Crowd becomes destructive outside federal courthouse in downtown Portland; officers deploy tear gas The crowd gathered shortly after a fence surrounding the courthouse on Southwest Third and Main Street was taken down for the first time since last summer. Author: KGW Staff Updated: 5:28 PM PST March 12, 2021 PORTLAND, Ore. — A crowd gathered outside the federal courthouse in downtown Portland Thursday night for a protest against police violence. The demonstration began around 8:30 p.m. outside the courthouse on Southwest Third Avenue and Main Street, shortly after the fence surrounding the courthouse was taken down for the first time since last summer. The courthouse doors were being boarded up when tensions between people and federal officers there erupted. This started a chain reaction of civil unrest and destruction, leading authorities to deploy tear gas.