‘Floor by floor’: Police chief addresses effort to remove PSU protesters from library

Aimee Plante
·2 min read
9

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – As Portland police made their way into the Portland State University library to remove protesters from the building, Chief Bob Day shared his thoughts on the ongoing dispersal.

The Portland Police Bureau entered the library just before 8 a.m., moving slowly through and clearing barricades as they went. By 9 a.m., they had made their way into the building as protesters ran from the area and some faced arrest.

Police make entry into PSU’s library to begin clearing, shelter in place declared

PPB said that they are not using tear gas. However, officers are armed with 40mm less-lethal launchers, which are regulated by PPB’s use of force policies.

“This is a very methodical, planned approach, just going floor by floor” Chief Day said. “We have been consistently messaged overnight and through these early morning hours encouraging people to leave the library, making sure that everybody in the library knows the library is closed.”

But PSU isn’t the only place that has seen unrest in the past 24 hours. More than a dozen Portland police training vehicles were damaged or destroyed at a training facility on Northeast Airport Way overnight.

15 Portland police cars burned overnight at training facility

When officers arrived, they said they found 15 vehicles inside the fenced training area burning. The fires were put out and no injuries were reported. However, police say this incident is being investigated as arson.

Meanwhile, police in downtown Portland also responded to smashed windows and thrown chairs near the Pioneer Courthouse.

“Last night’s events downtown were really just a tragedy. It saddens me to see the unwillingness for people to exercise their First Amendment rights in a way that gets their message out but also protects the rights of others,” Chief Bob Day said in an interview Thursday morning.

PHOTOS: Protesters vandalize Portland State office, Pioneer Courthouse Square

As the day progresses, PSU will be closed Thursday and the area from Southwest Broadway to Southwest 11th Street and between Southwest College Street and Southwest Mill Street the roads are closed off. Southwest Broadway is still open to pedestrian and vehicular traffic.

Stay with KOIN 6 News as this story develops.

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