Photos show protests for racial justice that broke out in cities like Louisville, Chicago, and Portland over the weekend

Ellen CranleyJul 27, 2020, 06:53 IST

People gather in protest in front of the Mark O. Hatfield federal courthouse in downtown Portland as the city experiences another night of unrest on July 25, 2020 in Portland, Oregon.Spencer Platt/Getty Image

Several US cities saw racial justice protests and violent clashes over the weekend.
Demonstrators in cities including Portland, Oregon, Louisville, Kentucky, and Aurora, Colorado, faced off with federal agents, teargas, and multiple shootings in some cases as protests descended into chaos.
This weekend's protests signaled an uptick in tensions after President Donald Trump deployed federal agents to several cities.

Racial justice protests roiled in cities across the US as demonstrators carried out the latest in months of protests against police brutality.

This weekend's protests came days after President Donald Trump ordered federal agents to major US cities, saying last week he wanted curb what he described as "a shocking explosion of shootings, killings, murders and heinous crimes of violence," but did not immediately share plans with local lawmakers and authorities.

On Sunday night, Trump wrote on Twitter that the protesters who turned out over the weekend were "anarchists who hate our country," adding to the violent characterization of the demonstrations that follows clashes between police and protesters.

From plumes of tear gas in Portland, militia groups in Louisville, and violence in Aurora, Colorado, here are some of the biggest moments from this weekend's protests.

On Friday, protestors in Portland, Oregon, took to the streets hours after a US judge denied a state request to restrict federal agents' actions while arresting people in demonstrations.

Demonstrators largely gathered in front of the Mark O. Hatfield federal courthouse in downtown Portland, where they confronted federal agents and faced plumes of tear gas.

Federal police deploy tear gas to disperse demonstrators as thousands of people, including mothers, lawyers, health-care workers, and veterans demonstrated in Portland, Oregon on July 24, 2020 for racial justice, and against Donald Trumpâs insertion of Federal officers into Portland, Oregon. John Rudoff/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Demonstrators largely gathered in front of the Mark O. Hatfield federal courthouse in downtown Portland, where they confronted federal agents and faced plumes of tear gas.

Demonstrators turned out in distinct groups for the protest, including a 'Wall of Vets' who lined up on Friday near the fence around the courthouse.

A line of veterans oppose the use of Federal police at the Courthouse during a protest, on 24, 2020 in Portland, United States. John Rudoff/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Tensions seemed to reach a fever pitch this weekend over unidentified federal agents arrived in the city earlier this month.

Days after a Justice Department press release said Chicago would receive 100 new federal investigators, the city saw several protests take over downtown on Saturday.

Police block a march route for Black Lives Matter Protesters on Michigan Ave in Chicago, United States, on July 25, 2020. Jim Vondruska/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Two armed militia groups clashed in downtown Louisville, Kentucky, on Saturday.

Armed members of the "NFAC" march through downtown Louisville, Ky., toward the Hall of Justice on Saturday, July 25, 2020. Timothy D. Easley/AP

More than 300 members of the all-Black NFAC, or the "Not F------Around Coalition" faced off with around 50 members of the far-right "Three Percenter" militia.

Members of the "Not F------ Around Coalition" (NFAC), an all-black militia, march during a rally to protest the killing of Breonna Taylor, in Louisville, Kentucky on July 25, 2020. JEFF DEAN/AFP via Getty Images

The protest was the latest in two months of demonstrations over Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old Black woman who was killed in a Louisville home by police.

Louisville Metro Police Department officers detail a protestor after jumping a barrier during a rally to protest the killing of Breonna Taylor, in Louisville, Kentucky on July 25, 2020. JEFF DEAN/AFP via Getty Images

In the Denver suburb of Aurora, Colorado, protesters marched to demand attention for the death of Elijah McClain, a Black 23-year-old who was killed by police in August 2019. A crowd of protesters shut down the city's I-225 highway.

People shut down I-225 to protest the death of Elijah McClain on July 25, 2020 in Aurora, Colorado. A car drove through the protest further along during the march and a protestor was also shot. Michael Ciaglo/Getty Images

In the Denver suburb of Aurora, Colorado, protesters marched to demand attention for the death of Elijah McClain, a Black 23-year-old who was killed by police in August 2019. A crowd of protesters shut down the city's I-225 highway.

The demonstration took a violent turn when a car drove into the crowd protesters and at least one person was shot in the chaos.

People run to get out of the way as a Jeep speeds through a crowd of people protesting the death of Elijah McClain on I-225 on July 25, 2020 in Aurora, Colorado. Michael Ciaglo/Getty Images

In Seattle, police declared the protests as riots, saying they witnessed rocks, bottles, and fireworks being launched among the crowds.

Police clash with protesters at the former location of the Capitol Hill Organized Protest (CHOP) after the "Youth Day of Action and Solidarity with Portland" demonstration in Seattle, Washington on July 25, 2020. JASON REDMOND/AFP via Getty Images

Police in Oakland, California said a peaceful protest devolved into chaos as protesters set fire to a courthouse, damaged a police station, and assaulted officers.

Protesters light fireworks in the middle of downtown Oakland during a protest on Saturday, July 25, 2020, in Oakland, Calif. Protesters in California set fire to a courthouse, damaged a police station and assaulted officers after a peaceful demonstration intensified late Saturday, Oakland police said Christian Monterrosa/AP

Police in Richmond, Virginia, declared assemblies unlawful after trucks and restaurants were set ablaze and officers said they were pelted with rocks.

Police stand in front of a utility vehicle that was set on fire by protesters during a demonstration outside the Richmond Police Department headquarters on Grace Street in Richmond, Va., Saturday, July 25, 2020. Joe Mahoney/Richmond Times-Dispatch via AP

Photos show Congressman John Lewis crossing the infamous Edmund Pettus Bridge one last time

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Photos show protests for racial justice that broke out in cities like Louisville, Chicago, and Portland over the weekend

On Friday, protestors in Portland, Oregon, took to the streets hours after a US judge denied a state request to restrict federal agents' actions while arresting people in demonstrations.

Demonstrators largely gathered in front of the Mark O. Hatfield federal courthouse in downtown Portland, where they confronted federal agents and faced plumes of tear gas.

Demonstrators turned out in distinct groups for the protest, including a 'Wall of Vets' who lined up on Friday near the fence around the courthouse.

Tensions seemed to reach a fever pitch this weekend over unidentified federal agents arrived in the city earlier this month.

Days after a Justice Department press release said Chicago would receive 100 new federal investigators, the city saw several protests take over downtown on Saturday.

Two armed militia groups clashed in downtown Louisville, Kentucky, on Saturday.

More than 300 members of the all-Black NFAC, or the "Not F------Around Coalition" faced off with around 50 members of the far-right "Three Percenter" militia.

The protest was the latest in two months of demonstrations over Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old Black woman who was killed in a Louisville home by police.

In the Denver suburb of Aurora, Colorado, protesters marched to demand attention for the death of Elijah McClain, a Black 23-year-old who was killed by police in August 2019. A crowd of protesters shut down the city's I-225 highway.

The demonstration took a violent turn when a car drove into the crowd protesters and at least one person was shot in the chaos.

In Seattle, police declared the protests as riots, saying they witnessed rocks, bottles, and fireworks being launched among the crowds.

Police in Oakland, California said a peaceful protest devolved into chaos as protesters set fire to a courthouse, damaged a police station, and assaulted officers.

Police in Richmond, Virginia, declared assemblies unlawful after trucks and restaurants were set ablaze and officers said they were pelted with rocks.