Protests And Assembly
ORS 131.675 and ORS 166.025 — a command to disperse, and blocking traffic as disorderly conduct
A command to disperse. When five or more persons are unlawfully assembled, the sheriff and deputies, or the mayor or chief executive officer of a city, town or village, may go among them, or as near as they safely can, and command them in the name of the State of Oregon to disperse. If they do not immediately disperse, the officer may arrest them, or cause them to be arrested, for any unlawful activity constituting an offense.
Disorderly conduct in the second degree. With intent to cause public inconvenience, annoyance or alarm, or recklessly creating a risk of it, a person commits disorderly conduct in the second degree by fighting or violent, tumultuous or threatening behavior, making unreasonable noise, disturbing a lawful assembly without lawful authority, or obstructing vehicular or pedestrian traffic on a public way. It is a Class B misdemeanor, and a Class A misdemeanor within 200 feet of a funeral service the person knows is being conducted.
Riot is participating with five or more other persons in tumultuous and violent conduct that intentionally or recklessly creates a grave risk of causing public alarm. It is a Class C felony.
The rights to assemble and to speak come from the state and federal constitutions, and permits for marches and the use of streets and parks come from local rules; neither is on this page. Whether a particular gathering was unlawful, or a particular command lawful, is a question of fact and law for a licensed Oregon attorney.
Sources for this section (3)
- ORS 131.675 — Dispersal of unlawful assemblages
- ORS 166.025 — Disorderly conduct in the second degree
- ORS 166.015 — Riot
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of October 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed Oregon attorney.