Portland Police Trying to Remove Protesters from PSU Library

“Leave now.”  That’s the message you can hear in downtown Portland right now, as police try to remove protesters who’ve occupied the main library at the PSU campus in downtown Portland.  “Leave the South Park blocks,”  is the message from a loudspeaker on a sound truck.   Police are warning about trespassing charges against anyone staying in the library or the South Park Blocks.

“Free, free Palestine,”  was the chant last night, as pro-Palestinian marchers demonstrated in downtown Portland.  Police say some broke windows at Pioneer Courthouse Square and used fireworks to damage businesses.

“Having taught for 35 years in university, I obviously would like peace in our classrooms,” says Steve Wasserstrom.  He is a recently retired Jewish studies professor from Portland’s Reed College. “It’s rather extraordinary to see this the same kind of police activity all over the country.”

And for him, it looks like history’s dangerously close to repeating itself.  “I was in Ohio during Kent State, calling out the National Guard and then shooting the kids on campus.   God forbid it should happen again now.”