How Portland is wrestling with Trump protests, National Guard threat

The sound of protest outside her window wakes Brenna Hammar in the middle of the night.

Tear gas creeps into her apartment complex, Gray’s Landing, which is located across from the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) building in Portland’s South Waterfront neighborhood.

For months, the area has been the scene of nightly clashes between federal agents and black-clad protesters who oppose immigration detention.

“It’s like a war zone,” Ms. Hammar, 57, says of her street. Several other residents spoke to BBC News about the unrest, which was centered in just one city block, as tensions escalated and put the city in the national spotlight.

“Sometimes, I had to wear a gas mask inside my house,” she says, explaining how she now wears her mask to sleep.

President Donald Trump says he wants to send in the National Guard to protect officers and federal buildings, making Portland the latest test case in Trump’s plan to deploy troops in places — mostly Democratic-run cities — he says are plagued by crime.

“Portland is burning to the ground,” he says, and is plagued by “rebels everywhere.”

But the federal judge disagreed Trump’s plans were put on pause For Portland, saying it appears the president “exceeded his constitutional authority.”

Trump’s comments were also widely mocked as hyperbole by the city’s 635,000 residents.

But for those who live in this apartment complex, there is a daily battle on their doorstep, even though they disagree on who is responsible for the violence.

Some building residents blame Antifa. In short, Antifa is a decentralized left-wing movement that opposes far-right causes, and has been designated by Trump as a domestic terrorist group.

Residents say Gray Landing neighbors sympathetic to the more extreme protesters allowed them into the building, leading to confrontations in the hallways.

Some who went out at night were attacked or threatened, according to footage filmed by Ms Hammar and shown to BBC News. Its footage showed shots being fired and a resident being punched in the face by a demonstrator.

Mayor Keith Willis blames federal agents for inciting the crowd.

Willis has called for an investigation into actions taken by ICE agents, including the use of pepper spray and impact munitions.

“This is an aggressive approach trying to inflame a situation that was peaceful,” Wilson said Sunday after another night of tear gas and violent arrests.

Whoever is responsible, the violence has already changed society.

Cottonwood School, located next to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement building, was moved elsewhere in August after “munitions” continued to be found on the playground, according to school officials.

During the BBC’s daytime visit, one resident was seen holding his two pet mice and shouting obscenities at Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents stationed outside the federal building.

“Go back to your pen, pig!” The man shouted as the flannel-clad bikers stopped to observe the scene.

A small gathering of protesters gathered outside the building, without city officers in sight. A man dressed as a chicken, who had been outside the facility for the past few weeks, waved to cars.

Gray Landing resident Cindy Colgrove, 63, says it’s been “115 days of hell” since anti-Trump protests intensified outside an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in June.

“I only go out during the day,” Ms. Colegrove says as she walks her neighbor’s dog near a small group of peaceful protesters.

“You see, all the black-hooded Antifa members aren’t here. They come with the night. And by day, all these little old men think they’re changing the world before they leave this earth.”

Ms Colegrove, who says she was attacked in the street while speaking in support of police, digs through her walker basket to show the weapons she now carries – a bear mace case and a stun gun.

Fellow dog owner, Mai Tai Boyd, 44, told Colegrove he disagreed that local city officials had “abandoned” their building.

“I follow politics,” says Boyd, who has lived in the building for 13 years. “So I feel a little different.”

A US Air Force veteran says Trump’s plan to send troops is a blatant violation of the US Constitution.

“I don’t understand why law enforcement can’t handle it,” he added. “Like why do you need to send in combat-trained and ready forces?”

In other parts of the famously liberal “Pink City,” life continues as usual. On Sunday, more than 12,000 people participated in the Portland Marathon, running near an ICE facility without incident.

The only presence of the National Guard seen by the BBC was from a recruiter at the finish line, manning a booth and asking runners if they wanted to enlist.

Most Portland residents blame Trump for the unrest. In 2020, in his first term, Trump was also accused of stoking protests when he sent National Guard troops into downtown areas where thousands demonstrated against police violence.

In the prestigious Alberta Arts District, residents described Trump’s claims about Portland as laughable and praised the city for its culture and friendly atmosphere.

One grocery worker noted that the city has a long history of being insulted by Republicans like Trump, including George H.W. Bush who reportedly referred to Portland as “Little Beirut.”

Nick, who only wanted to be identified by his first name, said he was disgusted by the immigration arrests carried out in the city by masked federal agents.

“Portland has the right to defend itself and its neighbors,” he said.

Back at Gray’s Landing, there is a clean-up operation as industrial air purifiers are placed throughout the complex. Residents say harmful gases released by federal agents during riot control are transmitted through the building’s ventilation.

“When it comes to the passage, it goes right through it,” says Ms. Hammar, who has been to the hospital twice because of the way the gas “feels like it’s pressing on your heart.”

The Hepa 700 machines roar loudly, accompanied by signs explaining how to “remove tear gas and other chemicals from the air.”

There are also white sticky pads placed like door mats at each entrance. They are supposed to collect the chemicals of tear gas, to prevent irritants from getting into the building on the soles of their shoes like dust.

Ms. Hamar, a Portland native, says she disagrees with every policy of President Donald Trump, including his approach to immigration enforcement. But she strongly believes in Trump’s plan to send the National Guard to Portland to support federal agents.

“This is something I support, as far as Trump is concerned,” she says, bracing herself for another night of sirens and gas.

“Because the city is failing us, and I don’t want to feel like I’m being collateral damage. And my rights are important, too.”