Mayor Sam Adams wanted to be “helpful” to the Occupiers and give them some time to get out of the parks they’ve been laid waste to since October 6th, but the Occupiers have other plans. According to police, Occupiers are building a fortress, fashioning weapons and calling their buddies in Oakland, Seattle and San Francisco to “help” out on Saturday night. Occupiers were given till 12:01 Saturday night/Sunday morning to get out. The only thing that accomplished was to give time for Occupiers to marshal their forces.
From the cop shop:
On Thursday, November 10, 2011 at 10:00 a.m. Mayor Sam Adams indicated that the “balance has tipped” at Occupy Portland and that the parks will be temporarily closed for maintenance beginning Sunday November 13, 2011 at 12:01 a.m.
Since that announcement Portland Police have become aware of information that is concerning. We understand a call has gone out to Oakland, Seattle and San Francisco and perhaps other cities encouraging people to come to Portland and engage in resistance. People in the camp are expecting 100-300 re-enforcements from various locations. There may even be as many as 150 anarchists who will arrive soon. There is information that people may be in the in trees during a police action and that there are people who are attempting to obtain a large number of gas masks.There is a hole being dug in one of the parks and wood is being used to reinforce the area around it. There are reports that nails have been hammered into wood for weapons and that generally there are people in the camps preparing for a confrontation with police.Last night Portland Police officers provided security while Portland Parks and Recreation security manager posted “No Camping” signs in the park. 36 signs were posted in all, although some were taken down by the occupiers almost immediately.People were seen carrying pallets into the camp shortly after 1:00 a.m. this morning. The destination of the pallets is a structure with graffiti in the northwest part of Chapman Park, also known as “The 420 Hotel”. The people there are very suspicious of any passers by, we are not sure at this point what exactly they are doing. We have been told it looks like they were making shields.Officers are distributing a one page “Shelters and Resources” information flyer letting people know where resources are. We are making every effort to assist people transitioning to shelters or other appropriate locations. Many people have left the camps and the “kitchen” has been taken down.This event has been largely peaceful since Thursday, October 6, 2011 when the initial march occurred. We are committed to it remaining peaceful but very concerned about information that people are massing for and preparing for a confrontation with police.
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