"In support of our goal to have a safe Portland for everyone, we are partnering with organizations such as Milenio (milenio-2016.org) to raise money to repair the damages done to small and local businesses last night," Gregory McKelvey, the leader of the Portland’s Resistance movement, said in a statement on Friday morning.
Protests in Portland have been going on since Wednesday when Republican Party nominee Donald Trump emerged as the winner in the US election, triumphing over the Democratic Party candidate Hillary Candidate who was considered a favorite by many pollsters and analysts.
McKelvey condemned the acts of some of the 4,000 participants and said those destroying property had nothing to do with the Portland’s Resistance movement.
"The violent actions that occurred last night had absolutely nothing to do with our group. We would like to take a few moments to disavow the actions taken to destroy property, to clarify the intentions and goals of our new efforts and to offer empathy to all the stakeholders in last night’s protests and those to come," McKelvey’s statement reads.
Demonstrators on Thursday night threw rocks and used bats to destroy cars. Live video footage from KATU News showed a car dealership's cars with their windows busted out, as well as several shop windows shattered.
Some protesters armed themselves with rocks from construction sites, prepared gas flares, and threw objects at police, the department said earlier. It distinguished between "anarchists" and the rest of the demonstrators, calling on those "not wanting to be associated" with the rioters to assemble elsewhere.
Portland police detained at least 29 individuals in the early hours of Friday.
Portland’s Resistance leader McKelvey said another rally and "heal-in" would be held at Portland City Hall on Friday evening at 5:00 p.m. local time "to talk about our demands" and to discuss the movement’s campaign to repair the damage done in the city the night before.
"We sincerely apologize to anyone who[se] property was damaged, even though it was not done by our group, and we invite you to join us, to heal, and to consider the conditions that enrage, enflame and divide us all. Together we can heal this divide," McKelvey said in the statement.
Portland authorities have estimated damage at more than $1 million.
On Tuesday, Trump secured 290 Electoral College votes, which is 20 more than 270 votes required to win the presidency.
