A human rights research group estimates that in some parts of downtown Portland on June 2, 2020, the tear gas concentration was more than 2,200 times the safe limit.

In 2020, Portland’s racial justice protests brought five women together over the shared interest of keeping their community safe. Two years later, their lives were torn apart when an enraged stranger opened fire on them at a park in Northeast Portland. The women’s stories provide a new perspective on a chaotic scene, illuminate cracks in the systems built to protect them and shine a light on the complex trauma that comes with surviving a targeted shooting.

The bellwether civil case against the city for police behavior could indicate Multnomah County juries are willing to hold the city responsible for police violence.

Portland police officer testimony in a civil trial last week suggests the city's police have an understanding of civil rights and use-of-force laws different from that of the federal courts and of lawyers for the U.S. Department of Justice. In one instance, an officer appeared to not fully understand the bureau’s own use-of-force directives.

Portland police announced Thursday they have made an arrest in the 2019 high-profile murder of a local anti-fascist. The case has drawn national attention in the years since, largely due to local activists’ insistence that police were not actively trying to find those involved in the murder of Sean Kealiher because of his political views.

Earlier this year, Malik Fard Muhammad, 25, pleaded guilty to throwing Molotov cocktails at police and smashing the Oregon Historical Society’s windows. He was sentenced in federal court on Tuesday.

Both groups can be seen in the spotlight as abortion and gun violence take hold of the national conversation. Though similar in name, each stands behind different political issues.

The decision follows several recent protests – mainly against measures to quell COVID-19 – outside homes and schools in Clark County.

Plaintiffs describe being taken in unmarked vans, being deliberately shot at with rubber grenades and being wantonly hit on the head, among other complaints.

More than a thousand Portlanders rallied in downtown on Saturday as part of the national Bans Off Our Bodies movement supporting abortion access.