Police to Shut Down Hawthorne Bridge Saturday in Anticipation of Planned Protests

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In advance of planned protests in downtown Portland on Saturday, August 17—which will include both protestors from the national far-right organization the Proud Boys and progressive counter-protestors, including local anti-fascists known as "antifa"—the Portland Police Bureau (PPB) has announced they'll be shutting down both the Hawthorne Bridge and a stretch of SW 2nd Ave for at least part of that day.

Beginning as early as 4 am on Saturday, August 17, the Hawthorne Bridge will be "closed in both directions to vehicular, bicycle, and pedestrian traffic" for an "undetermined amount of time." Likewise, SW 2nd Ave from SW Madison to SW Main will be "closed to vehicular, bicycle, and pedestrian traffic," also for an undetermined amount of time.

Officials also caution that the protests and increased traffic could affect public transportation, noting that "if police determine an area has become unsafe, TriMet will adjust their service for the safety of their riders and employees." If you're planning on riding the bus, MAX, or streetcar anywhere in or around Portland on Saturday, it's a good idea to keep a close eye on trimet.org/alerts.

The PPB also notes that on Saturday, Portlanders "should expect a highly visible law enforcement presence in the downtown area."

The Mercury will be covering the protests; we expect the situation to be fluid and updates to be constant. Keep an eye on the Mercury's Twitter (@portlandmercury) throughout the day, which will feature regular updates from Mercury news editor Alex Zielinski (@alex_zee) and Mercury news reporter Blair Stenvick (@BlairStenvick). We'll also have coverage on Blogtown, including a primer on Saturday morning about what Portlanders can expect from the protests.