Portland State protest ‘delusional,’ Wheeler says, as local leaders advise public caution

Hours after Portland police clashed with protesters at Portland State University in the early morning, ostensibly ending a days-long occupation of the school library, city and law enforcement leaders reprimanded protesters while warning the public that this may not be over.

Mayor Ted Wheeler called protesters “delusional” in their efforts to oppose Israel’s tactics in Gaza, which resulted in dozens of people taking over the university’s Branford Price Millar Library.

“I, for the life of me, do not understand how terrorizing local business operators can possibly impact events in the Middle East,” Wheeler said at a Thursday press conference held at the Portland Police Bureau’s Central Precinct. “If you believe that damaging those businesses or trashing a library on a university campus will impact events in the Middle East, then you are delusional.”

Related: Police clear protesters from Portland State University library

In his comments, Wheeler seemed to commingle other recent demonstrations with the PSU protest; a May Day march in downtown Portland Wednesday night left some business windows smashed.

However, Portland Police Bureau Chief Bob Day acknowledged that investigators don’t know if there is any link between the damage to downtown businesses with the library occupation, which did result in damage to campus buildings.

Around 7 a.m., Portland police launched what amounted to a roughly four-hour sweep of the university’s downtown campus. Protesters had in recent days taken over Portland State University’s library and refused to leave until school administrators agreed to several demands, such as severing any ties with companies that conduct business with Israel.

Officers pushed into the building before 8 a.m. and made several arrests as they worked their way through barricades and other man-made obstacles. Several people inside the library also fled the scene, running out the front door and into the streets — as many onlookers on the South Park Blocks cheered them.

The press conference, which also included Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt and Portland State University President Ann Cudd, largely rounded up the police efforts from just hours prior.

Police arrested 12 people during the library sweep, said Sgt. Kevin Allen. Four were PSU students, Allen said, while the rest “are not believed to be affiliated with the university.”

It was unclear how many of the arrests occurred inside the library versus outside, where hundreds of people gathered for much of the day to protest the police action. Day told reporters he did not have that information ready, but noted that at least some of the arrests occurred outside in public view.

Day added that his office intends to track down people who fled the scene.

“We’re actively distributing information with pictures and photos of those who were not arrested,” he said.

Police say they found what they described as makeshift weapons inside the library. Allen described balloons filled with paint, bamboo sticks and a “bucket of ball bearings.” Allen said officers couldn’t be sure what each item’s intended use was, but noted a spray bottle full of ink had a note attached saying it was “supposed to be deployed at officers.”

Schmidt, in his remarks, echoed his statements from earlier in the week: that his office intends to pursue criminal charges “where appropriate.”

“Once the evidence is collected and reviewed, my office is happy to provide updates as charges are issued and that information becomes available,” he said.

Related: Portland State University protests: What to know about the activity on campus

But what Schmidt’s office is able to charge protesters with remains a question. Although graffiti and property damage have been evident from photos and reporter visits to the library, tying specific individuals to specific crimes is going to take time and investigation.

“We’ll be looking at all kinds of evidence that we can gather, with cooperation from police, but things like video, photographic evidence, witness evidence, all of that will be taken into consideration,” he said.

It’s also unclear how much damage the library suffered. Cudd told reporters there was no timeline for it to reopen and no financial assessment of potential repairs and property losses yet.

Everyone who spoke stressed caution. Day, in his remarks, mentioned 2020, when protesters took to Portland streets for months after police officers in Minneapolis killed George Floyd.

“I know that Portlanders at their core want to bring about real change,” Day said. “And this isn’t the way to go about it.”

In another echo of 2020, when officials erected a fence around the Multnomah County Courthouse, university workers on Thursday afternoon appeared to begin installing chainlink fencing around the library. By Thursday evening, people had taken down the fencing and were making attempts to illegally reenter the library.

Related: Before the Portland State sweep: Dancing, donations and a growing sense of worry

Wheeler said the sweep and arrests Thursdays may not be the end. He said police are still deployed, and the situation is active.

“Nobody is declaring victory,” he said.