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Portland police have responded to two fights on two consecutive evenings near Mall 205, East Precinct and the East Portland Community Center. (The Oregonian/File photo)

For the past two consecutive evenings, police have responded to large groups of teens fighting in and around Mall 205 in Southeast Portland.

On Wednesday at about 5:45 p.m., officers arrived at the mall to find a group of about 20 young people assaulting mall employees, damaging property and fighting with security staff, according to the Portland Police Bureau. Officers were able to detain some of those involved, but others fled.

Officers ultimately arrested two 14-year-old girls and one 14-year-old boy.

On Thursday at about 6:30 p.m., officers responded to the East Portland Community Center to deal with a large group of unruly teens, police said. The community center is across the street from East Precinct, in the 700 block of Southeast 106th Avenue.

Officers learned that the group of 20 to 40 teens had moved to the parking lot of the Big Lots store, about one block away. The teens were fighting, and some ran when officers arrived, police say. Other teens stayed and "were verbally aggressive towards the police," according to a news release Friday.

Police, community-center employees and administrators from nearby Floyd Light Middle School tried to quell tensions. Police took a 14-year-old boy into custody.

A network of community organizations have come forward to help police try to stop future fights. Those organizations include Street Level Gang Outreach, the Latino Network, Portland Opportunities Industrialization Center and the Native American Youth and Family Center.

-- Aimee Green