[54], Following the announcement by the mayor and police chief, activists requested assistance in removing the barriers. The district, home to the majority of the city’s Black population, has long been under attack by developers and gentrifiers and targeted for so-called urban renewal — actually, removal. [14][23] Protesters sealed off the intersections of North Mississippi Ave and North Albina Ave to the north of the house, as well as the surrounding entrances from North Skidmore Street and North Prescott Street. On Dec. 10, this reporter entered the compound, now behind 10-foot-high barricades, to learn more about the police assault. This is a story of systemic oppression. [9], Site of eviction protest in Portland, Oregon in 2020, The Red House, pictured on December 13, 2020, occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, Black Lives Matter art in Portland, Oregon, George Floyd protests in Portland, Oregon, Institutional racism in housing and lending, "Day 3 at Portland's Red House: Resolution in sight? The family raised $315,000 through GoFundMe, but there had not yet been a deal to transfer ownership of the house, with a spokesman for the mayor commenting that the situation had been complicated by the Kinneys' refusal to obtain a lawyer. According to a Dec. 14 statement by the Kinney family, Portland’s Mayor Ted Wheeler has had to back down on his threat to use cops to evict the family by force. Dec. 14 — The Kinney family — owners of the now internationally famous “Red House on Mississippi” — is the last Black-Indigenous family in their neighborhood. PORTLAND, Ore. — For the first time this week, the developer who bought the home now known as the “Red House on Mississippi” released a statement about the … Protesters have barricaded a home in North Portland that is known as the "Red House" in an effort to keep a family from being evicted. [42] That same day, the Portland Police Bureau spoke to the illegality of the occupation and the possibility of violence on the site. "It's the same scheme — different word, different day. The Red House eviction defense is an ongoing occupation protest at a foreclosed house on North Mississippi Avenue in the Humboldt neighborhood in the Albina district, a historically Black district of Portland, Oregon, United States. Illegally occupying private property, openly carrying weapons, threatening and intimidating people are not among them. [44] On December 10, Oregon Public Broadcasting reported that protestors have been forbidding people from taking pictures or video from within the occupied zone. "[27][41], On December 9, The Oregonian reported that guards, at least one of which was armed, had been posted at each intersection blocked by protesters, and that spike strips made of boards and nails were outside one of the barricades. But the law enforcement who erected it outside the ruddly little house at 4406 N. Mississippi Ave., just 10 minutes north of downtown Portland, Oregon, didn’t plan for the fence to be used against them. The Kinney family speaks to media in front of the 'Red House' on Mississippi Ave. in Portland. It involves a compound of about six square blocks around the house that includes a kitchen serving free meals and a coffee shop supporting the movement with free coffee. As a former U.S. Army soldier and an organizer for the American Servicemen’s Union (1968-69), this reporter knows a military formation when they see one. The organizer recounted how defenders armed with wooden banner and placard poles, broom handles, tree limbs, baseball bats, trash can lids and other homemade defensive weapons, in an organized and military fashion, “pushed the cops down the street and out of the neighborhood.”, Another activist told WW: “Twelve of our people were grabbed by the cops, but for lack of evidence, most were released uncharged. They’re using a place called “the red house”. "[25] He further stated that "nobody should take this as an invitation to do it anywhere else. [51], Mac Smiff, a journalist and an activist involved in the protests, characterized the assurances and apology as a rare victory for protesters, and predicted that their impact would be felt across the nation. [24] The Kinneys have alleged that the mortgage lender and an investment company deliberately tried to remove the Kinneys from the house in order to redevelop the land. [26], William III, who also goes by William X. Nietzche, has frequently spoken out about the situation on social media. The police left while anti-eviction activists threw rocks and paint balloons. Police returned to supervise the erection of a construction fence around the house, and protesters repelled the police around 10:30 a.m. Several police cars were damaged and had their tires deflated, and an officer drove into a parked car while retreating. "[23], The home has been the subject of legal conflicts and political actions ever since the foreclosure. While in the compound, this reporter was told by young activists: “We’re here to stop the eviction. Verbatim copying and distribution of articles is permitted in any medium without royalty provided this notice is preserved. The end result could turn out very differently. [51] The Kinney family echoed that sentiment in a statement,[52] as did City Council member Jo Ann Hardesty[53] and local news outlets. The statement conveys firmly that, as the family has not yet secured their home, supporters would still be present, defending them and the house. [13] Willamette Week later described the guard as being part of "several physical barricades of protection and layers of guards... to make people of color feel safe standing around a fire pit" at the center of the space. Hail the workers of the world! [45] The co-owner has been described as a house flipper and investor. "[17], “It’s a fight against systemic racism and gentrification that’s been going on for years,” he said, and added: “My family comes from this land and to see it taken without right and by gunpoint… It’s outrageous to me.”[18], Racist real estate and zoning laws kept Portland’s Black residents constrained to the North Mississippi area. Joined by supporters, the Kinney family resists eviction. 6. It helped that I brought a Workers World newspaper with the headline: “Evo Morales returns, Bolivians eject coup regime.”, A Black leader-organizer, asking to remain anonymous, told WW: “Early on the morning of Dec. 8, at least 50 police vehicles, sirens going off, blue lights flashing, blocked off street intersections all around here. Barricades were strengthened in anticipation of more police attacks. The family at the center of the Red House protests in Portland own a second home just two miles away.. In the early 2000s, the younger Kinney family mortgaged their home, which had by that time been in their family for 65 years, in order to pay legal fees after their son was found guilty of a felony in which he killed a man and injured the dead man's wife in 2002 while driving on a suspended driver's permit. In March 2004, they refinanced that loan with Beneficial Oregon Incorporated. I was warmly greeted by defenders, offered free food but asked to not take photos. In December 2016 the loan was transferred to another company. Several others were arrested later for rioting. It was clear that the activists were serious about defending the Kinney family. Portland Police Bureau officers came under attack Tuesday as they attempted to serve an eviction on a foreclosed house. [52], Willamette Week stated "if the closure of a major city street caused any neighborhood resentment, it hasn't been apparent", describing how a local coffeeshop, open during the defense, allowed activists to use their bathroom and that neighbors frequently purchased coffee for the activists. [25] J.J. MacNab, a research fellow at the George Washington University's Program on Extremism, said that their rhetoric was similar to that of Ammon Bundy in his occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. The Kinneys say they paid their mortgage on time but got caught up in a predatory loan scheme to take their home. The Kinney family says their home was foreclosed on because they owed less than $100K, while the … Neighbors and local residents complained of harassment, vandalism, and personal threats by occupiers, and some emailed the city government asking that the area be cleared. [6] William Kinney III used sovereign citizen ideas to argue that the law does not have jurisdiction over the family and their debts. Portland has a new autonomous zone here on Mississippi Avenue. Since the arrests, more and more fighters have gathered behind the 10-foot-high barricades surrounding the house, where many live round the clock. The house is just at the end of the commercial section of Mississippi Avenue, where what remains of one of Portland’s two historically Black neighborhoods stands, with its … [14], On December 11, the Kinney family and city officials reached an agreement, barricades were removed,[15] and reports circulated that the developer might return the house to the Kinneys at cost. "[32], The director of the Coalition to Save Portland visited the Red House on December 11, and reported, among other things, that the Kinney family wanted a letter offering assurances that people would not be arrested or prosecuted if they worked to take down barriers. They accuse police of wrongly removing a “black and indeginous” family “that owned the house for decades”. After a years-long court battle over the foreclosure, a judge ordered the Kinneys evicted in September 2020. [45][46], On December 11 district attorney Mike Schmidt praised "the neighbors and community members who have refused to stand by silently" and who spoke out about what was happening, but stated that some neighbors were scared to leave their homes and that "continued violence, property damage, and harm to our community is inexcusable and will be met with aggressive prosecution. They have … They further said that the enforcement of Oregon gun laws were being more aggressively applied against Black and Indigenous people of color (BIPOC), stating "We are threatened upon speculation, while known white supremacists continue to brandish arms without consequence. [citation needed], The elder son of the Kinney family, William X Nietzche, described the home as "unceded territory." For many Portlanders, the small red house on North Mississippi Avenue is much more than just a house – it’s a means to fight back. [13], Later on December 8, Mayor Ted Wheeler authorized the Portland Police Bureau to "use all lawful means to end the illegal occupation" and said, "there will be no autonomous zone in Portland. The family has demanded and received a public apology from Wheeler for harm caused to the family and for “the emotional violence caused by evictions against Black and Indigenous families.”. Oregon is an “open carry” state, meaning that most people are allowed to carry firearms openly without a permit. Members of the community rose in support of the family. Here's What It Was Like Inside the Encampment", "PPB Updates Public on North Portland Occupation", "Good Afternoon, News: FDA Panel Okays Vaccine, McConnell Kills COVID Relief, and 100 Cowards Sign on For Trump's Lawsuit", "Investor at center of N. Portland occupation says he's ready to sell the 'Red House' back", "Good Afternoon, News: Oregon's Vaccine Rollout, White House Threatens FDA, and Trump's Texas Lawsuit Goes Down In Flames", "As Portland protests 4th day, GoFundMe raises $260K to save 'Red House, "Barricades removed in Oregon neighborhood protest against family's eviction", "Family and developer reach tentative deal to end N. Mississippi standoff", "Portland 'red house' protesters' aura of success could prompt more occupations over foreclosures, Mayor Wheeler concedes", "I have been closely monitoring the evolving situation on North Mississippi and am encouraged to see it moving towards a positive resolution. Rocks and paint balloons with internet access get our free email subscription and share our with. `` void '' and return them, and now eviction, since 2018 in May 2002 Levinson defended story! Called “ the Red House. ” and other conspiracy theories issue of eviction of a gun a. Articles on workers.org, along with a weekly PDF of what would have been the subject of legal and... Resumed printing and the arrest of Michael Kinney and others asleep in the compound now. Among them in support of the 'Red house ' on Mississippi ” were ordered to vacate September. In their own house consideration of the temporary suspension of printing and mailing on monthly... 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