Portland police officers, clad in riot gear, stormed back onto the campus of Portland State University Thursday night, arresting several protesters who had returned to the school’s library after police had cleared it earlier in the day.
Police said they went into the library and arrested people who had gotten back inside.
In an email to KATU, Portland Police Bureau spokesperson Mike Benner said leaving the library was the bureau’s plan once the school erected fencing.
Portland State’s campus was officially closed Wednesday and Thursday, but a university spokesperson said the school planned to have an open campus on Friday.
THE RAID AND INSIDE THE MILLAR LIBRARY Around 6 a.m., officers showed up on campus and police later confirmed that was when they entered the library.
Police action came after several attempts by Portland State University’s president, Ann Cudd, to get those protesters to leave.
Protesters had put up barriers on the outside of Millar library and many more inside the building.
Portland police provided video of the inside of the library after they cleared it.
Wearing riot gear, Portland police officers stormed back onto the Portland State University campus on Thursday night, arresting a number of protestors who had returned to the library after it had been cleared by police earlier in the day.
The unrest on this metropolitan campus with over 21,000 registered students began early in the morning when police cleared the Millar Library of pro-Palestinian demonstrators who had set up a two-day occupation.
However, this was only the start of a tense and chaotic day on and around campus, as protesters and police clashed and more people were taken into custody.
Seven students are among the at least thirty persons who have been taken into custody.
Police left the area shortly after 5 p.m. following an tense and prolonged standoff between protesters and police that lasted for hours. m.
After they left, a mob broke down the fencing that had been erected around the library. Numerous individuals broke back into the library, according to the police.
It looked like people were climbing into dumpsters to retrieve various items, including pieces of wood.
Tensions subsided. Not for long, though. Just prior to 7 p.m. M. once more, a large number of police officers arrived on campus. Anyone within the library would have to leave immediately or face arrest, they declared over the loudspeaker.
A large number of people stayed in the area even as the number of officers stationed at the library’s entrance increased to over twelve.
The people gathered in front of the library suddenly started to scatter into the streets as a line of police officers advanced. Nonetheless, a number of people were apprehended by police and placed under arrest.
It was reported by the police that they had entered the library and taken into custody those who had escaped.
The Portland Police Bureau planned to leave the library once the school installed fencing, according to a spokesperson for the bureau, Mike Benner, in an email to KATU.
“In addition, our staff members have been working incredibly hard hours in very challenging conditions. He penned, “We are keeping an eye on things.
Although Portland State’s campus was formally closed on Wednesday and Thursday, a spokesman for the institution stated that classes would resume on Friday.
An uneasy calm had settled over the campus by late Thursday night, with only a few people and police visible outside the library.
Authorities in Portland declared that those detained would face legal action.
Protesters linked arms and remained motionless until late in the afternoon. Moreover, protesters threw water bottles at law enforcement. Water bottles were all over the street.
Once, a car was parked on Southwest Hall Street directly in the path of a group of demonstrators. Authorities claim that after using a chemical weapon, possibly pepper spray, the driver fled.
Then, it seemed, people broke the car’s windows and strewn objects all over the road, destroying the vehicle.
PSU officials reportedly took the driver, a man, into custody, according to Portland police. He was placed on a police mental health hold and brought to a hospital.
Seven police officers were hurt during Thursday’s altercation with demonstrators, the majority of whom had minor wounds, according to the police. However, one cop had a knee injury. That officer was transported by ambulance to the hospital.
IN THE MILLAR LIBRARY AND AMID THE RAID.
at approximately six a.m. m. authorities later acknowledged that’s when they entered the library after they appeared on campus.
Not even nine in the morning. M. those who were inside the building fled. Though most escaped, a few were taken into custody.
Portland State University president Ann Cudd made multiple attempts to persuade the protesters to leave before the police intervened. Cudd made a deal with students earlier this week to let them leave the library without facing any repercussions in an effort to mediate the situation amicably.
According to Cudd, the demonstrators turned down the offer, and the police took over the library after they had stayed there for three nights.
“Barricades were everywhere we looked. Many obstacles are placed in our path to slow us down, according to Portland Police Bureau spokesperson Sgt. Kevin Allen.
Within the Millar Library, protesters had erected numerous barriers in addition to those outside.
According to Allen, “officers went inside the building and rode the elevator to the top.”. We took precautions to secure the upper floors before descending the building gradually, methodically, and carefully. “.
One individual sprayed an officer with the contents of a fire extinguisher, but otherwise, police said they faced little opposition. He was taken into custody.
According to authorities, some policemen did use pepper spray on demonstrators.
Cudd stated on Thursday that this wasn’t necessary and restated that everyone inside the library was given the option to exit calmly.
According to police, they were searching for and preparing to arrest any additional demonstrators who had set up camp in the library.
After clearing the library, Portland police made video footage available inside. There was furniture, including a desk and bookshelf, tipped over, and there was graffiti all over the walls. The windows were also covered with tarps.
Additional vandalism was also evident. Books with the slogan “Blood on Your Hands” spray-painted on them. Tents and piled chairs were also present. It seemed that extinguishers for fires had been taken down from the wall.
Last Thursday, protestors started congregating at PSU. Protesters grew more vocal on Friday, calling for the university to sever its relationship with Boeing because the latter sells weapons to the U.S. s. Israel and the military. In reaction, the university announced that it was suspending its philanthropic relationship with Boeing.
