Black Friday Protest Fills the Streets of Downtown Portland

Protesters have taken to the streets of downtown Portland Friday urging people to keep their wallets in their pockets and not spend money to support the "grotesque culture of greed" that they say is Black Friday.

It's the third year in a row that Don't Shoot Portland has organized the protest. They were joined by other groups including Bike Swarm Against Black Friday - Not One Dime.

In a Facebook post, Bike Swarm organizer said that the "cheap" goods relies on a "modern slavery complex for production which enslaves the bulk of America's working force through cheap labor and financial domination."

The groups gathered at 12:00 at the Vera Katz statue on the East Esplanade and then marched West to NW 13th and Everett.

There were speakers including Teressa Raiford and tables set up for people to donate clothes and food.

"This is a block party," Raiford told the crowd. "We are going to celebrate our community."

It was also a commemoration of the 10th anniversary of the death of James Chasse, a mentally ill man who died in the custody of Portland Police in September 2006.

Chasse's death sparked an outcry that led to a settlement between the police and the federal government changing the way Portland Police deal with people with mental health issues.

Raiford told the assembled that while they had been hopeful that the settlement would bring real change to the city, recent events in which Portland Police arrested more than 100 people have left them discouraged.

In the wake of Donald Trump's election, protests filled the streets of Portland night after night and while many were peaceful - several were beset with civil disobedience and one turned into a riot that left more than $1 million in damage in its wake.

Photos courtesy of MungenCakes via Twitter