PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – Police arrest 14 people and seize more than a dozen weapons as thousands of demonstrators and counter protesters converged in downtown Portland, Oregon, on Sunday.
A pro-President Donald Trump free speech rally drew several hundred to a plaza near City Hall more than a week after two Portland men were fatally stabbed trying to stop a man from shouting anti-Muslim insults at two teenage girls on a light-rail train.
That rally was met across the street by hundreds of counter-protesters organized by immigrant rights, religious and labor groups. They said they wanted to make a stand against hate and racism.
Portland police said Sunday evening that 14 people were arrested, and several dozen knives, bricks, sticks and other weapons were seized.
By late afternoon, police closed nearby Chapman Square where a separate group of protesters – many wearing masks and black clothing and identified as anti-fascists – also demonstrated. Police used flash-bang grenades and pepper balls to disperse that crowd after saying protesters were hurling bricks and other objects at officers.