PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — The fence surrounding the Justice Center has come down.
After nearly three weeks of focused protests at the Justice Center fence and nightly confrontations between police and demonstrators, the Portland Police Bureau announced Monday afternoon that the outer fence would be dismantled.
“We recognize that for some it has become a symbol of divide between the police and the community.” said Portland police on Twitter. The thread continued on to state:
“We are removing the fence to show our willingness to have dialog and peaceful communication toward starting to heal our community. We are open and listening to discussions of how the community envisions its police serve them in the future.
“Our hope is that the nightly violence and destruction around the justice center will stop and the focus can be directed toward peaceful conversation. The inner fence will remain in place while the county side is repaired.”
Police, protesters, and the Justice Center fence
Multnomah County Justice Center ravaged by rioters
The first iteration of the fence was put up around the Justice Center in early June after protesters broke into the Justice Center on Friday, May 29, and started a fire inside. On that night, police declared the assembly a riot.
In the days that followed, the fence was modified and fortified. Concrete barriers were added to the interior and higher fencing was put up. Recently, protesters had begun to cut holes in the fence, dodging in and out of the area.