PORTLAND protesters had an arsenal of deadly weapons including a Molotov cocktail jar, gasoline, and hockey sticks seized outside the courthouse.
The items were taken by federal agents as Black Lives Matter demonstrations continued for more than 60 days following the death of George Floyd, prosecutors said on Monday.
Pictures shared by the US Attorney of Oregon showed the items that had been seized by officers displayed.
Items including homemade shields, helmets, hockey sticks, jars and cans, gasoline, paint sprayers, and a jar prepped for a Molotov cocktail were seen spread on the ground.
Prosecutors said 22 people were arrested following protests at Hatfield Federal Courthouse this weekend.
The US Attorney’s Office said the courthouse “has been a nightly target of vandalism during evening protests and riots, sustaining extensive damage.”
“U.S. Marshals Service deputies and officers from the Federal Protective Service, Homeland Security Investigations, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection working to protect the courthouse have been subjected to nightly threats and assaults from demonstrators while performing their duties,” the US Attorney’s Office said.
It was revealed earlier Monday in an internal US Marshals Service email obtained by The Washington Post that Trump will be sending around 100 more federal agents to help fight nightly violence.
Additionally, the Department of Homeland Security may be sending 50 of its own officers.
Trump sent the first batch of federal agents into Portland last week, to protect federal property from being vandalized.
Demonstrators launched fireworks at the building on Thursday, cops said, and a riot was declared in the area in the early hours of July 22 amid vandalism and assaults.
Amid the reported increase of federal officers’ presence in Portland, demonstrators from the Wall of Moms group and Don’t Shoot Portland filed a lawsuit against the DHS, Oregon Live reported.
The groups allege that feds have used excessive force, overstepped authority, and violated their free speech rights.
Last week, the US Attorney’s Office shared that a fence was put up outside the courthouse “to de-escalate tensions and protect the building.”
The incidents came amid the ongoing Black Lives Matter demonstrations following the death of George Floyd.
Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, died on May 25 after Minnesota cop Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck during an arrest.
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Video captured of the incident showed Floyd saying “I can’t breathe” multiple times – but Chauvin did not move his knee.
Following Floyd’s death, demonstrators across the nation have shown support for the Black Lives Matter movement, as they call for an end to systemic racism and police brutality.
Some demonstrators have called to defund police.