PORTLAND, Oregon — One of the last remnants of the 2020 protests is coming down.
As of Tuesday, workers are beginning to remove the fencing along the perimeter of Mark O. Hatfield U.S. Courthouse in downtown Portland.
This comes as large, stainless steel airplane hangar-type doors that can be lowered to protect the front of the building have been installed on the west side of the building. During the 2020 protests, the federal courthouse in downtown Portland suffered $1.6 million in damages, according to a federal report.
At 16 stories, the courthouse is the 10th-tallest building in Portland. Construction was completed in 1997 to the tune of $129 million, making the Mark O. Hatfield U.S. Courthouse the fifth most-expensive courthouse of its size constructed in the 1990s.
Across the street, the Multnomah County Justice Center is looking ahead to more permanent security measures.
On May 29, 2020, in response to the death of George Floyd, rioters smashed their way into the Multnomah County Justice Center and set small fires while employees worked inside. The building sustained significant damage to the exterior during protests, including broken windows and spray-painted graffiti.
Plywood boards have been protecting the building for nearly four years. Earlier this year, permit applications filed with the city of Portland indicated that metal screens will be added to protect entry doors and bulletproof glass installed to shield windows. Construction at the Justice Center is expected to begin in December, with scheduled completion in March 2025.
The security upgrades to the Multnomah County Justice Center are expected to cost $3 million, according to a county spokesperson.
In response to civil unrest during the summer of 2020 and the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, Congress approved a total of $127.5 million in funding during fiscal years 2022 and 2023 to harden court facilities.
The fence around the federal courthouse was taken down once before, in March 2021, about a year after the protests. The day after the fence came down, a crowd of people gathered outside the courthouse, breaking windows and setting a fire, causing thousands of dollars of damage. The fence went back up around the courthouse days later.
In July 2023, the plywood fence around the Multnomah County Courthouse, which had also been in place since 2020, was removed.
