A black protester in the riot-stricken city of Portland, Oregon, who was arrested for disorderly conduct and interfering with a police officer won’t be charged, authorities say.
Demetria Hester, 46, who was booked on the two charges over the weekend, said at a news conference that she would keep protesting and announced her support for a fundraiser to send black mothers to Washington, D.C., reported KATU-TV in Portland.
“I was born and bred to do this. This is a dream come true. This is a revolution and we’re getting reparations. We’re taking it to D.C., baby!” she said.
After Hester was charged, the Multnomah County district attorney’s office said she would not be prosecuted.
She became an activist in the Black Lives Matter movement several years ago when she was assaulted by a white supremacist who later was sentenced to life in prison for murder.
The report said Hester and 15 others were arrested over the weekend when a group of about 200 demonstrators gathered in a park and then marched to the police union headquarters.
Some set fires outside the building and others fired fireworks at officers, injuring two.
A short time later, police declared the event a riot.
The report noted President Trump said Portland was “out of control” and urged the governor to call the National Guard for help.
Civil rights groups and others condemned Hester’s arrest.
They said the city is the flashpoint for what they claim is a civil rights battle.
“The struggle here in Portland has become almost ground zero because what we’ve seen under this administration is the kind of flexing that we haven’t really seen in our generation, ever,” said Janaya Khan, co-founder of Black Lives Matter Toronto. “People only protest when politicians and policies and police have failed to protect them. That is the only time that people protest, risking life and limb.”
KATU reported Hester became known in 2017 as the victim of an assault by Jeremy Christian. He later stabbed two men to death, injured a third and was convicted and given two life sentences without the possibility of parole.
