The FBI has issued a warning of the potential for armed clashes in Portland linked to Tuesday’s US election.
A liberal enclave in the north-western state of Oregon, the city has become symbolic of the country’s stark divisions.
Portland is still reeling from a summer of mass antiracism rallies inflamed by the arrival of federal officers and right-wing militias, including the so-called Proud Boys.
On Tuesday, protesters outside Portland State University blockaded roads surrounding the campus.
Tuesday’s fiercely polarised vote – which could re-elect President Donald Trump or have him defeated by Democratic rival Joe Biden – has spurred fears of more street violence.
Governor Kate Brown on Monday issued an executive order handing Portland policing to state forces – effectively overruling the city’s ban on tear gas – and putting the National Guard on standby.
“This is an election like no other in our lifetime,” she said.
On election day, city centre businesses boarded up windows once again as protests were planned for either a Mr Trump or Joe Biden win – or a state of limbo, with delays in the vote-counting expected nationwide due to a surge in postal voting due to the pandemic.
“The thing that is the most concerning to me is the potential for armed clashes between opposing groups,” FBI Portland Special Agent Renn Cannon told AFP.
“That could escalate into a dangerous situation where – if tempers are heated – you could end up with an unfortunate or tragic act of violence,” he said.
He pointed to a deadly shooting of a far-right supporter in the city in August.
Protesters outside Portland State University, police are blockading surrounding roads #portland #Election2020 pic.twitter.com/MtsheLInHF
— Lucy Sherriff (@sherrifflucy) November 3, 2020
The 250-strong Portland office has devoted additional resources to election crimes including voter suppression as well as fraud and foreign cyber threats, Mr Cannon said.
Ms Brown’s warnings about white supremacists drew scorn from local conservatives including talk-radio host Lars Larson, who Monday accused her of “deafening silence” about Antifa and Black Lives Matter violence over five months of protests.
But while Oregon is a safe democratic state, Portland’s republican hinterland has made it a focus for protesters of all ideologies, with more demonstrators flying in from across the country this summer.
FBI agents are being “extra-attentive” to any threats that could “reduce the ability for people to exercise their first amendment rights or exercise the right to vote,” Mr Cannon said.
Officials’ fears of renewed violence were echoed by voters on Monday, including Leigh Smith, 35.
“I’ve seen everybody’s boarding up already and I’m like ‘Oh geez,’” the restaurant cook said after posting her ballot near the city centre courthouse, which became an epicentre of earlier demonstrations.
“It’s really a wild-card situation. It could be really chill … it could become chaotic.”
One cause for optimism is that Oregon votes entirely by mail, making lengthy voting queues that could be targeted unlikely on Tuesday, said Mr Cannon.
Of greater concern are protests planned in Oregon for the aftermath of the vote, which may not yield a result for days or even weeks, he said.
“Whether or not those will have an armed component or not, I don’t know,” said Mr Cannon.
He said no specific threats were currently identified.
The Portland branch of one group organising a rally – the left-wing Democratic Socialists of America – said it was “prepared for right-wing street violence to express frustration about their candidate not winning” if Joe Biden triumphs.
“It’s our duty to show up and counter them,” its co-chairwoman Olivia Katbi Smith said.
She said that if protesters fail to mobilise in number, militias “will actually drive around and assault people”.
DSA Portland does not advocate armed response to right-wing extremists, she said.
If Mr Trump tries to claim an illegitimate victory, Ms Katbi Smith hopes liberal groups will bring out protesters in numbers approaching the tens of thousands who attended Portland’s 2017 women’s rights march.
“We’re going to go forward with specific demands about democracy,” said Ms Katbi Smith, including Trump’s removal or a new vote.
“There will be right-wing mobilisations against us after the election.”
- With additional reporting from AP
