Portland State University reopens Friday after library cleared

Portland State University reopened for the first time in three days on Friday, May 3. In-person classes and activities were first cancelled on Tuesday after a large group of pro-Palestinian protesters occupied the Millar Library in the center of the downtown campus and refused to leave.

The Portland Police Bureau cleared the library early Thursday with the help of the Oregon State Police. A number of people were arrested there and on nearby streets when they attempted to block the entrance to I-405.

More people were arrested that night when they attempted to reoccupy the library. A total of 30 people were arrested by Friday morning. Only seven were PSU students, PPB said.

Portland police and Portland Fire & Rescue inspectors found extensive damage inside the library.

The fire alarm had been disabled, furniture was piled up in the stairwells, slippery materials were spread on the floors, and graffiti covered walls and computer screens. The library will remain closed until the fall for repairs. No damage estimate was immediately available.

Oregon, Multnomah County, and Portland officials condemned the damage to the library and vandalism during a Wednesday afternoon march through downtown. Fifteen Portland police vehicles were also heavily damaged in a suspected arson attack at the bureau’s training center in Northeast Portland early Thursday. No arrests have yet been made related to these incidents.

Police and Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt said they are working to identify additional suspects, including dozens of people who ran out of the library when police started to move in. Pictures of some of the suspects are posted on the PPB website .