Protesters gather at Portland City Hall days after presidential election

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — People gathered outside Portland City Hall Friday night, days after the 2024 presidential election.

Things remained relatively peaceful, though there was an occasional protestor who got heated with police.

Authorities said they're hoping they can work with community members to keep things tame on the street.

The gathering outside city hall was organized by the International League of People's Struggle.

"We're here to say we've had enough," said organizer Cody Urban.

Urban said the group would've been outside the city hall regardless of who won the 2024 presidential election.

"We're here to organize, to show them that we have a voice, and we are going to make a joint demand, and we're not going to stop until our politicians listen to us," he said.

Friday night represents the third peaceful gathering that happened across downtown this week. Despite the lack of any violence, businesses still remained vigilant about a worst-case scenario by keeping their storefronts boarded up.

Downtown workers and visitors said it's been eerily quiet.

When KOIN 6 News asked the organizers to address the concerns from businesses, Urban said he and others are trying to change the narrative about how protesters are perceived, in general.

"While we are doing whatever we can to make sure that protesting and raising our demands is as safe as possible, it's clear that the business interests of this city are only trying to paint protesters who are angry, as no one but people looking to break things, and we're trying to flip that narrative to say we all have a message to get across," Urban said.

Carolyn Pavlovic, another organizer, is encouraging people to reach out to the organizations at these rallies if they are feeling unsafe or unsure.

"I think it's easy to be scared of people that you don't have connections with, right. So to business owners, you know, here in Portland and all over Oregon, I would encourage them to, to build with us, right," Pavlovic said.

Portland police have been a constant presence during this week's gathering. Police told KOIN 6 they're there to protect free speech and keep things safe and peaceful. They're also out at the protests to prevent any violence or property damage.