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

Amid the dancing, singing, and cheers outside Portland State University’s Branford Price Millar Library Wednesday evening, there was a sense of unease growing among the group of over 100 demonstrators gathered on campus.

“We haven’t been able to get a break,” said one student, who first joined the protest against Israel’s role in the ongoing war in Gaza Tuesday morning after coming to the library to study. A group of protesters took over the building Monday evening, and painted anti-war statements on indoor walls and windows. They were warned later that night that Portland police had been authorized to arrest occupants for trespassing. Many hadn’t slept for over 24 hours.

“As soon as you go home, you just feel like you need to be back here,” said the student, who asked to remain anonymous because they feared retaliation. “We know police are watching.”

Around midnight Wednesday, many demonstrators restlessly paced in front of the entrance to the library, which had been barricaded by a mix of plywood, construction fencing, garbage cans, furniture and other items held together with plastic cords and rope. Earlier that evening, the university announced the school would be open Thursday morning, after being shuttered two days due to the protest.

To protesters, this was a sign that a law enforcement raid wasn’t far off.

Police arrived on campus six hours later. By 10:30 a.m., officers said they had cleared the entire library and made several arrests.

Earlier Wednesday evening, some people who attended a May Day march in downtown Portland smashed business windows, drawing a quick rebuke from law enforcement. Some of those people then came to the library, where bystanders said they attempted to forcefully push past protesters inside, injuring some campus demonstrators in the process. This group eventually left campus, but rattled protesters.

Several student activists who also asked to remain anonymous told OPB they were worried that the actions of those people would attract law enforcement — and harm the message of their protest.

“We’ve seen it in the past with other movements, people taking the worst and making it into the majority,” said one student protester. “Almost all of the people here are here to support the people in Gaza and to make the demands heard for PSU. There were just a couple of people who have decided to take that opportunity to do whatever the fuck they want.”

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

Another student chimed in to agree:

“I think especially with things like this. The kind of action that people have made of occupying the library attracts a lot of people who see it as an illegal action and everything illegal is fun,” they said. “So they want to join in on that fun.”

“That being said,” they continued, “there is nothing that I see as violent or malicious going on inside the library right now.”

The first floor of the library was calm late Wednesday evening, with demonstrators quietly organizing donated supplies, like water bottles, hand warmers, and first aid supplies, and welcoming visitors. Activists would not offer an estimate of how many people occupied the entire building, out of concern for their safety.

A Justin Bieber song played from a nearby speaker, and some people sang along.

Outside, about 75 demonstrators staged a “die in,” laying silently on the pavement in front of the building for 15 minutes, as a speaker read the names of Palestinian children who had been killed in Gaza. Some people held each other close as a light rain began to fall. Later, demonstrators circled up, locking arms and dancing in the rain. Others huddled under trees or building overhangs, watching for police.

One protester, who gave his name as Nestor, said his religion is what drew him to the campus protest.

“I’m a Jew,” Nestor said, “I’m proud to be a Jew. But to see people that look like me that are tangentially related to me doing what is being done in Palestine right now, that offends me.”

Related: Portland State University, protesters say negotiations broke down overnight

He said he wanted the public to understand that demonstrators’ views — and backgrounds — were not monolithic.

“I can’t speak to what a solution looks like and I’m sure there are varying opinions within this camp about what a solution looks like,” he said. “And I’m sure there are people that disagree about what a solution looks like — I’ve actually experienced disagreement myself.”

He continued: “But I’d rather live in a city where people react to injustice than one where people sit and try to pretend it does not exist.”