While at least 3,000 people gathered in the streets of Portland, Oregon, last Thursday to protest a visit from president George W. Bush, police declared a state of emergency, attacking protestors with rubber bullets, pepper spray, and batons.The day of action began with a peaceful tree-sit in a downtown park, where thousands gathered to protest Bush’s new forest initiative that would enable timber corporations to cut old growth trees from fire-prone national forests.

“The new policy is classic doublespeak,” said Kenneth Kreuschu of the Cascadia Forest Alliance. “It has been shown time and again that more cutting leads to more fire. The new policy is a hoax.”

Hundreds also gathered at a Green Party rally, later joining the rest of the crowd in a march downtown to the Hilton Hotel, where Bush was attending a dinner. Bush hoped to collect $2.6 million for Republican gubernatorial candidate Bill Simon Jr., whose campaign has suffered since his family firm was fined almost $80 million for fraudulent business dealings.

Portland Police set up a nine-square-block security perimeter around the hotel, and protesters packed in front of the barricades. As they peacefully shouted their disapproval of Bush administration policies, from the looming attack on Iraq to the corporate takeover of U.S. politics, squads of police in full body riot gear moved into position, surrounding the crowd.

When police tried to forcibly drive two vehicles through the crowd, protesters began to bang on the doors and windows, causing the cars to retreat.

At this point, an officer announced through a bullhorn that a ‘state of emergency’ had been declared, and that all those failing to disperse would be subject to arrest.

Protesters were pushed to the ground as police charged forward into the crowd, attacking with so-called ‘less than lethal’ weapons such as rubber bullets, batons, pepper spray, and tear gas.

“At no time did I ever hear a command,” said Patty Annis, editor of Street Roots newspaper. “They just indiscriminately started spraying into the crowd.”

Eyewitness accounts of the police actions described a scene of intense brutality.

“One officer let loose with a torrent of pepper spray that washed over everyone in his path. Another literally threw himself into the crowd like a defensive lineman charging toward an unprotected quarterback,” said Portland resident L.J. Maushard. “Individual protestors scrambled wildly to escape the burning spray whose residue eventually wafted over the entire block.”

Donald Joughin’s account describes a similar atmosphere of police violence:

“I yelled to an officer to let us through because we had three small children. He looked at me, and drew out his can from his hip and sprayed directly at me and our three- year-old who I was holding in my right arm. In the same motion he turned the can on my wife who was holding our 10- month-old baby and doused both of their heads entirely from a distance of less than three feet.”

Officials with the National Lawyer’s Guild asked Mayor Vera Katz to fire Police Chief Mark Kroeker, claiming Thursday’s actions by police were “atrocities against humanity.”

Assistant Police Chief Greg Clark said, “When we’re dealing with a presidential visit, we have to draw very definite lines, and if people cross them, we have to react.”

Police spokeswoman Sarah Bott said that the primary objective on Thursday was to protect the President, and that was accomplished.

Another police spokesperson commented, “We’re not here to control you … But if pepper spray is deployed, I’m sorry but you’re gonna be a part of that.”