Cops Outnumber Antifa 2-to-1 During Peaceful Nov. 4 Protest

Portland police dispatched 208 sworn officers on Nov. 4 to monitor protests that had been the subject of far-right rumors of a "civil war."

An August Antifa protest in Portland. (Daniel Stindt)
By Katie Shepherd

Portland police officers outnumbered protesters 2-to-1 around a Nov. 4 antifascist demonstration in the Pearl District. National antifa protests were the subject of wide-scale internet rumormongering before the event.

The Portland Police Bureau dispatched 208 sworn officers. About 100 protesters showed up. The left-leaning advocates spoke against the Republican tax plan and blocked a MAX train for about five minutes. They tried to cross Hawthorne Bridge, but officers didn't let them pass.

"Events such as the ones this weekend are difficult to assess," PPB spokesman Christopher Burley said in an email. "With information suggesting there was a possibility events could occur throughout the Portland area and not just downtown Portland, there was a need to factor in the time it takes to drive from one side of Portland to another. Additionally, the logistics of driving a large volume of officers throughout the city is complex, cumbersome, and often slow."

Burley says that the protest unfolded without any violence or property damage.

Still, the heightened police activity likely cost the city thousands of dollars—just add it to the $1.9 million Portland police have already spent on overtime costs to monitor protests this year.

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