Near an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Portland, Oregon, ongoing protests against the Trump administration’s deportation policies have led to frequent clashes between demonstrators and federal agents. Protesters, described as largely nonviolent, have been met with a “disproportionate show of force,” including the use of chemical irritants like tear gas, pepper balls, and “green smoke.” The frequent use of these crowd-control munitions has caused health and safety concerns in the neighborhood. As a result, a nearby public charter school, the Cottonwood School, has relocated its campus. The school cited concerns over the potential for chemical contamination on its grounds, including its garden, and a significant drop in enrollment due to parental fears about safety.
Federal riot police are bombarding a Portland neighborhood with so many chemical munitions it forced a public school to flee