PORTLAND, Ore. — The plywood fence protecting the Multnomah County Courthouse will be removed by early July. Workers installed the temporary barrier in 2020 amid nightly racial justice protests in downtown Portland.
The newly minted courthouse, which opened in October 2020, suffered roughly $550,000 in damage from 2020 through 2022, according to a county spokesperson. Vandalism included broken windows, spray painted walls and other property damage.
Multnomah County Chair Jessica Vega Pederson directed crews to remove the fence. It will be taken down by the weekend of July 8, a county spokesperson confirmed. Workers hope to preserve a “Justice is Blind” mural painted on the fence.
Portland resident Eric Stayer sees the removal of the plywood fence as an important symbol of progress. Downtown Portland is still scarred after violent protests in the summer of 2020 resulting in broken windows, fires and property damage.
“It is necessary to come down,” said Stayer.
Other Portland residents agreed and hope there’s no future damage.
“I’m a little worried,” said Peggy Willer. “I think it will help, obviously taking the boards down makes it a more inviting place for people to feel comfortable coming back, but I do have some concerns.”
The Multnomah County Justice Center, which was repeatedly targeted by protests, will remain partially boarded up. A patchwork of plywood covers the westside of the building in downtown Portland. Multnomah County spokesperson Jessica Morkert-Shibley said officials are still in the planning stages — evaluating alternatives to help increase protection and security at the Justice Center.
In February, Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler directed crews to remove plywood boards covering the windows and glass doors of the Portland Police Bureau’s Central Precinct — which sits on the opposite side of the Justice Center.
There are no current plans to remove the heavy metal fencing and plywood protecting the Mark O. Hatfield federal courthouse, according to a spokesperson for the General Services Administration.