Antifa militants set fires, attack police building in Portland as Democratic senators insist they don’t exist

Hannah Ray Lambert, a journalist for KOIN News, covered Antifa and BLM's actions in Portland last night. It began as a scheduled march at 8 p.m. "Destination unknown," she reported.

Revolution Ribs, a pop-up mutual aid kitchen serving agitators, activists, and Portlanders for free with the help of crowdsourced donations, was on hand to direct those attending the march as to where to go.

Lambert reported from the march that the "crowd voted" and decided to head out to the Portland Police Association, which was one of two police buildings on the ballot. Lambert counted about 200 people.

The group took over the street, blocking traffic, while marching with their signs. Lambert reports that the leader with the megaphone is Demetria Hester. Hester was allegedly attacked in 2017 by Jeremy Christian, the man who went on to kill two people and injure a third aboard a TriMet MAX light rail train in May 2017. She is now a leader of Moms United for Black Lives Matter.

In June, Hester spoke to The Oregonian about the intentions and tactics of the "moms" movement. "We're protesting without any violence," she said. "Any. We're moms! We're not doing anything but protesting for the right to be treated equally. Period."

Hester differentiates herself and those she's working with as the "Moms who came from Black Lives Matter," as opposed to the "wall of moms," who she's no longer working with. Hester said that the moms who were with her came to her and said "we're gonna follow you because you're about what we're about, and that's the revolution."

"Whose streets?" Is Hester's call. "Our streets!" Is the response.

When Hester's march reached the Portland Police Association building last night, the entrance had been boarded up. Someone from the crowd requested a crowbar to gain access.

Hester's "non-violent" moms and "peaceful protestors" set fires in the street, and chanted "every city, every town, burn the precinct to the ground."

Antifa and BLM militants used flaming cardboard to try to set the building ablaze.

When a woman in a flag cape and top hat tried to extinguish the flames, she was met with resistance.

Lambert reports that Portland police made an LRAD (long range acoustic device) announcement, telling the crowd to clear the area, but that the crowd did not disperse. A semi-truck was stuck, could not be turned around by the agitators' barricades, and was allowed to pass through the area, directed by militants.

Other's who claimed to be on the scene found the announcements of the Portland police funny, noting that "THIS crowd isnt buying it."

Portland police continued to ask for people to leave the area, and reported that people were trying to climb on top of the building. The crowd did not disperse.

A pickup truck entered the area, and a motorcyclist rode along side, and attempted to stop the pickup by dismounting from the motorcycle and putting it in front of the truck before attending to the driver's side door. The pickup was not deterred by the motorcycle, and drove off, sparks flying.

Antifa and BLM radicals resurrected the barricades to block the street. Lambert reported that police again asked people to leave the area and that an "unlawful assembly" has been declared. She reported that tear gas was fired, but then retracts, noting that the officers are not wearing gas masks.

Lambert reports that smoke was in the air, but that it did not have the taste of chemical gas. Agitators again tried to block the street, and attempted to intervene with another vehicle. That car reportedly was turned around and left the area.

Lambert reported that police were investigating, and that people shouted at them and threw things at officers.

Eventually the crowd was smaller, and the activity dispersed.

The media called them "peaceful protestors" when they took up actions against the Mark O. Hatfield federal courthouse in June. As their actions spilled into July and local law enforcement, headed by Mayor Ted Wheeler, did not act to stop it, the Trump administration sent federal agents to secure federal property.

The agitators and activists intensified their actions against the courthouse, holding nightly demonstrations outside, setting fires, ripping at fencing around the courthouse, and refusing to disperse when asked by law enforcement to do so. The activists and agitators claimed that it was the presence of federal officers that they found so offensive.

A national media campaign was waged by mainstream media and Democrat lawmakers and elected leaders against Trump and against the presence of the federal officers in Portland. Mayors across the country took a look at Portland, declared that the problem was the federal officers, and stated unequivocally that, despite rising violence in their own cities, federal assistance would not be welcomed.