Update 11/18:
The official tally of arrests is 15 from the Chase Bank protest. Police booked six people in Multnomah County jail and cited the rest for criminal trespass or disorderly conduct.
Update 5:30PM: Everything’s cool now, guys! The police made several arrests inside the Chase Bank ATM lobby, then, essentially, immediately disappeared. There are still a handful of police officers on street corners around Pioneer Square and roughly 150 protesters in the square, but everyone’s just hanging out. As quickly as the scene exploded, it quieted down.
Original post:
Police have deployed pepper spray and are making arrests among a crowd of 40 Occupy protesters who have occupied Chase Bank on Pioneer Square this afternoon. This news is breaking, so check back for updates.
An estimated 200 police officers were deployed this afternoon in the face of a 300-500 person anti-bank protest that looped through downtown this afternoon. After unfolding a banner and raising an American “distress” flag at Wells Fargo on SW 5th, the crowd moved to Bank of America on SW 2nd, taking over the doorway for an hour-long dance party. Several people also slipped notes under the door of the BofA, including one scrawl that read, “You helped make me homeless.”
Then, the protest moved up SW Morrison to Pioneer Square, where squadrons of police in riot gear kept the road clear… but made the crowd tense (though this dude’s dance certainly helped diffuse some of the tension). As the trucks full of riot police drove up SW Morrison, someone started blasting the Star Wars Imperial March, leading the crowd in a chant of, “ALL HAIL THE EMPIRE!”
Numerous people have been complaining that police are covering up their names and refusing to give out business cards. Well, it turns out that the new city rule that says police must do both of those things only applies to Portland police—not other cities’ officers working under their jurisdiction. Portland has been bringing in dozens of police from all over the state as protest crowd control.
After the first use of pepper spray by police, this guy walked up to the protest front line with his toddler:
That guy is a…how do I say…fucking idiot.
Portland’s cutest and most vulnerable-looking, to the front lines?
@Suzette? What? I’m not going to the front lines!
It’s straight up irresponsible to put your child in a dangerous situation like that.
What? like a cops gonna baton a toddler? Never. Next you’re gonna say they’ll pepper spray elderly women. psssshhh. They’re even wearing their cuddly body armor.
Although, that little fella should probably get a fucking job already, am I right?
Toddlers make great human shields, mmmm. Yes. I like the guy in the video yelling, “GEH OUTTA THER STREET ASSHOLE! GEH OUTTER DA STREET!”
Ignoring the seriousness of this situation — Star Wars Imperial March — that is just brilliant and hilarious!
@Will brought up human shield before I did.
Some fucking parent. His parents outta bitch-slap his ass for stupidity.
Yet another reason not to identify with ‘occupy’.
God I hate seeing kids used for political purposes.
DENIS – I assume YOU SAID SOMETHING to him after taking his picture, right? ?
If the police started to used the new Hawaiian Aloha Febreeze spray instead of the pepper scent, maybe the OccuTards would be welcomed by the banks?
Is tomorrows gather called N18 or will they go back to the OccuFail name?
Dear Occupy Portland:
Really? Really? you think BANKS are the problem? You had a real chance today to make a real statement. and your statement was: “Banks bad, credit unions good?” Sure this is true enough on a base level but it is in no way the SOURCE of the problem. The whole problem is that you are the 99%, right? and they are the 1%? Well why don’t you instead direct your anger at the politicians that are allowing the banks to get away with this? It makes way more sense to blame the court that failed to prosecute than to blame the criminal. We need to GET THE MONEY OUT OF POLITICS by making it illegal, perhaps even unconstitutional, for private interest groups to contribute huge sums to any political campaign. If you had marched on that premise, I might have joined you. Instead I just laughed at your dumb asses getting arrested and pepper sprayed. You want a fight? Well I can guarantee you the police will bring it. The next time, how about making it for something intelligent and worthwhile?
Dear Occupy Portland:
Really? Really? you think BANKS are the problem? You had a real chance today to make a real statement. and your statement was: “Banks bad, credit unions good?” Sure this is true enough on a base level but it is in no way the SOURCE of the problem. The whole problem is that you are the 99%, right? and they are the 1%? Well why don’t you instead direct your anger at the politicians that are allowing the banks to get away with this? It makes way more sense to blame the court that failed to prosecute than to blame the criminal. We need to GET THE MONEY OUT OF POLITICS by making it illegal, perhaps even unconstitutional, for private interest groups to contribute huge sums to any political campaign. If you had marched on that premise, I might have joined you. Instead I just laughed at your dumb asses getting arrested and pepper sprayed. You want a fight? Well I can guarantee you the police will bring it. The next time, how about making it for something intelligent and worthwhile?
Astamir.
You said Occupy needs to get the money out of politics by going after the politicians. How is going after the money not the same thing? I think we can all agree, regardless of our political leanings, that our politicians are bought out. Well if we cant go to were the buck stops, let go to were it starts. With the banks that failed our economy and then got massive payouts with our tax dollars. Join us before they eat your home and job as well.
Protip, astamir: systemic corruption has many faces. Banks are just one of them, and there are many volunteers working hard at another version of Glass-Steagall.
And then the money in politics thing is largely addressed with an immediate fix for Citizens United.
Those two are just the start, and the protesters are very aware of the greater context. Your rambling is directed at the wrong people.
here’s my imitation of the first 15 comments:
i’m not doing anything about the income inequality in america, and haven’t done anything in response to the financial crisis of 2008.
i feel qualified to judge all the people in the protest and make snap judgements about them based on what i read online while sitting in my house.
what a bunch of jerks!
Your caption on the photo is incorrect. This was well after they pepper sprayed. The police riot took place on Yamhill. This picture is on 6th and was just before the police left the scene. Things had calmed down at this point. I expect better facts out of you Mercury.
There were way more than 500 people out there today. I don’t know who s.mirk is working for.
I’m with astamir #13 on this. Was saying something similar in an earlier post. They need to go to the state house and to the state elected officials’ offices and tell them to vote in a way that serves the people and stops the self-serving.
Guys, stop inconveniencing and pissing off your friends and neighbors! Go where you can make an actual difference. Get the anarchists out (anarchy is entirely temporary and they only function as agents of chaos) get rid of the crazies and go tell the people that can actually work toward overturning unwise policy and so forth. C’mon, neighbors! Get it together! You’re losing support quickly.
These are misdemeanor infractions being handed out. It’s like staking out a SWAT team at a busy intersection and handing out traffic tickets with M-16s. It’s a ridiculous misuse of city resources. If they think bullying peaceful Americans out of protesting is going to work they clearly havn’t been watching. The most vicious shows of force have only increased the sheer number of those willing to demonstrate.
As a father, this pisses me off to the point of tears. I understand protest. I respect fighting for free speech. I believe in solidarity against an oppressive government. I also understand that my toddler has these same convictions for snack time, a clean diaper, Good Night Moon, and Dr. Seuss ABC. As parents we are charged with educating, guiding, and above all – protecting our children until they are capable of making their own decisions. Please keep your babies at home, not to shelter them, but to simply keep them safe. Babies cannot choose to protest. There are far better ways to educate your children.
ALSO – This goes far beyond protest and enters the realm of psychological abuse, as well as physical abuse when that baby gets trampled by storm troopers after his father is shot in the head with a bullet not made of rubber…
There is absolutely no justification for pepper spray during peaceful protests, police aiming this chemical that burns the lungs at students and elderly protesters. If I ever had doubt about the validity of this protest, I do not any longer. I speak of the incidents in Seattle, Portland, and Davis, California
There is absolutely no justification for pepper spray during peaceful protests, police aiming this chemical that burns the lungs at students and elderly protesters. If I ever had doubt about the validity of this protest, I do not any longer. I speak of the incidents in Seattle, Portland, and Davis, California