Portland's 'Red House on Mississippi' owner in talks to possibly sell it back, as protests hit tipping point
An attempt to evict a Black, Indigenous family that has owned house since the 1950s set off violent protests
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The real estate developer at the heart of Portland's “Red House on Mississippi” controversy has discussed selling the home back after months of protests hit a tipping point over the past week, according to reports.
Roman Ozeruga, 33, bought the house, which is located on Mississippi Ave in North Portland, through a foreclosure sale in 2018 for $260,000. The attempt to evict the Kinney family, a Black and Indigenous family that has owned the house since the 1950s, set off protests from left-wing activists.
Protesters started to camp out around the house, expressing outrage against gentrification and the eviction of the family. The protests intensified over the past week as protesters attempted to fortify the area around the house, establishing a “Red House Autonomous Zone.”
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The intense struggle around the house has caused such a headache for Ozergua that he has offered to sell the property back to the Kinneys, at cost, The Oregonian reported.
PORTLAND, OR - DECEMBER 09: Layers of chainlink fence and wood block the entry to the Red House on Mississippi Street on December 9, 2020 in Portland, Oregon. Police and protesters clashed during an attempted eviction Tuesday morning, leading protesters to establish a barricade around the Red House. (Photo by Nathan Howard/Getty Images)
“We are a small family business, we don’t seek to hurt anyone, of course,” said Ozeruga, the co-owner of Urban Housing Development LLC. “We’re overwhelmed by the attention to this. We’ve already offered to sell back the property at cost because, of course, we’ve paid taxes, legal fees, bank fees, etc.”
Ozeruga added that he’s been in touch with Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler’s office.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}FIERY BLASTS OUTSIDE PORTLAND OCCUPATION PROTEST RAISE SAFETY CONCERNS, AS BLOCKADE ENTERS THIRD DAY
"We appreciate the opportunity to listen to what people have to say," Ozeruga said in a statement to Portland TV station KGW. "We are very much open to listen to proposals that can de-escalate and prevent violence that would benefit the neighborhood & community."
Masked protesters by an occupied home speak with a neighborhood resident opposed to their encampment and demonstration in Portland, Ore., on Wednesday, Dec. 9, 2020. Makeshift barricades erected by protesters are still up in Oregon's largest city a day after Portland police arrested about a dozen people in a clash over gentrification and the eviction of a family from a home. (AP Photo/Gillian Flaccus)
The Kinneys paid off their house but took out a new mortgage to pay defense lawyers after a family member was arrested in 2002, the Red House on the Mississippi group has said.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}PORTLAND POLICE CHIEF CALLS FOR RETURN TO PEACE AND ORDER AMID STANDOFF OVER BARRICADED HOME
“The space at the Red House is an active eviction blockade,” the PNW Youth Liberation Front, a social activist group, tweeted Thursday morning. “If you enter that space not to defend the Kinney family, but to livestream or film the risks that others are taking for your personal gain, then you are a guest.”
“If you aren’t respectful, you will be an unwelcome one.”
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Wheeler on Tuesday authorized police to use “all lawful means” in ending the occupation, which led to violent clashes in broad daylight.
Police before making the arrests blocked streets and sidewalks around the property to help sheriff’s deputies get the people off of the property, a police statement said.
By Wednesday, occupiers had stockpiled defensive gear and laid down booby traps aimed to keep officers out, including piles of rocks and homemade spike strips to puncture the tires of any vehicles that could breach the barricades, according to reports.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“Help us occupy this land,” said Ragina Rage, an activist and community organizer, according to The Oregonian. “Help us do this so that we can protect other families that they’re going to do this to. They will target other Black and brown families because of the anti-Blackness that exists within this ... system.”
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The Portland Police Bureau on Wednesday said those involved in the occupation have threatened and assaulted people and "their actions indicate the intent to continue to do harm to the community."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Fox News' David Aaro and The Associated Press contributed to this report.