Police in Portland, Oregon, said they arrested 12 people Thursday after clearing out dozens of anti-Israel protesters holed up inside the main library at Portland State University.
The Portland Police Bureau said only four of those taken into custody were students at PSU when the arrests were made around 11 a.m. local time.
News crews captured some occupiers sprinting from Millar Library as riot gear-clad police began tearing down the barricades erected inside the building.
Authorities said they found makeshift weapons and armor, as well as tools, ink-filled spray bottles, ball bearings and paint balloons, once they cleared out the library at about 10:15 a.m.
We can now confirm that our clear of the @Portland_State library is complete. We have found caches of tools, what appears to be improvised weapons, ball bearings, paint balloons, spray bottles of ink, and DIY armor. None of this was used on police. pic.twitter.com/DZ0pcvN61V
— PPB Event Messages (@PPBAlerts) May 2, 2024
Police said they also noticed the floor was coated with a soapy substance and was likely intended to make officers slip and fall.
Occupiers had already vandalized the library with graffiti and had smashed computers and glass ever since they broke into the building Monday night.
Before entering the library, police loudspeakers warned occupiers they would be charged with second-degree trespass if they remained in the building.
“What we’ve seen take place so far on the Park Blocks, while distressing to see, has been peaceful and calm overall, which is an immense relief. The safety and well-being of our campus community is our top priority,” PSU President Ann Cudd wrote in a statement. “We took this step only after extensive negotiations using faculty members as intermediaries. We look forward to opening our campus to all students as soon as possible.”
The relative ease of Thursday’s library clearing operation followed a chaotic scene overnight in other parts of the city.
Roughly 100 protesters marched through downtown late Wednesday and left smashed windows, broken tables and graffiti in their wake, according to local NBC affiliate KGW-TV.
Around 2 a.m. Thursday, police said 15 PPB vehicles were torched at a training station in the northeastern part of the city.
“I fully condemn the criminal actions taken Thursday morning that resulted in the burning of 15 Portland Police Bureau cars and endangers first responders and the surrounding community,” Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek, a Democrat, said in a statement. “I have absolutely no tolerance for discriminatory harassment, violence, or property damage. This includes the acts of vandalism seen this week at the Portland State University library and against nearby businesses.”
Police said they opted for a forceful removal of the library protesters after the occupants shut down any lines of communication with those outside the building.
Ms. Cudd, PSU’s president, said those inside the facility were a mix of PSU students, faculty and community members.
Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt said earlier this week felony charges ranging from burglary to criminal mischief are on the table for the protesters, depending on the evidence gathered by police.
Authorities nationwide are cracking down on protest camps at college campuses that formed over the Israel-Hamas war.
Earlier Thursday, Los Angeles police started tearing down barricades erected by pro-Palestinian demonstrators at UCLA.
Some of the hundreds of protesters were detained after refusing to leave.
The encampment at UCLA became fraught with conflict after counterprotesters attacked the camp walls and demonstrators Tuesday night.
Also that day, police in New York City took 280 people into custody after hordes of pro-Palestinian supporters broke into an academic building at Columbia University.
“There’s nothing peaceful about barricading buildings, destroying property and dismantling security cameras,” Mayor Eric Adams said in response to the arrests. “We cannot allow lawful protest to turn into a violent spectacle that serves no purpose.”
More than 1,000 people have been apprehended across the nation since the camps began sprouting up two weeks ago.
• This story is based in part on wire service reports.
• Matt Delaney can be reached at mdelaney@washingtontimes.com.
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