While Rome burns...

On Thursday morning, June 28, at 5:30 a.m., Department of Homeland Security (DHS) donned riot gear and arrested the people who were in yesterday’s photo plus a few more. We have not received a list of names of those arrested, but the unconfirmed rumor is that they were fined an undisclosed amount, they paid their fine, and they were released. There is considerable confusion and some uncertainty about the identities and the welfare of all who were arrested, and whether they have been or will be charged with crimes. I am unable to be on-site, as I am caring for Evan this morning and both Evan and Bella later today. 

After the arrests, DHS began dismantling the part of the encampment that was blocking the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Building. So far, no one has bothered the tents set up just beyond the property that is currently leased by ICE, and the camp is still operational, although nerves are raw. The encampment sprawls over some private land, some that belongs to the Oregon Department of Transportation, and some that may belong to the City of Portland, so jurisdiction is murky. 

I took Evan to an indoor playground today so I could be on my phone, conveying information, connecting people, and organizing as much as possible from a distance. I made this photo of us, reflected in slightly-dirty glass windows, as we were leaving.