11:49 PM PST on Wednesday, November 3, 2004

By KGW and AP Staff

Angry protesters wearing gas masks and hoisting cardboard peace signs took to the streets of downtown Portland for several hours on Wednesday evening, calling for an end to the Iraq war and greater scrutiny of President Bush's re-election victory.

KGW Sky-8 photo

Protesters, upset about the elction outcome, take the streets of downtown Portland.

The demonstrators, who numbered in the hundreds, were met by police in riot gear who arrived on foot, on motorcycles, on bicycles and on horseback near the intersection of 4th and Burnside. The march apparently began at Pioneer Courthouse Square and then headed to the Federal Building at 3rd and Madison before making its way through the rest of downtown.

Some of the chanting protesters attempted to block evening traffic heading home. Police said at least seven people were arrested, but there were no reports of any serious injuries. Around 9:30 p.m., police squirted some demonstrators with what appeared to be pepper spray in front of the Justice Center in an attempt to get the crowd to disperse.

The protesters chanted "Not our president, not our war," and sought an investigation into Bush's victory over Democrat John Kerry.

The Portland Indy Media Web site, often used by local protest groups to communicate, said the message of the demonstration was "don't buy into the system, don't accept defeat."

KGW Sky-8 photo

Anti-Bush demonstrators protest the outcome of the election in downtown Portland.

"I want to see democracy in America," said protester Cyrus Smith, 24. "I want all the votes scrutinized."

Others just wanted to let Bush know that they wouldn't quietly accept his policies.

"I'm not trying to challenge the vote -- it's keeping things alive," said Jeremy Lambshead, 23, whose eyes and face were visibly inflamed. He said mounted police charged the crowd and sprayed him with Mace, as he scrambled get out of the way.

"We're still here," he added. "You may have won the White House, you may have won the House, you may have won the Senate, but we're still here."

As police arrested one man, protesters yelled, "Police go home." One held a sign reading: "Let's do what Kerry wouldn't -- revolt." Police sprayed a second man with what appeared to be Mace and tackled yet another, before leading him away in handcuffs.

AP photo

Eric Blickenstaff, whose brother was killed in Iraq last December, waves an upside down American flag.

One demonstrator, Eric Blickenstaff, 30, of Portland, lost his brother in the war in Iraq. Spc. Joseph M. Blickenstaff died last December when his combat vehicle tumbled off a dirt road in central Iraq.

"This is the international sign for distress," said Blickenstaff, holding an upside-down American flag. "Our country is in distress. The religious right won the election."

Other protesters pounded trash cans and dumpsters with sticks. Eighteen-year-old Christa Schmid wore a gag and carried a sign that said: "Patriot Act."

"I cried when the results came in," she said. "Now all I can do is just get out on the street."

A young man nearby kept his distance from the demonstrators, quietly holding up his own cardboard message: "World forgive our arrogance and apathy."

Other anti-Bush protests occur nationwide

The Portland protest was one of several across the nation, all sparked by Bush's re-election victory.

Elsewhere in the Pacific Northwest, a protest In Bellingham, Wash. snarled downtown traffic for more than an hour Wednesday evening and also drew police in riot gear.

More than 300 protesters started on the grounds of Western Washington University's Performing Arts Center, then moved through downtown, escorted by police.

The crowd staged a sit-in at one intersection and stopped at another, holding up afternoon traffic. Police cited one protester for disorderly conduct. After police threatened to make arrests, the protesters dispersed.

"We need to get out of Iraq before we kill more people," declared Whitney Thomas, a 17-year-old senior at Ferndale High School. "Even with (Sen. John) Kerry in there, it wouldn't be that much better."

Riley Sweeney, an 18-year-old WWU freshman, elected to wear his protest: he showed up in a gray fedora and checkered blue bathrobe.

"I am in mourning because of the decision our country has made," he said. "I don't think I'll be wearing pants for a while."

Across America, college students in St. Paul, Minn. held up signs, saying their voices had not been heard. And in Red Hook, N.Y., 12 Bard College students were arrested after 250 students gathered to claim Bush was not the legitimate winner.