Portland mayor lifts curfew for good behavior but '2nd-chance' protest swiftly descends into violence (VIDEOS)

Police have fired flash bangs and tear gas at rioters in Portland, Oregon, after a Black Lives Matter demonstration descended into violence. Clashes erupted just hours after a curfew had been lifted.

Mayor Ted Wheeler canceled a curfew early on Tuesday, citing “a significant shift in the tenor” of the protests that took place the previous day and were largely peaceful. The demonstration this time around also began without incidents. Thousands lay face down on Portland’s Burnside Bridge in honor of George Floyd, an unarmed black man killed by a white police officer, Derek Chauvin, last week.

However, later in the day "multiple groups" of people became aggressive, forcing the officers to declare the downtown gathering illegal and to demand that everyone leave, the Portland Police Bureau said.

The rioters launched fireworks and threw projectiles at the officers, blocked traffic and vandalized property. Police responded by firing flash bangs and launching volleys of teargas. Multiple arrests were made throughout the night.

In one of the videos from the scene, bystanders accused the police of starting to fire flash bangs at non-violent people “for no reason.”

A KGW-TV news crew filmed a patrol car ramming through makeshift barricades and nearly hitting a protester.

Chauvin was fired from the Minneapolis police force, arrested, and charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. Despite this news, the protests continued, with participants demanding justice for Floyd and an end to police brutality.

In several major US cities, peaceful rallies and marches were followed by intense rioting, looting, and clashes with police. The unrest prompted mayors to impose curfews and state governors to call in the National Guard.

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