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Police declare riot in North Portland after Antifa and BLM set Union Headquarters on fire

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Police declared a riot at Union Headquarters in North Portland after the building was set ablaze by Antifa and Black Lives Matter on Tuesday night.

A group of about 100 people lit fires, blocked traffic, and shot off fireworks. An investigation is currently underway. The fire started at the Portland Police Union Building has caused an estimated $25,000 worth of damage. Alma Raven-Guido, who is 19 years old and from Beaverton, was arrested and charged with second-degree arson. Police have stated that she was in possession of containers of “probable accelerant”, lighters, a crow bar and spray paint. A probable cause (PC) affidavit filed in Multnomah County court Wednesday, April 14, says a deputy with the DA’s office stated they had reviewed police reports which have been filed and added in the case against Raven-Guido.

The court documents go on to state on April 13, information obtained from an informant told Portland police that Raven-Guido was one of the people responsible for starting the fire at the PPA building. The informant told police Raven-Guido was present when the second large fire began and provided a detailed description of her actions related to the fire. Protestors started gathering at Kenton Park in North Portland at about 9 p.m. for a planned demonstration.

At around 9:40 p.m., the group marched south from the park to the Portland Police Union Building a few blocks away on North Lombard Street and Campbell Avenue. At 9:52 p.m., police said a crowd of 100 people was blocking the Lombard entrance near the Portland Police Union Building. Police began using a loudspeaker to tell the crowd to disperse or risk arrest, citation or crowd control measures, such as tear gas and munitions. Around 10 p.m., police confirmed the union building was on fire.

Police said in a statement that someone in the crowd used an accelerant on the wooden framing around a door of the building and lit it on fire. “People appear to be using accelerants on a door to ignite a fire which is growing larger,” Portland police tweeted at 10:05 p.m. A Twitter user posted a video of a neighbor using a garden hose to attempt to put out the fire on the union building. By 10:07 pm, police declared a riot and cleared people from the building as Portland Fire & Rescue extinguished a second fire. The fire was put out by 10:16 p.m. and the demonstrators returned to Kenton Park, police stated.

The actions were deemed a riot based on the danger posed by the fire and the arson activity. Police said the fire was a serious threat to the neighborhood. The police building was not occupied at the time the fire was set, but police said several homes in the area were. Portland Police Bureau Captain Tina Jones addressed the media to condemn the riots. “I don’t consider these protests.  We’re talking about direct action events that are being billed as such and these are criminal events.”

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ARTICLE: PAUL MURDOCH

POLITICS EDITOR: CARSON CHOATE

PHOTO CREDITS: WILLAMETTE WEEK

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