KGW

A chaotic scene unfolded Saturday night in downtown Portland, as a protest devolved into a riot, police said.

Protesters blocked the streets, throwing bottles and other projectiles at officers and attacking a news crew. Some dragged metal barricades onto MAX train tracks, prompting transit officials to urge people to avoid traveling downtown.

Portland police said in a tweet they arrested 71 people at the Saturday night protest.

At one point, officers located and removed as stockpile of bricks and rocks near Pioneer Courthouse Square.

Protesters initially met at Pioneer Courthouse Square at 6 p.m. Saturday night before beginning their march at around 6:45 p.m. The group of a couple hundred protesters was much smaller than the throngs of thousands that had shown up previous nights.

Police described the demonstration as an "unpermitted protest march."

Protesters organized in New York, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., and other cities for the fourth night of protests across the country and the fifth night of protests in Portland. A mostly peaceful protest in Indianapolis turned violent toward then end when a couple of protesters clashed with police.

In Chicago, chants of “No hate. No fear. Immigrants are welcome here” rang throughout the group of hundreds of protesters as they marched Saturday in Millennium Park, a popular downtown tourist attraction.

Demonstrators in Washington, D.C. marched throughout the city, ultimately gathering outside Trump Hotel Saturday night. In New York, the protests also centered around Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue with about 2,000 people peacefully demonstrating.

About 8,000 demonstrators took to the streets in Los Angeles, CNN reported. The protests were peaceful compared to Friday night, when more than 180 people were arrested.

Trump protesters' resounding message: No national mandate

Contributing: Steph Solis & Ryan Miller, USA TODAY.