If you wonder what city has the worst leftist activists in the country, I think it's fair to say there's no real contest there. As we found out during the BLM riots, it was Portland, hands down.
When you attack a federal building for more than 100 days in a row, I think you win the "you're the worst" award.
The problem is that the government has allowed this to fester and get out of hand for years as the radicals have continued to break the law, often with few consequences.
Now we come to the present shiny object, with the campus protests at Portland State University supposedly for "Gaza." The radicals seized the library and occupied it on Monday. Police finally went in on Thursday and what they found was truly disgusting. First they had to watch out because the radicals had spread soap on the floor, apparently with the hope that police who came in might slip and fall. Then they had to break through and take down all the barricades that had been erected by the radicals.
Video of the officers breaking through a barricaded door to the 1st floor. You can hear them warning about a "slick floor." They encountered soap or some other slippery substance on the floor that was likely intended to cause police to slip and fall. pic.twitter.com/ZTiUORXkog
— PPB Event Messages (@PPBAlerts) May 2, 2024
KOIN 6 News report inside the PSU library encampment. It's revealed they ripped out the fire alarm system after barricading themselves in. This is an extreme hazard, and I would imagine a huge liability for PSU. pic.twitter.com/wVryQfJGN4
— Dixie (@OSiiNT) May 2, 2024
The damage to the building has to be in the tens of thousands of dollars, if not more. They smashed glass displays, turned over and broke furniture, damaged the fire system, spread paint on the floor, and graffitied everything. The place was trashed. Police said it wasn't even safe to now occupy because the fire system wouldn't work.
The police also found improvised weapons including ball bearings, paint balloons, spray bottles of ink and DIY armor.
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
They posted that but it looks like maybe the soap or slippery substance was used.
Among the graffiti messaging, "We want it all by any means necessary."
A couple more photographs from inside the library. Officers have done an initial clear of the roof and multiple floors. Working slowly and carefully through the building. Still a lot of work to do. pic.twitter.com/0iF0qDmZBW
— PPB Event Messages (@PPBAlerts) May 2, 2024
They also wrote on the wall about how they could continue these operations when classes ended, so they could keep it all going.
In addition to the damage, there were also reportedly possible theft of rare archival material, including a Dark Horse comic collection that was in the library. It's not yet clear how much that has cost.
So what happened when they cleared the police cleared the building?
While the police were clearing the building, some of the radicals went to the front door and then just ran right out.
According to local news, police just let the majority of the Portland State library occupiers run out of the building without being stopped or arrested. pic.twitter.com/pPxRGNznDZ
— Dixie (@OSiiNT) May 2, 2024
It didn't appear that there was any attempt made to stop them. Great job there.. So will any of them be held accountable?
However, 12 people were arrested, of whom 4 were determined to be students.
The police were attacked by one person with a shield and sprayed by another with a fire extinguisher. The radicals also tried to block a police van and the crowd outside also threw water bottles at the police, which injured one officer.
Oh, and let's not forget this happened as police were planning on moving in -- 15 police vehicles were torched in a suspected arson. I'm sure that's a coincidence.
As police are moving in & preparing to clear out Portland State University library, it's reported that 15 Portland police vehicles were set on fire at the training facility in an act of suspected arson. pic.twitter.com/Y2Cqqt3cLG
— Dixie (@OSiiNT) May 2, 2024
But that wasn't quite the end of it. After the police left they came back and tried to set things up again, and the police had to come back and arrest 18 more people, of whom three were students.
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