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A squatter climbed down last night from the roof of a 106-year-old home on Southeast Hawthorne Boulevard, allowing demolition of the building to continue.
"He came down on his own," says Portland Police spokesman Sgt. Pete Simpson. "A family friend got involved and convinced him to come down."
The squatter—who police say partied in the house for several months, even after a woman died in one of the rooms—on Thursday attracted a crowd sympathetic to his cause of halting demolition. A developer plans to replace the house with more than 30 apartments.
The ad hoc protest grew to more than 150 people Thursday evening—including a man who brought a goat, and another who played saxophone on roller blades. Members of the activist group Stop Demolishing Portland stationed themselves along Hawthorne, saying the protester had enough supplies to last weeks.
Police and news reports show the 26-year-old protester, who gave several names, climbed down around 9:30 pm Thursday. He was not arrested: The property owner declined to press charges.
Four other men were arrested at the protest. Robert Lee West, Scotty Lee Atkins and Pedro Sanchez, Jr. were booked on charges of disorderly conduct in the second degree. Brad Mathew Whisler was arrested for criminal mischief after allegedly keying a police cruiser.
Willamette Week
