The Portland, Oregon, Police Department tweeted a picture of some of the items that were allegedly thrown at them during protests.
More items recovered that were thrown at officers: Full beverage cans, bricks, bottles, rocks, food.
A can of garbanzo beans.
A can of White Claw.
Two rocks and two ends of bottles.
And an apple with a bite taken out of it.
The tweet went somewhat viral with people tweeting back at the Portland PD, "Show us what you fire at people who don't have body armor."
@PortlandPolice damn that's crazy. now show us what you fire at people who don't have body armour
Here's what they've been firing in Portland:
The Portland PD has been using flash-bang grenades and tear gas to disperse crowds and empty streets.
It's made streets look like this:
And this:
Here's a picture of a Portland protester who was hit with a flash-bang grenade:
This guy was hit at close range by a flash bang grenade by Portland Police, then came out the next night with a sign, and his injury circled on his leg. #PortlandProtest #JusticeforGeorgeFloyd
And here's a video of flash-bang grenades going off, for anyone who doesn't know what they are:
Portland, OR: indiscriminate teargas and flash-bang grenade use. #protests2020 #PoliceBrutality
Sven-Eric Jordt, a researcher at Duke University, told the New York Times he's worried that the use of tear gas could trigger a second wave of COVID-19 infections.
Tear gas is also literally considered a chemical weapon and is banned in war.
Not only have police officers been using tear gas and flash-bang grenades, but they've also been beating people with batons.
A journalist named Donovan Farley was beaten by Portland police after yelling at an officer to get his knee off of someone's neck.
Last night I was assaulted by @PortlandPolice while covering the protest. This went above and beyond and occurred after I saw three officers pinning a man with their knees, one with his knee on the man's throat. I shouted about this, they attacked. Details below.
Here's a detailed account of his ordeal:
Suddenly I heard a man shouting those words that by now should be so familiar to us all: "Officer! Officer! I can't breathe man!" I jogged about ten feet away to a scene of three cops with their knees on a man—and one, of course, had his knee on the man's neck. As the man sputtered and spit and gasped, I, for reasons that I'm sure are clear, shouted to get the fuck off his neck. This is the moment a fourth officer approached, reaching for his baton.
We exchanged the usual "GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE!" and "I'm press!" with an added "Get off that fucking guy!" For this, I was absolutely crushed in the lower thigh by the cop's baton. Three inches lower and my knee explodes, but this sort of blow is to be expected. However as I turned to hobble-run away, he began swinging his baton at the back of my shoulder, neck and head area.
Besides flash-bang grenades, tear gas, and batons, Portland police have also been using pepper spray.
Medical professionals are also concerned that the use of pepper spray could lead to an increase in COVID-19 cases.
Last, but certainly not least, Portland police officers have also been firing rubber bullets at protesters.
For those who don't know, rubber bullets can cause serious damage.
Hey folks, took a tracer found to the face (I think, given my backpack) and am headed into surgery to see if we can save my left eye Am wisely not gonna be on Twitter while I’m on morphine Stay safe folks
Linda Tirado is a journalist who was shot in Minneapolis.
According to the Los Angeles Times, rubber bullets can "disable, disfigure and even kill."
A woman in Sacramento was left permanently blind after being hit by a rubber bullet while peacefully protesting.
For anyone that wonders what a rubber bullet looks like. This was found by one of our photographers last night after the protest downtown.
One of the reasons they're so dangerous is that some of them have metal cores.
I just got hit by a rubber bullet near the bottom of my throat. I had just interviewed a man with my phone at 3rd and Pine and a police officer aimed and shot me in the throat, I saw the bullet bounce onto the street @LAist @kpcc OK, that’s one way to stop me, for a while
Basically, I think you get the point: There is a HUGE difference between what the police claim are getting thrown at them and what they are throwing at protesters.
The difference is this:
More items recovered that were thrown at officers: Full beverage cans, bricks, bottles, rocks, food.
Versus this:
