Police rushed to control the throng as it surged during a march across the Morrison and Hawthorne bridges during a Presidents Day protest that brought hundreds of people to downtown Portland.
Police officers on bicycles were busy trying to keep the mob out of the lanes as more than 300,000 people gathered downtown Monday at noon and marched onto the Morrison Bridge at around 2:00 p.m.
Others in the crowd seemed to be using the pedestrian walkways on the Hawthorne Bridge to make their way back into downtown. People had assembled at Portland City Hall around 2:15 p.m.
The estimated number of persons in the throng was 1,500 at one time.
Signs denouncing President Donald Trump’s and his specially appointed liaison, entrepreneur Elon Musk, who has been rapidly firing government personnel, were carried by protesters.
One sign read: “No one elected Elon,” while another made reference to an online currency that Musk was pushing, saying, “Democracy doesn’t accept Dogecoin.”
As of 2 p.m., police bureau spokesperson Mike Benner said no one had been arrested and the bridges were still accessible by car.
According to Fifty Fifty One organizers, the demonstration is a decentralized, quick response to the unlawful and anti-democratic activities of the Trump administration, and it is anticipated to continue until 4 p.m.
The Pacific Northwest is just starting to feel the effects of Trump and Musk’s mass firings, where hundreds of people have been let go from the Hanford Nuclear Reservation in Washington and the Bonneville Power Administration utility.
For The Oregonian, Julia Silverman writes about K–12 education. You can email her at [email protected].
For The Oregonian/OregonLive, Zane Sparling reports on court proceedings and breaking news. You may contact him at [email protected], 503-319-7083, or pdxzane.
Beth Nakamura, a photojournalist from Oregon, contributed.
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