VIDEO: Extensive look at the destruction left inside the PSU library
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — New video taken inside Portland State University’s Millar Library shows a staggering amount of graffiti strewn throughout multiple floors of the building, which was occupied by protesters demanding a ceasefire in Gaza for more than two days before the Portland Police Bureau cleared the premises Thursday morning.
Graffiti was marked across windows, walls, ceilings, floors, furniture, doors, bookshelves, computer screens and more. Additional damage seen inside the building included smashed windows, furniture tossed into makeshift barricades, a broken fire alarm system, piles of garbage and a flatscreen stripped from the walls of an elevator bank.
Occupiers also left behind tents, pillows, blankets and large supplies of toiletries, food and water, suggesting that they could have remained inside the building for an extended amount of time. The protesters went as far as to mark off specific areas of the building for various needs, the video shows. Signs for a “lounge area,” “medic,” “safe rest space” and “bathroom” were labeled throughout the library.
Stacks of wooden pallets, traffic barriers and other building materials also lined the building's entryways. It’s unclear how much it will cost or how long it will take to clean the public library. According to the PPB Bike Squad Instagram page, cleanup crews were already working to clear some of the debris Thursday afternoon. The campus remains closed.
When police began arresting occupiers Thursday, four of the 12 suspects initially arrested were said to be PSU students. The number of arrests has since grown to 22. One PSU architecture student who asked to go by the name T. Priest told KOIN 6 News that she's devastated by the loss of the library.
“I’m very, very lucky to be able to get my education here and these resources are going to be dearly missed by people,” Priest said. “… We don’t have these resources anymore and it’s a huge hit to us because [we] don’t have access to the things in this building. It’s not up to code anymore so it’s going to be shut down for months.”
As of 5 p.m., Thursday KOIN 6 News reporters Brandon Thompson and Ariel Salk reported that people were seen reentering the library and removing plywood covering from windows. At 5:30 p.m. a KOIN 6 camera crew recorded protesters erecting chain-link fences around the perimeter of the library, setting up another potential standoff between police and protesters.
Stay with KOIN 6 as reporters continue to provide ongoing coverage of the protest.