Fights broke out and Portland police started making arrests in downtown after about 70 protesters gathered by the west end of the Burnside Bridge and started marching about noon.

A shoving match began as protesters -- many wearing bandanas and covering their faces -- strayed into the street. Police on horses and bikes tried to push them back.

Police Chief Mike Reese and other commanders met with officers at the beginning of the protest as police warned the marchers to stay on sidewalks. The group did not have a permit to march.

Here's a running account of the march:

***

2 p.m.:

Crowd is down to about 100 now and in Pioneer Courthouse Square. They appear to be winding down, clustering on the bricks, some talking, playing chess, basking in the intermittent sun. No sign of police.

1:55 p.m.

The group has left Pioneer Place and is heading back to Pioneer Courthouse Square.

1:50 p.m.:

Protesters have entered Pioneer Place mall. About 100 people are by the escalators and moving on all three levels, chanting and banging drums. No police are in sight. A couple of mall security guards are watching. Protesters are saying: "Shut it down."

1:45 p.m.:

Portland police estimated they've arrested 12 people so far on allegations of interfering with a police officer and disorderly conduct.

1:40 p.m:

At least three people are arrested at the intersection of Southwest Salmon Street and Second Avenue. Bike officers and mounted police are involved.

1:30 p.m.:

Police are trying to keep marchers from passing by the Second Avenue entrance of the Portland Police Bureau.

1:25 p.m:

The crowd has moved out of Chapman Square and now is on the corner between the Justice Center and the federal courthouse.

1:20 p.m.:

The group is now heading through Chapman Square, but staying on the sidewalk. One protester has jumped over the fence there and into the grass. Police have arrived. The crowd numbers about 200. The chant: "Our park!"

The Wells Fargo sign was vandalized as marchers headed north on SW Fourth Avenue.

1:15 p.m.:

Protesters are on the move again. Some chant: "Whose streets? Our Streets."

1:10 p.m.

: Riot police charge the crowd on Southwest Columbia Street at the Hotel Modera and are pushing protesters into a bus shelter.

May Day 2012

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1:05 p.m.:

Riot police arrive as protesters gather in front of The Oregonian on Southwest Broadway. Police Lt Robert King says most people arrested face disorderly conduct and interfering with police allegations

12:57 p.m.:

15 police officers in riot gear are gathering at Southwest Salmon Street between Broadway and Sixth Avenue with others on the way.

12:55 p.m.:

Police take down several protesters in a wild scrum after it appears someone threw what may have been a smoke bomb at officers at Southwest Broadway and Salmon in a steady downpour. Police arrest at least seven more people.

12:50 p.m.:

Police Chief Mike Reese , IPR Director Mary-Beth Baptista are watching the crowd from the front stoop of Pioneer Courthouse.

12:45 p.m.:

Some of the protesters are heading out of Pioneer Courthouse Square,marching toward the Justice Center.

1

2:42 p.m.:

Bike officers line up along Macy's while the crowd mills in Pioneer Courthouse Square. Lt Robert King says police have made five to six arrests.

12:40 p.m.:

Standoff at Pioneer Courthouse Square. Pushing with cops. Some of the protesters have split off and the rest are at the square.



12:35 p.m.:

Portland police are making arrests at Southwest Fourth Avenue and Stark Street, loading two to three people into a police van. Traffic is being rerouted.

12:30 p.m.:

More skirmishes break out between police and marchers. At Southwest Fifth Avenue and Stark Street, a bike officer gets flipped into the air, and then onto his bike. No information is available about possible injury. Police dragged away at least two people. It appears the crowd is heading toward Pioneer Courthouse Square.

12:25 p.m.:

At Southwest Fifth Avenue and Oak Street, confrontation breaks out between police and protesters. Someone threw some kind of a smoke bomb. Police circled him and made at least two arrests. About 60 police officers are on bikes around the area and police are on horses.

12:20 p.m.:

Protesters are in the street at Southwest Fifth Avenue. Police are surrounding them in the front, back and sides, but letting them walk in the roadway.

12:22 p.m.:

Protesters move west on Southwest Pine Street, chanting: "Whose street? Our street." Portland bicycle officers ride along on the other side of the street.

11:30 a.m.:

a crowd of about 50 people has gathered just before noon Today under the Burnside Bridge before an unpermitted May Day march, according to KGW. Others are arriving.

This was billed as an event friendly to unfriendly tactics.

Their signs are about ending fascism and ending profit from prisons. A bike cop lectures a small group of protesters about not disturbing traffic. "If you have any questions, just ask," he says.

So far, the police and the protesters are waiting.

-- The Oregonian