The Grand Floral Parade, an annual fixture in Portland's tapestry of community events, was briefly disrupted by protesters on Saturday, the Portland Police Bureau reported. The parade, which kicked off at 10:06 a.m., wound through the city with a vibrant display of marching bands and floats. While the police were prepared for a peaceful event, many protesters had different plans.
According to a statement from the Portland Police Bureau, officers, including Police Chief Bob Day, were present to "connect with the community we serve." Chief Day expressed that it was "a beautiful day for a parade" and commended the professionalism of the PPB in responding to the interruption. To quickly mitigate the situation, event liaison officers warned the protest group, which had gathered on the sidewalk, not to disturb the parade proceedings.
Despite initially agreeing to the conditions set by the police, the protesters became verbally combative, and some members moved to obstruct the parade route by encroaching onto Northeast Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard. The response from the Bike Squad and the subsequent arrest of eight individuals were necessary to resume the orderly progress of the parade. One person, identified as Rio C. Moncrief, escalated the incident by splashing a beverage on officers, which later led to additional charges.
The interruption was brief and resulted in eight arrests, the police detail. The charges ranged from Disorderly Conduct in the Second Degree to Harassment. Serine M. Abuelhawa, Brooke E. Keller, Marjannah A. Hassan, Kaley J. Seeberger, Willoughby F. Cooke, Elina R. Leyhovskaya, Gabrielle E. Lyman, and Rio C. Moncrief were booked into the Multnomah County Detention Center. Officers detained and subsequently released a ninth individual prior to booking. The parade continued, post-interruption, without any further disruptions noted by authorities.
