Police used pepper spray, batons and even rubber bullets in an outrageous attack on a crowd of some 2,000 people who turned out August 22 to protest George W. Bush.

The unexpectedly large demonstration took place outside the Hilton Hotel, where Bush was speaking at a fancy fundraiser for Sen. Gordon Smith (R-Ore.). While Republicans paid $25,000 a pop to have their picture taken with Dubya, protesters rallied outside to send their anti-Bush message, focusing especially on Bush’s recently announced plan to increase logging and the administration’s war drive against Iraq.

Police had blocked off a large area around the hotel for protesters, and the rally was peaceful. But then, cops in full riot gear came around the barriers.

After declaring a state of emergency--which was barely audible to the protesters--police pushed into the crowd, wildly firing pepper spray. "Maybe the ones in front were warned to move, but I didn’t hear any warning," one protester told the left-wing "Truthout" Web site. "It had been a peaceful protest. Suddenly, the police came forward spraying pepper spray. A man with an infant in a backpack got hit real good. The baby’s face was so red I thought it had quit breathing."

Police cars came around the back and drove directly into the demonstration. Some protesters climbed onto the hood of the cars to try to stop them from running over people. The cops even began firing various kinds of rubber bullets, hitting several demonstrators.

And the response of Portland Police Chief Mark Kroeker? "In totality, I’m pleased with the way it went," he told reporters.

Several times, police declared an emergency and threatened to arrest anyone who didn’t disperse immediately. But protesters refused to be intimidated, and the rally was still going several hours later. Afterwards, demonstrators marched downtown, chanting, "Whose streets? Our streets!"

The determination of activists here sent a clear message to Bush: You won’t get away with your plans for war without a fight.

That's pretty sad that the police can act like that...while all the other officials look the other way.

Were you there? I have seen many so called peaceful protests where a group of people came holding signs, yelling, and expressing their dissatifaction with a particular person or organization. Those are peaceful getogathers and are duly protected by law. I have also seen many other protests get out of hand where the protesters began taunting and throwing things at police. I have been in a very volatile riot situation and I know that it takes little to whip up a crowd into a frenzy. Keep in mind that the main objective of the police officers was to protect the president. They have to hamper potential threats that could quickly develop into full scale riots impinging on the stability and security of the parties involved. It is such security that discourages potential modern day lynchings. However much you dislike President Bush, I seriously doubt that his presence at the hotel repesented any kind of immediate threat to the protesters or the people of the community in general. Its not like he was rolling tanks into the street and destroying homes upon arrival. However such protests if they get out of hand can threaten the security of our Commander in Chief and have to be dealt with. If a riot does get started, often the rioters began targeting anything and eveything whether or not its associated with their opposition(looting stores etc...) As for the man with the baby, I feel awful for that child since it is not his or her choice to be there. I do however think it is very poor judgement on the part of the parent taking the child there in the first place. However strongly I felt toward a particular issue I would never put my son in such a situation where he could be endangered. To quote Mel Gibson's character from the move Patriot - "I'm a parent, I don't have the luxury of principles." That doesn't mean that I wouldn't express my opinon but I would not do so at the expense of my family's security not in that situation.

In fact it was a peaceful protest. If they are protesting violence and war most of the time the protest will be peaceful.

That doesn't answer my question. Were you, in fact, there? The reason I'm asking is that in a situation like this the cameras don't usually start rolling until the sh*! starts flying. And to the media the protesters will always claim to be the peaceful victimized party and the police will always claim it was the protesters who began the confrontation. The truth is often never known and unless you were actually there taking part in the festivities then I don't believe that you or anyone else has any theoretical base to operate from. To assume that just because they were protesting the war and assuming that all such protests are "peaceful" and thus was this, is a ludicrous comparison that I believe you are smart enough to avoid such faulty logic. I have been in many protests and can say that no matter what ther occasion, such events always brings out quite a few "professional protesters". You know the types that live off nothing, smoke lots of dope, and wait for the next "cause" to crop up so they can feel as though they have a purpose. These people may or may not care one iota about what there marching for, they just get off on that sort of thing. And usually they are the ones that start the conflicts which results in the undeserved injuries of the genuine peceful protesters present. Like I said in my previous post, whatever your opinion of the police. They are there to protect the president and everyone else, including someone like yourself perhaps sitting in a groundfloor office, or you living room near enough to the action. Often the actions of the police get public ridicule but once stones and bottles begin flying its not long before a full scale riot might occur. And keep in mind that they not only are charged with protecting all vulnerable parties but also themselves. Thats why sometimes you see extreme measures taken against demonstrators. Which is worse a few people roughed up and injured or hundreds os injuries many fatalities and millions of dollars in property damage to innocent victims not unlike you and I that have nothing to do with the conflict.

I was not at the protest. Protesters were warned to move but many of them were not aware of this. One protester said “maybe the ones in front were warned to move, but I didn’t hear any warning,".

Police whom spray children and shoot rubber bullets into a coward where peaceful protester stand is not protection but brutality.

Thank you for clearing that up for me. If in fact the police did what you're accusing them of then I agree that its brutality. However since neither of us were there we are getting our acounts from a source that may be biased in one form or another. Like I said before, I have been in many different protest across the country in the past 15 years out of those only two turned violent. In neither case did the police insigate an assault on the demonstrators. In one situation it was brought on by a protester who thought it would be funny to set off a string of firecrackers. Since neither of us were at ground zero then we really don't know what happened. The people in the front and the police are the only ones who truly do. In a tense situation a lot can happen very quickly. I'll bet your opinion would change very drastically if you spent even a day as a police officer having to stand point at one of these gatherings. Don't get me wrong, I am not in any way excusing inappropriate behavior on the part of the police. Its just that police are humans and rarely do they work in massive numbers such as this. If you were a police officer and a confrontation broke out with between one of your fellow officers and a protestorwould you hold back and wait to see if he or she was gonna be ok so as not to escalate the situation. Hell no, you'd probably do like any oher red blooded American coworker and jump in and start clubbing everyone involved to bring your friend to safety.

The reports I read show that no one was at threat of injury until police began to instigate the situation. Police thought the protesters were ignoring there authority when asked to move this is when they began to instigate the situation.

Would you please provide your sources?

Ooooh, boy. This reminds me of a speech George W. Bush gave at Legends Field in Tampa a year or two ago. Protesters were not allowed to bring signs of any type in, unless they endorsed the President. They were shunted off to a small grassy area about 1 1/4 miles away if they wanted to protest.

Insane.