Marchers protest peacefully against police brutality

By Bob Heye KATU News and KATU.com Staff Published: Jun 10, 2012 at 1:46 PM PDT Last Updated: Jun 10, 2012 at 3:52 PM PDT
Marchers protest peacefully against police brutality »Play Video
A group called E.P.I.C. (an Occupy Portland Affinity Group) gathered in downtown Portland on Sunday, June 10, 2012 for an anti-police brutality rally and march. Around 100 people participated in the march, which had a police escort. The march began and ended at Terry Schrunk Plaza. Photo by KATU Reporter Bob Heye.

PORTLAND, Ore. - Occupy Portland supporters marched through downtown on Sunday to protest police brutality, but this time they got a city permit to do it.

Those behind the march said they wanted to de-escalate confrontations that have happened between demonstrators and police during previous unpermitted marches.

"The police brutality protests in the past haven't gone well because there has been no permit," said march organizer Angela Hammit with E.P.I.C., the group behind the rally."So E.P.I.C. decided it was more important that we get this one permitted, if none others."

The strategy seemed to work. Even though marchers covered 28 blocks of downtown Portland, with a police escort shutting down streets as they went, there were no arrests and no confrontations with officers during what ended up being about an hour-long march.

Around 100 people participated. The event was billed as a retribution for what the organizers contend was too much force used by police against some Occupy demonstrators on May Day, and at other demonstrations. The goal was to demonstrate against police brutality without physically confronting officers.

Demonstrators did point out that this does not necessarily signal a change in the way Occupy and its supporting groups plan to demonstrate. They still maintain that the U.S. Constitution is the only permit they need to take to the streets.