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A6 U.S. NEWS
Wednesday 3 May 2017
Portland, Oregon, mayor condemns violent May Day protest

GILLIAN FLACCUS dangerous circumstanc- didn’t hit anyone, Portland
Associated Press es.” “In Portland, we re- police Sgt. Pete Simpson
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — The spect peaceful protest, but said, citing TV footage the
mayor of Portland, Oregon, we cannot and do not sup- department had reviewed.
on Tuesday condemned port acts of violence and Protests also turned violent
the actions of protesters vandalism. That’s not politi- in Olympia, Washington,
after more than two dozen cal speech,” Wheeler said. where police say about 50
people were arrested a “That’s a crime.” black-clad demonstrators
day earlier during a May More than 100 police of- used sling shots to fire mar-
Day march that turned vio- ficers clad in body armor bles at officers and threw
lent. and gas masks shut down rocks and cans. Two offi-
The violence and vandal- a march they said had be- cers suffered minor injuries.
ism in Portland and several come a riot late Monday Nine people were arrested
other Pacific Northwest cit- and arrested people on and several businesses in
ies stood out amid largely charges ranging from disor- Washington’s capital city
peaceful marches else- derly conduct to arson and damaged.
where in the U.S. to honor assault. In Seattle, five people were
immigrants and support Some protesters dressed in arrested after a smaller
workers’ rights. black vandalized a police demonstration than in past
With piles of charred de- car, set fires in intersections, years.
bris on street corners, Port- threw smoke bombs and The demonstrations on
land Mayor Ted Wheeler flares and broke windows May Day, celebrated as
denounced the actions of at a courthouse, City Hall International Workers’ Day,
a small group of protest- and downtown businesses. followed similar actions
ers the night before and Protesters tossed at least worldwide. The widespread
praised police for a “tre- one Molotov cocktail that protests in the United States
mendous job under very landed on a sidewalk and were aimed at the new Re-

Charred and melted debris is still visible on a downtown street
corner the day after a May Day march in Portland, Ore., Tues-
day, May 2, 2017. May Day protests turned violent in the Pacific
Northwest as demonstrators in Portland threw smoke bombs and
other objects at police, setting fires in the street while elsewhere
thousands of people peacefully marched against President
Donald Trump’s immigration and labor policies.
(AP Photo/Don Ryan)
publican president, who Marches in other U.S. cit-
has followed anti-immi- ies from Washington, D.C.,
grant rhetoric on the cam- to Miami and Los Ange-
paign trail with aggressive les were crowded but
action in the White House. peaceful.q
Leak in pipeline from gas well

blamed in fatal Colorado blast

DAN ELLIOTT plosion in Firestone, about
Associated Press 30 miles (48 kilometers)
FIRESTONE, Colo. (AP) — A north of Denver.
home explosion in Colo- Investigators do not know
rado that killed two people why the line remained con-
was caused by odorless, nected to the well, or how
unrefined natural gas leak- or when it was cut and be-
ing from a small pipeline gan to leak.
that was old and believed The line was 1 inch (2.5 cm)
to be out of service but in diameter and reached
was still connected to a within about 6 feet (1.8
nearby well, fire officials meters) of the house, Po-
said Tuesday. szywak said. It was buried
The line had been cut about 7 feet (2.1 meters)
open some distance from underground.
the well, allowing gas to The house was within 200
leak into the soil and make feet (60 meters) of the well,
its way into the basement but the fire chief stressed it
of the home, said Ted Po- was the pipeline and not
szywak, chief of the Fred- the well that leaked. The
erick-Firestone fire depart- well has been shut down,
ment. and officials say they don’t
A third person was badly believe any neighboring
burned in the April 17 ex- homes are in danger.q