Portland’s summer-2020 unrest drew large crowds—many nightly demonstrations exceeded 1,000 participants, with peak rallies topping 10,000 people. Police declared at least 17 riots and made over 500 arrests by mid-August, and city records tally roughly 970 protest-related arrests through the end of the unrest
Most arrestees were booked into the Multnomah County Detention Center, issued citations or arrested and then released the same night—often under conditions such as agreeing not to attend further protests. For example, one person arrested for failing to comply with orders was released with no charges, and in several cases release was conditioned on signing a promise to stay away from future demonstrations. Portland police referred 974 protest-related cases to the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office; prosecutors declined to file charges in 666 of them (nearly 70%), filed 95 felony and 33 misdemeanor charges, and left about 182 cases under review.
At the federal level, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Oregon brought cases against 74 individuals connected to the Portland unrest: 11 received citations, 42 faced misdemeanors (many punishable by up to a month), and roughly 20 were charged with felonies such as arson or assaulting federal officers.
Only a small handful of those arrested ultimately served any jail or prison time:
- Rollin Tristan Fodor (18) pleaded guilty to first-degree arson and served 45 days in jail (plus probation and 160 hours of community service) after placing a flaming item in a dumpster during a June 26 protest.
- Malik Muhammad, who traveled from Indiana and threw Molotov cocktails, pleaded guilty to 14 felonies and received a 10-year federal prison sentence.
- Tusitala “Tiny” Toese, a Proud Boys member, was convicted on assault, riot, and weapons charges and sentenced to 95 months in state prison.
- Alan Swinney, another Proud Boys affiliate, drew a 10-year term for firearm and assault convictions tied to the protests.
- A Patriot Prayer member received a very short jail term (3 days) for a riot conviction.
Beyond these headline cases, the vast majority of protest-related arrests never led to significant incarceration—most ended with dropped charges, citations, or probation rather than jail time.