1.2M Damages From Anti-Israel Riots
The Millar Library on the Portland State University campus has reopened after violent anti-Israel rioters occupied and vandalized it to the tune of $1.2 million in damages.
In the aftermath of the October 7 Hamas terrorist attacks in Israel that left over 1,000 people dead, radical leftist activists began protesting at universities across the country demanding that Israel not be allowed to retaliate or defend itself. Many of these activists were outright pro-Hamas and defended the slaughter of innocent Israelis. During these often violent demonstrations, many college campuses were taken over by anti-Israel occupations that prevented other students from accessing classes that they paid for, and many campuses faced vandalism and other destructive behaviors.
One such school was Portland State University, where anti-Israel activists took over the Millar Library from April 29 to May 2 and caused more than $1.2 million in damages — which included breaking windows and doors, ripping fire extinguishers and other items off of the walls, and vandalizing the building with graffiti.
When the rioters finally fled the library building on May 2, police discovered improvised weapons while sweeping the building.
An undercover video from inside the library during the occupation showed significant damage, including graffiti all over the walls, furniture being used as barricades, and tents littering the halls.
The riots led to 30 arrests, which included only six students. These violent rioters are still going through the legal system for their charges at the moment.
Following the violent occupation, local news station KOIN reported that the Fire Marshal was forced to declare the Millar Library unsafe for occupancy due to the damages. The outlet later reported that, although insurance was going to cover the majority of the damages, the state of Oregon and the students themselves were going to be required to pay roughly $100,000 to fix the damage.
In a statement to another local outlet, KGW, Associate Dean of the Library and head of special collections and archives Cris Paschild explained: ”It was impossible to imagine how long it would take to repair the library because it was in such disrepair.”
The library was finally allowed to reopen on September 16 after the repairs were completed — which included replacing the damaged furniture and technology, restoring fire systems purposefully damaged by students who wanted to smoke inside the building, repairing the windows and doors, and repainting. The university spent more than $137,000 painting over the graffiti and $150,000 replacing the broken furniture.
Associate Dean of the library Michael Bowman told the outlet that the university “had to replace all the computers, clean the tables, and replace carpet tile.”
In total, 23 different contractors were required to complete the repairs, carrying out more than 985 hours of work. Despite all the hard work, leftover spray paint is still visible in the grooves of the library’s wooden bookshelves.
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