Updated at 7 p.m.
Activists gathered Thursday evening in Portland’s South Park Blocks for a rally and march in memory of a teenager fatally shot by police last week.
More than 460 Facebook users say they’re attending the protest, which will celebrate the life of Quanice Hayes, who was shot in Northeast Portland on Feb. 9. Organizers from the high school activism group that put together the demonstration said they knew Hayes, 17.
Shortly after 6:30 p.m., the crowd, which numbered about 200, left the park blocks and headed toward Southwest Sixth Avenue for a march, eventually arriving at City Hall.
About 7 p.m., police tweeted that some protesters were throwing signs and cones into the street near Southwest Second Avenue and Oak Street. “Organizers have not been cooperative with police,” they said in another tweet.
Hayes was a suspect in an armed robbery outside a hotel about two blocks from the scene of his death, police said. They believe he robbed a man sitting in his car outside the hotel and made off with his state food benefits card.
Police said they responded shortly thereafter to the report of a car prowl at a nearby pet hospital and encountered Hayes, who fled. They searched the adjacent neighborhood and encountered him outside a home, where Officer Andrew Hearst fatally shot him. Police found a replica gun near Hayes.
A grand jury wouldn’t likely hear evidence in the shooting for at least four to six weeks. A police spokesman said the bureau doesn’t expect to release any additional information about the shooting until after the case is presented to a grand jury.
Portland Student Action Network, which organized Thursday’s demonstration, called Hayes’ death “an unjust and devastating killing of a child at the hands of an oppressive police force.”
“The police have been slow to release information surrounding Quanice’s death and questions remain unanswered,” the group said in a news release.
“We call for an unbiased investigation, a fair trial prosecuting the officers involved and overall transparency during this process. We demand that [Portland Mayor] Ted Wheeler and other elected officials hold true to their promise of police accountability.”
The protest, which is meant to honor Hayes’ life and hold police accountable, begins at 5:30 p.m. in the South Park Blocks outside Portland State University’s student union.
An organizer told The Oregonian/OregonLive that protesters haven’t obtained a permit for the march.
Follow along below for updates from the protest.
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— Jim Ryan
jryan@oregonian.com
503-221-8005; @Jimryan015
Allan Brettman of The Oregonian/OregonLive staff contributed to this report
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