Portlands post-election march
Portland's post-election march Doug Brown

UPDATED 4:40 pm: Local activists are now voicing concerns over TriMet's decision to possibly suspend downtown service during the protest, saying it may create a dampening effect on protesters' right to free speech. From an email sent to the Mercury:

Portland area residents who plan to protest on Friday are concerned about TriMet's as of yet undisclosed final plans for service. We fully recognize the need to keep people safe as a priority of TriMet and the City of Portland. We ask that TriMet balance this concern with the rights of people to exercise their freedom of speech, and with the needs of people who must get to work, home, and to doctor and other appointments downtown.

And...

"People need to make plans for whatever reason they are coming downtown, and need to know in advance what TriMet will do about Friday's service," said Colleen Caddell, who is planning on coming downtown to peacefully protest. "It's about our ability to exercise our freedom of speech," she said.
"There are also concerns over what cancellation of all TriMet service will do for traffic downtown, especially those trying to get there and home during rush hour," said Lisa Stiller, also planning to peacefully join the protest. "Making an announcement tomorrow morning does not give anyone time to adjust. Although I understand that TriMet is rightfully concerned about safety, postponing an announcement about service can be perceived as a way to interfere with the right to peacefully protest."

UPDATE 2:30 pm: And here's TriMet's official statement on how they will handle service during tomorrow's protest:

During Friday’s planned protest, TriMet plans to provide service into and out of downtown Portland. TriMet appreciates the support of the Portland Police Bureau, under the direction of Portland Mayor Wheeler, who have committed to assisting in keeping our transit system moving. However, if protests become violent and unsafe for our employees and riders, we will alter our service and may temporarily suspend it in the downtown core.

Our riders should be prepared and plan extra time. Those who take TriMet into work or school in downtown Portland Friday morning, are encouraged to head home early.

We apologize to our riders in advance for this inconvenience.

UPDATE 1:45 pm: And right on cue, TriMet Executive Director of Safety and Security Harry Saporta is walking back his threat to suspend MAX and bus lines in the Pioneer Courthouse Square tomorrow because of protests. Now he says it's just a possibility, and as he said to KGW, all services will remain normal "up until that particular moment when we believe it's necessary to alter ...or suspend our service."

UPDATE 1:30 pm: Uh-oh. Apparently Mayor Ted Wheeler isn't exactly pleased with TriMet's decision.


ORIGINAL POST: TriMet has announced they will temporarily stop downtown core service of the MAX and bus lines during tomorrow afternoon's scheduled Inauguration Day protest, citing "safety concerns." As you probably recall following Trump's election, protesters took to the streets in great numbers and some blocked the passage of MAX trains downtown. In a probable response to this, TriMet is temporarily suspending service in the downtown corridor, specifically around the Pioneer Courthouse Square area—though at this point we don't know how long it will last. TriMet says it will fine tune that information later today, so stay tuned.

As Dirk reported yesterday, Mayor Ted Wheeler has set down some fairly clear rules about what might get one arrested during the upcoming protests, and one of those is blocking public transportation. The decision to temporarily stop downtown routes could be in response to that.

If you will be downtown tomorrow, and aren't planning on marching, plan accordingly. More to come when we get it.

For the best, constantly updated protest schedule, see our Resistance & Solidarity calendar.