Press Release

The Portland Police Bureau helped facilitate a safe public demonstration and march today, April 5, 2025.

In recent weeks, PPB became aware of the planning for the event and immediately began reaching out to organizers using our Dialogue Officers, who are specially trained police officers who serve as liaisons for demonstration participants. The communication led the Police Bureau to plan ahead and have adequate resources on hand to ensure a safe event. Prior to the event, on Friday, April 4, 2025, PPB hosted a news conference previewing the planning process. At the press conference, we introduced an internationally recognized expert on public order policing, as well as the psychology and dynamics of crowd behavior. Clifford Stott is a professor of Social Psychology at Keele University in the United Kingdom, and he spent the week in Portland conducting training workshops for PPB, helping further improve our response to public order events.

Professor Stott directly observed the demonstration today. As we announced at the news conference, our Dialogue Officers were deployed throughout the city at gatherings, many of which fed into the larger march in Old Town at 12:00 Noon. Participants were very collaborative and let us know the planned march route. Uniformed officers were able to block traffic to ensure public safety for everyone. The march started in Tom McCall Waterfront Park at the Japanese American Historical Plaza, where the crowd size swelled beyond the bounds of the park. Officers closed Northwest Naito Parkway to ensure safety for everyone.

The march proceeded down Naito Parkway, over the Morrison Bridge, to Southeast Grand Avenue, north to the Burnside Bridge, then back into the park. There were traffic disruptions due to the size of the crowd, but officers assisted detouring traffic as much as possible. No injuries were reported beyond an evaluation for heat-related symptoms and one participant who reportedly tripped and fell.

Throughout the march, updates were sent on PPB's events account on X (formally Twitter).

PF&R brush unit

There was one arrest of a woman who, at 2:18 p.m., vandalized a Portland Fire & Rescue brush unit at Station 1 at Southwest 1^st Avenue and Southwest Ash Street (photos). She used a piece of metal, believed to be a key, to scratch the paint on the driver's side rear quarterpanel of the rig.

The suspect tried to walk away, but was followed by a firefighter, who helped officers locate and arrest her at Northwest 3^rd Avenue and Northwest Couch Street. Amber D. Reid, 47, was booked into the Multnomah County Detention Center on a felony charge of Criminal Mischief in the First Degree and an outstanding warrant for her arrest.

PPB is grateful for the collaboration of participants, which led to a safe event.

Photo descriptions:

Two Dialogue Officers in white uniform shirts walk along outside of a march on the sidewalk

Vandalism suspect in handcuffs next to 2 police officers by a PPB vehicle

Portland Fire & Rescue Brush Unit 14

2 close up photos of scratch to the left rear utility door panel