Portland protests after Alex Pretti murder, ICE uses flashbangs and gas on crowds

Portland, OR – On February 1, over 1000 Portlanders protested outside of Portland City Hall to stand against the killing of Alex Pretti, Renee Good and all those murdered by ICE, and to demand city government revoke the permit for the Portland ICE facility. The protest, organized by Portland Contra Las Deportaciones marched two miles from city hall to the Portland ICE facility.

Speaker Holly Brown called out Portland Mayor Keith Wilson and city councilors, saying months of cries to shut down the facility have been met with “not only inaction, but deliberate stalling, condescension, and lies.”

Protesters chanted “Do your jobs!” targeting Wilson and other city officials. Another rally speaker, Beatriz Ibarra, noted Custom Border Patrol agents shot two Portland residents just one day after Renee Good was murdered in Minneapolis. “Our mayor and city council send us nothing more than thoughts and prayers, while ICE agents rampage our streets,” Ibarra said.

Once at the ICE facility, furious protesters stormed the driveway, occupying the street and gated entrance. They began banging on the walls, shaking the gate, yelling “We aren’t scared of you!” as agents began shooting projectiles from the roof into the crowd.

ICE’s initial violent attempts at crowd control did not deter protesters. When federal officers opened the gates, they launched tear gas canisters and flash bangs into the crowd. One protester described the scene, saying “it was like a war zone.”

Just the day before, federal agents gassed a crowd of thousands, including families and union leaders, sparking public outrage. The increasing use of chemical weapons in the heart of Southwest Portland increases the pressure on city officials to take action to shut down the facility.

Tear gas used against protesters on Sunday spread throughout SW Portland, even crossing the Willamette River impacting neighborhoods on the East side. Despite the volume of gas being deployed, a large crowd stood their ground outside the ICE facility until after midnight.

In response to the chemical warfare used against protesters, Mayor Keith Wilson put out a statement telling ICE agents to resign and stating he will begin implementing fees on the facility. Protesters cried out that this is not enough and will not solve the problem. They remain undeterred in their demand to close down the facility.

#PortlandOR #OR #ImmigrantRights #ICE #KillerICE #AlexPretti #PDXCD #Feature