PORTLAND, Ore. — The Portland State University (PSU) library's fire alarm system was damaged during the nearly four-day occupation of the building, along with other interior damage like broken glass and graffiti, according to Portland Fire & Rescue (PF&R). The occupation started with a peaceful rally on campus, decrying the war in Gaza and Israeli involvement; a group then broke into the library Monday morning.
The Branford Price Millar Library was declared cleared by the Portland Police Bureau (PPB) around 10:17 a.m. While officers were clearing the library, PPB said they found tools, improvised weapons, ball bearings, paint balloons, spray bottles of ink and DIY armor, none of which were used against officers.
PPB also shared video of officers tearing down the barricades and entering the library. Many of the walls, as well as some of the ground and interior pillars, were spray painted with messages like "Free Palestine" and "How many kids need to die?" Some ceiling tiles were also seen shattered on the floor.
Additional video from inside the building showed camping tents and sleeping bags, a TV ripped from the wall, flipped-over filing cabinets, shattered glass and leftover snacks and water bottles. Messages scrawled on the walls included "Resistance until liberation," "Cut ties with Boeing permanently," "From the river to the sea," and "Israel, USA, how many kids did you kill today?" along with peace, heart and anarchy symbols, as well as arrows to fire exits and bathrooms.
The stairwells were also filled with chairs and more graffiti, such as death toll statistics from the war in Gaza.
PHOTOS: Portland State University library damage
PF&R officers said Thursday afternoon that the life safety alert system inside the library was damaged, including the strobes and horns. Some fire extinguishers and manual pull stations have also been used and will need to be reset or replaced, PF&R added.
However, the fire suppression system and smoke detectors are intact, PF&R said, and should still trigger a commercial alarm fire response if activated. The building will be boarded up while the fire alarm system is being repaired, PF&R said.
Thursday evening, PSU President Ann Cudd thanked police efforts and stressed that those in the library had a chance to leave without expulsion or suspension prior to police moving in.
"Of course, we support the free speech rights of our students concerned about the horrors of war and the killings of innocence in Gaza. But we must take care of all of our students and provide a safe learning environment," she said.
Meanwhile, some students KGW spoke with were supportive of the protesters but not the library's vandalism.
“Camping out in the library is one thing. Vandalizing is another,” Brady Roland, a PSU freshman, told KGW, adding that the administration should not have sent police in.
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Photos from inside the building Wednesday showed some shattered panes of floor-to-ceiling glass around study areas like the Thomas C. Bielavitz Graduate Collaboration Hub, along with graffiti on surrounding walls, doors and at least one computer screen. A fire alarm had also been seen ripped from a wall, surrounded by gouges into the wall and a nearby door.
Protesters inside the library also set up makeshift barricades from tables and chairs that limited access into the building.
PHOTOS: PSU library occupation
PPB had described the library occupation as distinct from the protests outside, which it characterized as peaceful, while describing the library occupation tactics as "criminal, threatening and destructive."
The protesters called on the university to cut ties with Boeing because the company manufactures military hardware to Israel; PSU said it would pause accepting financial gifts from the aerospace company. They also asked that the university call for an immediate ceasefire, eliminate public safety officers and stop selling Israeli products on campus.
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