Posted on 07/25/2018 8:56:32 AM PDT by jazusamo
Video at link.
Portland police Wednesday morning cleared the last remaining protesters from an encampment at the Southwest Portland offices of the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency.
About a dozen protesters had remained at the headquarters in South Waterfront after the camp five weeks ago was created by demonstrators saying they were acting against the immigration policies of the Trump administration.
Police released a statement about 4:30 a.m. saying Portland officers were assisting in cleaning up the Occupy ICE Camp near Southwest Macadam Avenue and Bancroft Street.
The city had warned remaining campers Monday night that they needed to leave or face arrest after Tuesday.
Most occupiers, which at the camp's height numbered in the hundreds, had left over the past few weeks.
Police Wednesday morning taped off the area around the ICE headquarters and closed the intersection. About a dozen protesters initially remained, standing at the intersection of Lowell Street and Moody Avenue. By 6:30 a.m., only about five were still at the scene.
Police said protesters were subject to citation or arrest for charges including trespassing, illegal camping on public property and illegal structures on public property. The police statement said its explosives unit and Portland Fire & Rescue personnel were present as precautions.
Shortly after 6 a.m., Portland Police Chief Danielle Outlaw held a news conference at the site.
She said police have received 76 calls during the encampment and have responded to 41 of them. She also said the roads near the ICE headquarters were needed for access to medical facilities in the area.
Outlaw also said the camp posed fire and biomedical hazards.
"We knew we had to get ahead of it before it spiraled out of control," she said.
Outlaw said after bringing those reasons to Mayor Ted Wheeler, he then "fully supported" clearing the camp of occupiers.
The occupation began five weeks ago, when protesters set up a makeshift camp at the building and have been there around the clock since. They said their intention is to protest the Trump administration's policy of separating children and parents who are detained after border crossings and seek the abolishment of ICE.
The field office closed for days because protesters blocked its entrances. Several demonstrators were detained and charged with misdemeanors when federal police moved to reopen the building. Protesters carried on, with tensions between their ranks and federal officers flaring up on occasion.
Demonstrations came to a head last week, when members of the right-wing Patriot Prayer group came to the campsite and argued with protesters . Three demonstrators were arrested at the time for crossing police lines and preventing access to the building.
A faction of protesters left voluntarily Monday, Eudaly said. Wheeler encouraged others to follow suit.
Wheeler said he supports protesters' cause , but believes the camp-out demonstration is no longer "sustainable."
"To all demonstrators: I urge you to keep up this effort," Wheeler said. He added that he believes it is time to for protesters to "move on" and focus on changing immigration policy, rather than camping at the ICE field office.
Contract workers began cleaning the campsite about 8 a.m. They planned to collect items of "obvious utility and value" left behind. The bureau will store the items, and people can claim any belongings until Sept. 1, 2018 by contacting Pacific Patrol Services at 503-595-3440.
The action shut down numerous streets as the morning commute began, including:
This is a nice touch too - https://twitchy.com/gregp-3534/2018/07/25/journalist-confirms-report-that-abolish-ice-protesters-in-portland-spewed-racist-insults-at-nonwhite-officers/?utm_campaign=twitchywidget
No fire hydrants or water hoses in the area? Can’t water be trucked in for hoses? Clean them out every time they set up camp on public land!
Scoops!
The front entity is the Jarrett/Obama subversion enterprise.
Yep, you see part of the problem.
I’d be willing to bet it was the home owners in the high priced condos who complained.
I fully admit that I have no interest in rational discussion with people who take their filthy approach, and that is not even taking into account their stance on a particular issue that I disagree with on a fundamental level, such as abolishing ICE.
I doubt they are issuing checks, but what the heck. They’ve gotten away with so much, they may think they are bullet-proof.
that thing is named OUTLAW???
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