A protester stacks pieces of fence in front of the Mark O. Hatfield federal courthouse on July 18, 2020. The federal police presence has galvanized protesters, bringing out a larger group than on recent nights.
Jonathan Levinson / OPB
After a new cycle of protests and vandalism, fencing is going back up around the Hatfield federal courthouse in downtown Portland.
The fence came down briefly last week, in an effort to return the city to normalcy, federal officials said.
Then, the courthouse almost immediately became a target for vandalism — again. During a protest Thursday night, people smashed windows and spray painted the building. Federal officials responded by using tear gas against the crowd.
A spokesman for the Department of Homeland Security confirmed the fencing will go back up.
The Department of Justice has spent more than $1.5 million repairing damage to the courthouse after it became a target last year. The fence itself cost over $200,000.
The protests began as a mass movement against racial injustice, but in recent months have shifted in tone and involve smaller groups of people.