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Portland police arrest 8, fire crowd-control munitions

PORTLAND, Ore. — Portland police have arrested eight people and fired crowd-control munitions to disperse protesters who threw rocks and bottles during demonstrations in front of law enforcement buildings on Saturday night and Sunday morning.

Police say the series of confrontations began outside the Multnomah County Justice Center, where protesters seeking racial justice in the wake of George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis last month used fencing and street barricades to block off a street.

Police say that lasers were shined into officers eyes, and rocks, bottles and paint were thrown at them during the demonstration.

Civil liberties advocates said in a lawsuit Sunday that the police response to recent demonstrations appeared designed to squelch free speech.