Portland has begun preparation for the looming riots that are expected to once again devastate the Democrat-controlled Oregon city ahead of the critical November elections.
The city is building stainless-steel barricades to protect against violent political protests ahead of the 2024 presidential election.
Portland is also forming a new crowd control police unit.
According to the Portland Tribune, the city has almost finished building seven large, hinged barricades that can drop down in front of the Mark O. Hatfield U.S. Courthouse’s west entrance.
The site faced large protests and sometimes violent riots for months following the drug overdose death of career criminal George Floyd in May 2020.
In a report, the U.S. Courts’ administrative office wrote:
“These measures are a first step toward hardening facilities and can be implemented relatively quickly when compared with more significant measures to redesign and renovate entrances, perimeter spaces, and interior public spaces, which will take more funding and longer to complete.”
Portland’s monthslong Floyd protests became national news in 2020.
Rioters began shooting projectiles including rocks, ball bearings, and industrial-grade fireworks at the building.
The attacks caused $1.6 million in damages, Axios reported.
Following the 2020 protests, the Portland Police Bureau’s (PPB) previous crowd control