MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 15th July, 2020) Portland Police Bureau in the US state of Oregon said in a statement on Wednesday that officers had not used force in response to protesters erecting barricades for what they labeled the Chinook Land Autonomous Territory (CLAT).
This past night saw a revival of barricades, Portland's signature feature of the nationwide protests triggered by the notorious murder of George Floyd, an African American man, by a police officer in late May. The CLAT movement stands for the Chinookan indigenous tribe that was forcibly removed from Portland.
According to the police statement, the protest began late on Tuesday when several hundred demonstrators marched in downtown Portland and then a group of them blocked a road near the local courthouse and erected barricades.
"The barricades blocked the entire lanes of traffic and consisted of industrial kitchen appliances, road blockades, and flashing traffic signs," the police statement read.
According to the law enforcement, officers removed some of the barricades in the early hours of Wednesday, but were approached by protesters who threw glass bottles and pointed lasers at them.
"No CS gas, crowd control munitions, or force was used," police said.
Social media have been full of video- and photo-footage from the scene. Barricades, visibly consisting of wood and metal objects, were covered with anti-police graffiti and self-made flags reading pro-CLAT motos. Some videos showed people marching amid heavy gray smoke in gas masks. Police officers in protective gear can also be seen on footage.
