The 2020 racial justice protests in Portland, Oregon, formed a major front in the nationwide uprising sparked by the killing of George Floyd on May 25, 2020. For more than 100 consecutive days, demonstrators called for police reform and accountability, often facing tense and sustained confrontation with local law enforcement and federal agents deployed by the Trump administration. The city quickly became a focal point in the national debate over policing, civil rights, and the government’s response to dissent.
Tensions were further heightened by clashes with far-right counter-protesters, resulting in several violent confrontations. Those conflicts culminated in the fatal shooting of Patriot Prayer member Aaron “Jay” Danielson by Michael Reinoehl, a self-identified antifascist, underscoring the volatility and deeply polarized climate surrounding the protests.
