Portland Police Fired Grenades at Protesters Saturday: What Videos Show

According to Oregon Live (August 9, 2018) -- After hours of relative calm, the police response escalated when officers ordered those protesting the right-wing group Patriot Prayer near Southwest Naito Parkway and Columbia Street [in Portland] to disperse.

When demonstrators didn't immediately leave, riot police fired dozens of flash-bang grenades and other crowd-control munitions, such as pepper spray and rubber bullets.

At least three people struck by these weapons, described as non-lethal, were hospitalized. One of them suffered a traumatic brain injury, another third-degree chemical burns to her arm.

Police have said protesters had thrown a "chemical agent" and other objects at officers. Chief Danielle Outlaw this week said police didn't give orders for protesters to disperse or officers to use crowd-control munitions until after things were thrown at police.

Multiple counter-protesters and reporters, including those from Oregonian/OregonLive, didn't see that.

In the days since, our publication [Oregon Live] has reviewed hours of video footage from Saturday, with a focus on the build-up to its most contentious moment.

While no single video clip can provide a complete picture of the sprawling and chaotic scene, some offer a clearer, closer look. 

None appears to show projectiles thrown by counter-protesters prior to the use of riot control weapons by police. Two of them, in fact, appear to show both officers and counter-protesters relatively calm in the seconds leading up to the first shots.
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Too often when we see Internet video of "police misconduct" it is the last 45-seconds of a 15-minute encounter, filmed by one person, and narrated to show the police in the worst light possible.

In the case of Portland on August 4, 2018 there are multiple videos, taken from different angles, and taken by different sources - protesters, counter-protesters, and the press.

Did the Portland Police attempt to kill or injure Antifa protesters, as has been claimed in some posts? NO! Of course not, and such claims are completely inappropriate. Did the Portland Police fire munitions directly into a generally peaceful demonstration.... ? "Reporters covering the face-off—including those from the local Oregonian, The Guardian, and Willamette Week—say projectiles were thrown only after the police attacked the demonstration without provocation, and unedited footage and interviews with nearly 20 protesters near the front lines appears to support that."