Fiery blasts outside Portland occupation protest raise safety concerns, as blockade enters third day

An occupation protest in Portland meant to prevent the eviction of a Black and Indigenous family has entered into its third day Thursday, as individuals in black and wearing ski masks continued to fortify makeshift barriers blocking several city blocks around the so-called Red House on Mississippi Ave.

Video circulated online showed drivers passed by the occupied zone overnight and tossed fireworks at the barriers marking the entrance to what demonstrators have dubbed an “eviction blockade.” People can be seen running into the protest zone for cover, as smoke fills the street. Another vehicle passes by and tosses a second firework before two loud explosions go off in an intersection.

As daylight broke Thursday, the same structures assembled from materials like plywood, fencing and tires remained in the Humboldt Neighborhood, blocking street access on North Mississippi Avenue between North Skidmore Street and North Prescott.

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The street behind the blockade in the neighborhood of homes, coffee shops and restaurants was laced with booby traps aimed at keeping officers out — including homemade spike strips, piles of rocks and thick bands of plastic wrap stretched at neck-height across the roadway.

Those occupying privately and city-owned properties have stockpiled weapons, assigned armed guards, attacked journalists and spray-painted messages threatening to kill officers, the Portland Police Bureau said in an update Wednesday. Individuals have threatened and assaulted people, and their actions indicate the intent to continue to do harm to the community, police said.

People carrying firearms have been reported in the area.

“Those present at the barricade should leave it behind, put down your weapons and allow the neighborhood to return to peace and order,” police Chief Chuck Lovell said in a video message Wednesday. “The Portland Police will enforce the law and use force if necessary to restore order to the neighborhood. It can be avoided with those participating ending it peacefully by putting down their weapons and leave the barricade.”

“The people living near the barricade have suffered for weeks. That has grown worse. We understand they’re suffering,” Lovell said. “If you live nearby, please report criminal activity in addition to the barricade by calling the police. Remain cautious as you come and go from your home or business. For your own safety, avoid confrontations around the occupation.”

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The protest gained national attention Tuesday when law enforcement conducted a dawn sweep at the property in the 4400 block Mississippi Ave and arrested about a dozen people. Demonstrators tossed objects, including rocks and paint-filled balloons, at officers as they disengaged from the crowd and backed away on foot and in their vehicles down the streets. A police vehicle was doused in a chemical substance, obstructing the windshield. 

Mayor Ted Wheeler said Tuesday that Portland would not tolerate an “autonomous zone,” a reference to a weeks-long protest in Seattle where people essentially took over a several-block area in the city during racial injustice protests.

Individuals have been trespassing and camping out in the front and back yards of the Red House since September, when deputies with the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office first arrived to serve a court notice ordering the eviction of those living at the address. Between Sept. 1 and Nov. 30, there have been 81 calls to the property for fights, gunshots, burglary, vandalism and noise complaints, among other complaints, according to police call log data.

Those supporting the Kinney family, the Black and Indigenous family that faced foreclosure, say the home was unjustly taken through predatory lending practices that target people of color.

The property sold at auction for $260,000, the family said, while the private land next door is valued at more than $10 million. It’s in a historically Black part of Portland that for decades was one of the few areas Black residents could own homes because of racist real estate and zoning laws, according to activists who formed the website Red House at Mississippi. The 124-year-old home was one of the few remaining Black-owned residences in an area that has rapidly gentrified in the past 20 years.

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The bank foreclosed on the property in 2018, but the Kinneys refused to leave. The developer who bought the house at auction filed a lawsuit and the Kinneys counter-sued, alleging they were the victims of predatory loan practices. They most recently requested an emergency stay, citing an eviction moratorium in Oregon during the pandemic. But the moratorium only applies to homeowners suffering pandemic-related financial woes and a judge rejected the request in September.

Police said Wednesday criminal activity associated with the blockade has had a significant impact on the safety of residents in that area and the livability of the neighborhood. Traffic and transit cannot pass. Emergency vehicles, including Fire & Rescue and paramedics, may be delayed or prevented from reaching people in need. Residents cannot move freely to and from their own homes, authorities said. People have reported crimes within the occupied area, including assaults.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.