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A group of six masked people vandalized the Southeast Madison Street office of the co-working space Kiln at about 6:45 pm on Thursday, in full view of diners at nearby restaurants and food carts. Fliers left behind at Kiln’s office suggested Kiln was targeted for hosting an artificial intelligence networking event.
The Utah-based co-working company’s Portland clients include AI-related groups like AI Portland, a social organization that gathers tech workers and enthusiasts, and regularly holds meet-ups in Kiln’s Southeast Portland space.
The incident appears to coincide with AI Portland’s Summer Soiree event held last night. The networking event, which began at 6 pm, was organized for AI professionals and fans to nerd out over data and algorithms.
The half dozen individuals—who also wore gloves, hoods and sunglasses—arrived at Kiln on foot from Southeast 11th Avenue. They threw balls of paint at the Kiln office and spraypainted nearby parked cars before departing on foot. People came out from Kiln’s building just as the group left the property. “Fuck AI” was tagged in pink paint across a vehicle parked close to the entry of the building.
Police officers arrived before 7 pm while Kiln staff cleaned glass. The building appeared clean by 7:30. Among the people who emerged from Kiln was a woman who identified herself as AI Portland’s social media manager. She did not provide her name before returning inside. “Our community doesn’t deserve this,” she said before leaving.
Kiln and AI Portland representatives did not respond to WW’s emailed inquiry about the incident.
Papers left behind at Kiln after the vandalism incident tell of a “Butlerian Jihad Against AI,” a reference to the Legends of Dune prequel trilogy by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson depicting a war of humanity versus robots and computers.
“While the techies are inside sipping their cocktails the rest of us are faced with a choice: to accept our position at the bottom of the social order or find our people and bring the whole thing down,” the paper reads in part. “Only we can decide to smash the screens that are brainwashing us into submission.”
The Portland Police Bureau confirmed that an investigation is underway. Sergeant Kevin Allen said in an email that 14 unoccupied vehicles in Kiln’s parking lot were damaged by paint, while two vehicles were found to have punctured tires.
“Always something to see,” an anonymous diner at Lardo who witnessed the vandalism told WW. “There was no panic, although lots of people were keeping an eye on it.”
