Occupy Portland was a collaboration that began on October 6, 2011, in downtown Portland, Oregon, as a protest and demonstration against economic inequality worldwide. The movement was inspired by the Occupy Wall Street movement that began in New York City on September 17, 2011.
The movement's initial October 6 march drew an estimated 10,000 to Pioneer Courthouse Square. The protesters later set up an encampment in the Plaza Blocks Park near Portland City Hall. The Plaza Blocks include Lownsdale Square on the north side and Chapman Square to the south, which were the focus of the encampment.
On November 10, Portland mayor Sam Adams gave the protesters a deadline to clear out of the park by 12:01 AM on November 13. The order was given in response to rising crime rates and police overtime costs. It was reported in February 2012 that police overtime pay for policing Occupy Portland activities has amounted to approximately US$2 million. The tent city that was the physical base of Occupy Portland was dismantled by the Portland Police on November 13. However, the eponymous organization behind Occupy Portland has continued to plan acts of civil disobedience. On December 12, Occupy Portland led a picket that successfully shut the Port of Portland for the day.
As of July 2012, Occupy Portland had continued to engage in organized meetings, events and actions. As of July 2015, Occupy Portland had continued to organize events and support efforts against war and supporting student debt strikers.
Background
Occupy Portland was inspired by the Occupy Wall Street movement, which in turn was inspired by the Arab Spring and popularized by the anti-commercial activist magazine Adbusters and the group of activist hackers Anonymous.
Occupation of Lownsdale and Chapman squares
Preparations Occupy Portland organizers began work on the rally two weeks prior. Before the march began, rally leaders gathered to share contact information for legal assistance should any arrests be made. Leaders wore arm bands designating roles such as medic, peacekeeper, etc. City officials urged protesters to obtain a permit and to share the intended route. Organizers did neither, but did cooperate with police throughout the day of the rally.
Portland mayor Sam Adams released a statement the morning of October 6 acknowledging Occupy Portland's plans for peaceful protest and warning city residents of potential "disruptions". He insisted that city representatives and the Portland Police Bureau reach out to event organizers to ensure a "peaceful, effective, and orderly event where everyone is safe". The Portland Business Alliance issued a security warning and encouraged downtown businesses to use caution.
Protest
According to the organizers, the protest is based on frustration with "corporate greed and a lack of government accountability." Demonstrators met at Tom McCall Waterfront Park near the Burnside Bridge at noon and began marching along Yamhill Street to Pioneer Courthouse Square starting at 2:30 p.m.
Portland Police estimated the crowd at more than 4,000 people when the march began, increasing to 10,000 by mid-day and filling Pioneer Courthouse Square and its surrounding streets. The size of the crowd forced TriMet, the public agency that operates mass transit throughout the Portland metropolitan area, to temporarily halt operation of the Green and Yellow MAX Light Rail lines along the Portland Transit Mall. Part of Broadway street was closed for nearly an hour and a half. No arrests were made. With permission from Mayor Adams, hundreds of demonstrators settled in Lownsdale and Chapman squares to camp overnight.
Protesters were also occupying the one-block section of SW Main Street between Lownsdale and Chapman Squares. Mayor Adams met with the protesters to ask them to clear the street to allow traffic from the Hawthorne Bridge, which exits onto Main Street, to flow freely. Most, but not all, protesters agreed; on the night of October 12, police cleared the street and made eight arrests, indicating that they would continue to keep the street open.
On October 26, the organizers of Occupy Portland reported the disappearance of $20,000 donated to the group through a PayPal account. Following the loss of the donations, the Occupy Portland finance committee filed with the State of Oregon to incorporate the organization as a non-profit against the wishes of the general assembly, the organizations decision-making forum. Finance committee member Reid Jackson said the filing was made to prevent an infiltrator within the group from capitalizing on the money the movement was attracting.
A protest in the Pearl District began the afternoon of October 29, following a march that ended in Jamison Square. Mayor Sam Adams had prohibited the expansion of the protest into city parks beyond Chapman and Lownsdale squares; when protesters defied him, 27 of them were arrested. Protestors said that the residents of the Pearl District were members of the wealthy demographic they were protesting.Police Arrest Dozens of Occupy Portland Protesters, CBS News, October 30, 2011
Public reaction
Members of Portland's chapter of Veterans for Peace as well as members of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union, the Pacific Northwest Regional Council of Carpenters, Laborers' International Union of North America, and other local labor organizations participated in the march. The executive board of Laborer's Local 483 (LIUNA) released a statement in support of the protest. Mayoral candidate Eileen Brady expressed her support for the demonstration, though she echoed Mayor Sam Adams' contention that protesters should abide by city ordinances and not block streets without a permit.
State Representative Jefferson Smith was the only of three major contenders in Portland's 2012 mayoral race to go on the record as opposing any attempt to remove the protest camp from downtown Portland as long as the protesters remained peaceful. "If things are getting out of hand criminally, we've got to be willing to use force. But we shouldn't be willing to use force merely for the expression of speech," said Smith on October 25.
On October 31, filmmaker Michael Moore visited Occupy Portland protesters and delivered a speech at Terry Schrunk Plaza.(November 01, 2011.) "Michael Moore visits Occupy Portland protesters." The Oregonian. Accessed November 2011. Schrunk Plaza is federally-owned property located next to Chapman and Lownsdale squares, Occupy Portland's main campsites.Saker, Anne (November 01, 2011). "Occupy Portland considers returning to Schrunk Plaza, plans Wednesday rally in support of Oakland general strike." The Oregonian. Accessed November 2011. Ten protesters were arrested for camping at Terry Schrunk Plaza due to a city order prohibiting protesters from expanding their campsites to other city parks. In documents obtained by Judicial Watch, it was revealed that someone within the Obama White House instructed the General Services Administration (GSA) to not arrest Occupy Portland protesters who had broken the law on GSA-owned federal land; this is counter to previous denials by the Obama White House.
Relationship with city officials
Portland's protesters have sought amicable relations with police, city officials and others in the community. Although the protesters failed to obtain a permit for their October 6 March, or for their subsequent rally in Pioneer Courthouse Square, they avoided confrontation with police by stressing a willingness to keep the march and rally peaceful and under control. They succeeded and no arrests were made.
On October 7, the protesters entered negotiations with city officials and Portland police to remain in Lownsdale and Chapman squares. At issue was that the city had granted a permit to the Portland Marathon to assemble in Lownsdale Square on October 9. Protesters agreed to consolidate into Chapman Square, and began negotiating with city, police, and marathon officials over security requirements. On October 8, protesters reached an agreement with the marathon, city and police, and several hundred protesters marched behind marathon runners on October 9. Portland Marathon officials declared the day a success, and event director Les Smith asserted that "the Occupy Portland people have been a godsend for us."
On October 21, Portland Police released crime statistics (including the criminal arrests of the Occupy Portland protesters) that "showed an 81 percent spike in crime compared to the two weeks before the protest started ... Police said between Oct. 6 and 20, there were 11 arrests for vandalism and 16 for disorderly conduct". In the previous two weeks only 2 arrests for each crime occurred. The figures, along with assertions of poor hygiene at the Occupy campsite, were later cited by city officials as justifications for clearing the camp.
Eviction
At 12:01 AM on November 13, Adams gave the order for the Portland Police Bureau to clear out and dismantle the park. Roughly 70% of the campers left promptly, though the remaining 30% stayed. In the following hours, thousands of Portlanders arrived to see events unfold. some Portlanders came in support of the protesters and others came to see how the police would end the occupation. During the night, the police both advanced and pulled back twice with reports of scattered violence. A mounted police officer's horse stepped on a person's foot, a policeman was hit by a firework, and another policeman was hit with a water bottle.
Riot police eventually shut down the protest, arresting dozens. Some protesters claimed excessive force on the part of the police. The police threatened to use chemical agents and impact weapons if the protesters did not disperse. Ultimately, though, the eviction was less violent than in other cities. The police action was streamed live online and received global press coverage.
Soon after dawn, the police were able to sweep away and dismantle most of the tents in the encampment. A group retook the northwest corner of Chapman Square until riot police physically took over the area around noon.
Though the camp was destroyed, the showdown was claimed as a victory by Occupy Portland because the police were pushed back twice and their deadline for dismantling the camp was not met. The group also pointed to the largely nonviolent nature of the downtown protest camp throughout its existence and its ultimate removal.
The city subsequently built a chain-link fence around the two squares to prevent protesters from returning to the camp site. In the evening of November 13, protesters re-formed on Main Street, one block west of the original encampment. The police broke up the assembly.
Post-eviction activities
Picket of the Port of Portland