THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 10
10 am—Mayor Sam Adams announces Occupy Portland’s camps in Chapman and Lownsdale Squares will face eviction as soon as Sunday morning at 12:01.
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 11
Noon—Portland police fret that 150 anarchists may arrive as reinforcements, that protesters are building weapons, and that “people may be in the trees during a police action.” Later, a tent is raided and concrete chunks are removed.
All Day—Social services agencies send in workers to coax campers into packing up for shelters or motel rooms. Key tents, like engineering and media, get ready to go.
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 12
1 pm—Worried about confiscation, occupiers clear out dozens of tents and finish disassembling their giant kitchen.
5 pm—Two hundred people rally in Pioneer Courthouse Square before marching to the camps for a dance party at Terry Schrunk Plaza.
10 pm—The crowd begins swelling to an estimated 5,000, spilling into the streets surrounding Occupy. Twenty clergy members lead a candlelight vigil, while elsewhere occupiers dip masks in vinegar to counter tear gas effects and urge people to strip and coat themselves in Crisco to keep warm.
11 pm—The masses re-occupy SW Main. The protest feels like a jubilant New Year’s Eve party. A swarm of bicyclists show up and circle the streets.
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 13
12:01 am—Wooop! A cheery countdown marks the eviction deadline. Champagne is served in Chapman Square. Someone advertises free caviar, coffee, and kisses.
1:30 am—Police in riot gear announce the crowd must clear SW Main or face arrest or use of tear gas or pepper spray.
1:45 am—Riot police and five mounted patrol officers move into the crowd on SW Main, demanding the crowd clear the road. The crowd chants, “You’re sexy! You’re cute! Take off that riot suit!” and holds its ground.
2 am—The tension breaks: Two people in the crowd throw objects at police officers. One officer is struck and injured, falling to the ground. As the officer is taken to the hospital (he fully recovers), the crowd pushes out the suspected culprit, who is arrested. Demonstrators surge against the mounted patrol and then nearly surround riot cops.
2:30 am—Police give up SW 3rd, form line across SW Madison. The crowd chants, sings, and stays put.
4:30 am—Standoff continues. One officer is reportedly seen crying as protesters tell cops they love them.
6 am—As dawn breaks, police order protesters back to Chapman Square. Bike swarm surges down SW Madison, pushing riot cops aside. Jubilant occupiers head back for buckets of donated Voodoo Doughnuts.
8 am—Mayor Adams, outside city hall, says it was neither a win nor a disappointment. “I’m here to enforce laws and keep peace. I’m not here to tally scores. This isn’t a game.”
9:35 am—With the parks emptying, police and parks workers slowly move in and trash the remaining tents.
12:10 pm—Roughly 600 protesters flood back to the parks, targeting a holdout “fort” in Chapman. The general assembly moves there from Pioneer Courthouse Square.
12:20 pm—Riot cops encircle the few dozen who make it inside, block hundreds more across SW 4th. They begin to clear the park, with batons swinging. The crowd pushes back.
1:20 pm—TriMet stops service on the downtown bus mall, fearing the protest crowds.
2 pm—Police are well on their way to making some 51 arrests and destroying the holdout fort.
2:30 pm—The crowd has been penned up on SW Main, between 4th and 5th. Tear gas launchers, rubber bullets, and pepper spray are on display. “We never came close to using tear gas,” Assistant Chief Larry O’Dea says on Monday. Voodoo Doughnuts are offered to police.
5 pm—Finally, something gives. The crowd surges toward Pioneer Courthouse Square for a general assembly.
9 pm—A diehard bunch head back to the fenced-off heavily guarded parks and march around them.
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 14
2:15 pm—Chief Mike Reese and Adams announce, “Our work has gone as peacefully as it possibly could.”
3 pm—Police show video trying to refute claims that protester Justin James Bridges was injured.
5 pm—The Mercury reveals Reese has registered a fundraising committee to run for mayor. More on that in [www.portlandmercury.com/portland/hall-monitor/Content?oid=5094415|this week’s Hall Monitor].
I’m still waiting to see any video at all showing Justin getting hit, let alone the cops trying to break his fingers or drag him by his bandana, as he has claimed.
I was there (freezing to death) until 4:30am, and it was a moving send-off for the camp. There was a general sense that its time had come — that the increasingly unsavory makeup of the camp was distracting far too much from the movement. The people who came out did so to celebrate and reaffirm their support for the cause, which is not so nebulous as the media depicts, and to show that the camp is not just about a gaggle of grimy lumpen-proletariat. The Portland police did an excellent job by and large by not breaking up the demonstration at its peak and waiting until it had dissipated enough for the camp to be more peacefully dismantled. I am heartened that the Occupy movements are regrouping and moving toward more community involvement. I’m saddened that the arc of events indicates that all of this sturm und drang may just be another doomed May ’68 nonevent.
Worst…Burning Man…Ever.
Major chain retailers to Adams:
“Hey, your tax base is gonna really be affected by these clowns come Black Friday……MOVE EM OUT!”
@3 Ha HA HA!!!
Ev’rybody’s talkin’ ‘bout
Head lice, head lice, head lice
In a tent, pay no rent, heaven sent
All we are saying
Is give fleas a chance.
Ev’rybody’s talkin’ ‘bout
Porta potties, filthy bodies, Starbucks lattes
1%, Nine nine%, Cents, Sense, Cents
All we are saying
Is give fleas a chance.
Ev’rybody’s talkin’ ‘bout
Mud and straw, annoyers’ gall, encroaching fall
Environment, union money spent and not a hint
All we are saying
Is give fleas a chance.
Ev’rybody’s talkin’ ‘bout
Amanda Fritz, Nick Fish, Katz and Kitz
Rules bent, no clear intent, a non-event
All we are saying
Is give fleas a chance.