Clashes this week between Portland police and protesters over a new police contract are under review by the U.S. Department of Justice.

In an email to a protest organizer named Gabriel Black, Justice Department official Jaclyn Weiner said the agency is "aware of the activity that transpired" on Wednesday between police officers and protesters and is "reviewing the situation."

Weiner didn't immediately respond to an email from The Oregonian/OregonLive. Black also couldn't be reached for comment.

The U.S. Attorney's Office in Portland on Friday declined to comment.

Portland police used pepper spray and arrested protesters during tense encounters Wednesday on the steps of City Hall in the aftermath of an unruly demonstration over a newly approved and controversial contract for rank-and-file officers.

The scene devolved into a lengthy standoff, with dozens of protesters swarming Southwest Fifth Avenue and blocking traffic and light-rail trains until an estimated 75 officers in riot gear intervened.

Police had already shoved protesters out of City Hall, dousing some with pepper spray, after they disrupted a City Council hearing.

Weiner, in her email to Black, said she is an outreach specialist on the Department of Justice team assigned to work on agency's settlement agreement with the city.

The settlement, signed by a federal judge in August 2014, stemmed from a 2012 federal investigation that found Portland police used excessive force against people with mental illness and sometimes used stun guns when they weren't warranted.

Among the reforms required under the settlement: clear-cut policies about when officers can use deadly force and Tasers, a push for greater diversity in police hiring, an expansion of the city's mobile crisis units and quicker investigations into officer misconduct.

-- Noelle Crombie

503-276-7184; @noellecrombie