Hundreds Gather, Largely Masked, for a Black Lives Matter Rally in Downtown Bend

The death of George Floyd—who died after a now-former Minneapolis police officer kneeled on his neck for nearly 9 minutes—has been a tipping point in the U.S., causing many to rally, and some to lash out violently across the U.S. over the past several days.


In Portland, people broke into the Portland Justice Center and lit fires, among other damage. In Minneapolis, people lit the police station where the four officers involved in detaining Floyd worked. In Bend, the response was significant—but more tame. Hundreds of people gathered near Greenwood and Wall streets Saturday morning, eventually doing an impromptu march from Wall to Bend's busy 3rd Street.

On Friday, Bend Police Chief Jim Porter issued a statement in regards to the death of Floyd, writing, "The unfathomable actions taken by the Minneapolis officers that led to the murder of Mr. George Floyd have not gone unnoticed by our department and our community members. We are living in difficult times, and this horrific situation widens the gap of building trust between communities and law enforcement. We are saddened that such brutal actions were taken by a few that were sworn to protect.

"We want our communities of color to feel safe, to feel included and know their lives matter. We want our actions to demonstrate that," Porter stated.

Redmond Police also issued a statement Friday.