The fun never stops in Portland. Early this morning the Portland Police and the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office showed up to evict a group of people who have had a foreclosure order against them since February. The people living in the house were actually evicted back in September but since then the house has been broken into and the area has become a constant source of problems for neighbors, with a total of 81 calls to the police placed over just three months time. Here’s the background:

The Multnomah County Circuit Court issued a writ of execution for an eviction at the address in February 2020, commanding the Sheriff’s Office to serve the judge’s order…The judgment was issued prior to state and federal emergency moratoriums. The eviction moratoriums do not apply to evictions based on post-nonjudicial foreclosures, such as this case…

On September 9th, MCSO deputies served the court order to individuals living at the address. As with any civil enforcement service, MCSO provided the occupants time to gather their possessions and offered housing and shelter options and other additional resources…

Since the September 9th, individuals have converged on the property by trespassing on the home’s front and backyards, and camping on adjacent privately owned and city-owned properties. Law enforcement also learned the home was broken into and that people were entering and exiting despite the judge’s order.

Data captured by PPB shows over the three-month period, from September 1 to November 30, 2020, at least 81 calls for service were placed for issues related to this property and the immediate area. Calls for service included, but were not limited to, fights, disturbances, shots fired, burglary, thefts, vandalism, noise violations, trespassing, threats, including by armed individuals, and for illegally blocking traffic, sidewalks and access to homes.

With all of that in mind, police showed up this morning to once again evict people living on the property. Seven people were arrested for trespassing and police blocked streets while the property owners set up new fences and secured their property. While police were waiting a crowd gathered and began tearing down the fences set up to secure the area:

The fence around the Red House on Mississippi is coming down. pic.twitter.com/VprjmOoxS3

— Alex Milan Tracy (@AlexMilanTracy) December 8, 2020

Police moved in to get them to stop:

Police advance as protesters pull on the fence. pic.twitter.com/sLMJ6SQv7j

— Alex Milan Tracy (@AlexMilanTracy) December 8, 2020

The crowd began demanding the police “Move back!”

Protesters push back a line of police. pic.twitter.com/MB8YHvn5c1

— Alex Milan Tracy (@AlexMilanTracy) December 8, 2020

And the fence came down:

The fence is repositioned to block Mississippi Street. pic.twitter.com/HaKrUEGFSX

— Alex Milan Tracy (@AlexMilanTracy) December 8, 2020

Police kept backing away from the angry mob:

Lots of energy here as police fall back once more. pic.twitter.com/gEENjE5tMQ

— Alex Milan Tracy (@AlexMilanTracy) December 8, 2020

More officers showed up:

Portland police officers that fled return once again. pic.twitter.com/HjpD6TpyNN

— Alex Milan Tracy (@AlexMilanTracy) December 8, 2020

But then the crowd started getting violent and attacking the police cars with hands and feet and also throwing things at officers:

Police continue to get pushed back, a protester with a fire extinguisher covers a vehicle as people fight back. pic.twitter.com/drvWXhXNMq

— Alex Milan Tracy (@AlexMilanTracy) December 8, 2020

Police continue to fall back north on Mississippi as protesters keep them moving. pic.twitter.com/uoN5jztak8

— Alex Milan Tracy (@AlexMilanTracy) December 8, 2020

This continued for some time and six additional people were arrested.

The battle for the Red House rages on Mississippi Street as activists aggressively push back police who showed up to evict the Kinney family. pic.twitter.com/e7pyyvfSrN

— Alex Milan Tracy (@AlexMilanTracy) December 8, 2020

Meanwhile the house that was cleared out has now become a new autonomous zone:

Protesters in Portland are occupying space around Mississippi Avenue following police returning to the “Red House,” where a local family is being evicted pic.twitter.com/C4b4JRhN7T

— Zane Sparling (@PDXzane) December 8, 2020

Portland has a new autonomous zone here on Mississippi Avenue.

The Kinney family says their home was foreclosed on because they owed less than $100K, while the vacant land next door is with $10 million pic.twitter.com/nEngxmATbX

— Zane Sparling (@PDXzane) December 8, 2020

The family claims they lost a job and couldn’t pay their 2nd mortgage. But if the lot next to theirs is worth $10 million, they should have had a lot of equity in the home. They could have sold it and had a lot of money to find another place to live. Why didn’t they do that?

This reporter says it’s a calm scene but I wonder what the pile of stones are for (2nd tweet below)?

It’s a very calm scene at the moment, with more than 100 demonstrators holding the area around the Red House on Mississippi Ave in Portland pic.twitter.com/20iKi68orD

— Zane Sparling (@PDXzane) December 8, 2020

Reporter Andy Ngo points out that Antifa has called for reinforcements in case police return:

Antifa are using Twitter to call for reinforcements at their new autonomous zone in north Portland: pic.twitter.com/cCfSlUhCra

— Andy Ngô (@MrAndyNgo) December 8, 2020

Finally, here’s some video of today’s showdown with police: