers taking spots in buildings around the protest sites.
Travis Hampton, superintendent for the Oregon State Police, said his officers would have a measured approach. “You will find these Oregon State Police troopers are not easily provoked,” he told the Oregonian.
Protesters noted that the vibe in the crowd was completely different than the previous nights.
“It’s much more low-key and a bit more subdued,” said 53-year-old Shannon Echavarria said. “Normally by this time, people would be banging on that fence. There’d be fireworks. They’d be pouring debris over.” Echavarria said the change in tone was “100 percent because the feds are leaving.”