Ashland resident says he was hit with sponge grenade at Portland protest

MEDFORD, Ore. — An Ashland resident spent the weekend at the Portland Protests and says he was hit with a sponge grenade.

“It was truly beautiful to see all the people there supporting the same ideal and it was, beautiful. It was very peaceful,”

Ashland resident Mitchell Smith spent the weekend protesting police brutality in Portland, among thousands of other protesters.

“They had deemed it an unlawful assembly at the justice center and so they started to use flash bang grenades and tear gas to disperse the crowd,” Smith said.

Smith and his friends returned to their hotel and were standing outside of the hotel when an officer pulled up, telling them to go home. Smith and his friends turned to go inside.

“I said nothing to him. I merely turned around and looked at him and got shot in the hand,” Smith said.

According to Smith, the shots came from a sponge grenade and he says they caused deep injuries to his hand.

“I was within 20 feet. I could see his eyelashes,” Smith said.

The Washington Post reports that in close range, these less-lethal weapons can puncture skin, break bones, and make eyeballs explode. Police agencies are using rubber bullets and sponge grenades in protests across the country, even in Portland, where Oregon Public Broadcasting reports their use during these protests. Many are calling on police to end the less-lethal weapons at protests.

“It was imperative for myself to see the civil rights movement of my generation and to truly understand where we are at in our country,” Smith said.

But despite the injury, Smith says he’s glad he made the trip.

“I do not regret going up there. I do not regret standing outside. I don’t regret. I do not wish things could have gone any differently because I wouldn’t be in this position to talk to you and to explain the corrupt system,” Smith said.