PSU library occupation continues as some leave, ‘number of non-students’ remain
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Portland State University’s campus is closed for a second day while protesters calling for a ceasefire in Gaza hold out at Millar Library.
The occupation began late Monday night when the main crowds dispersed for the evening and a smaller group of protesters broke into the building to barricade themselves inside.
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KOIN 6 News reporter Elise Haas entered the library on Tuesday — finding graffiti, broken glass and smashed computers.
A statement from PSU President Ann Cudd shared that the school administration and occupiers nearly reached an agreement around midnight to have students peacefully remove themselves by 1:30 a.m.
“I fervently wish that the students in the library had signed on to our agreement, but, after their negotiators told us they had a deal, they apparently chose not to sign,” Cudd said, adding that roughly 50 students did leave “of their own accord” overnight.
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However, several students and non-student occupiers remain in the building as of Wednesday morning. It is not clear how long Portland police will wait to act, but police drones were spotted flying overhead around 11 p.m. Tuesday night.
According to PPB, time is the tactic they’re using to de-escalate the situation.
“Really it depends on the context of the challenge that they’re facing,” Travis Norton, a retired police lieutenant, told KOIN 6 News. “So there is information and intelligence for Portland that, ‘Hey, our best tactic here is to give this time.’”
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“It is my understanding that there are a number of non-students who remain in the library as part of the protest,” Cudd said in a statement Wednesday morning. “I continue to hope for a peaceful resolution and I offer my thanks to the entire PSU community for continuing to care for each other.”
In a previous announcement Tuesday, Cudd requested that Portland police remove the “trespassers” inside the library and called for the immediate end to the standoff.
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“Many of us have seen the vandalism to our library and while the cost of property damage cannot compare to the cost of human lives, this destructive protest is weighing heavily on our campus community who collectively pay for our facilities and expect and deserve to use them in a setting that is welcoming to all students,” Cudd said.
Here is the full statement from President Cudd:
Meanwhile, tensions have grown in front of the building as one counter protester told KOIN 6 News, “This is absolutely not the way to go about it – not even remotely. I think that whatever support they had they probably have been lost.”
However, occupiers said they plan to stand their ground until their demands – like PSU cutting ties with Boeing – are met.
“We’ll start replacing windows, start cleaning graffiti. I mean, the graffiti isn’t the message,” one protester, J, said. “The message is, there’s babies are being killed, and there’s evil going on. And the establishment is doing what they have done for way too long. And everybody’s tired of it.”
Stay tuned with KOIN 6 as this story develops.
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