The chief of Portland State University’s public safety department was recovering Friday from an apparent cardiac episode while leading his security team the night before to clear a campus garage of unruly protesters as university President Ann Cudd condemned the confrontation and announced several steps in response to the ongoing pro-Palestinian demonstrations.
Cudd said the protesters marched Thursday evening to the administration building and two people obstructed the entrance by chaining themselves to the front doors.
The two were asked to leave and when they refused to do so, campus officers responded with support from Portland police, Cudd said in a statement. She said force was used to remove the protesters who wouldn’t leave.
Chief Willie Halliburton, 58, suffered a medical issue during the police response and was taken by ambulance to a nearby hospital. Later in the night, he was reported to be conscious and talking with family members, according to police and campus security.
“This cannot continue; it is not a campus atmosphere that can sustain any of us at Portland State,” Cudd said. “I will continue to enforce rules that I believe keep the campus safe in the long run.”
Later Friday, she released a joint letter with PSU student body President Yousif Ibrahim saying the university will host a Palestinian scholar during the 2025 fall term and will create scholarships for students directly affected by the war in Gaza. Cudd also said she will support faculty curriculum proposals that “work to dissect Islamophobia, anti-Jewish, anti-Palestinian and anti-Arab rhetoric.”
“First, we are heartbroken over the devastating loss of innocent civilian lives in Israel and Gaza, and the horrific, ongoing suffering in Gaza,” their letter to the PSU community said. They said they support calls for a ceasefire and the release of all hostages.
They acknowledged “the passionate and impactful student activism that has taken place on PSU’s campus” and praised “the PSU students who have engaged in non-violent activism and become a part of this important, living history.”
The two also noted “extensive property destruction, hateful rhetoric, psychological harm, and violence.” The university is working on repairs estimated to cost roughly $750,000 to Millar Library after a three-day occupation earlier this month by people protesting the Israeli- Hamas war.
“Rather than uplifting the powerful message of our student activists, we believe these actions diminish their voices,” Cudd and Ibrahim wrote. “This has also made our campus a space of anxiety and fear for those who live, study and work on this campus. We jointly denounce this violence and the harm that it has caused.”
The war began Oct. 7 when Hamas attackers killed about 1,200 civilians in Israel and took about 250 Israelis and foreigners hostage. Israeli bombardments and ground offensives in Gaza have killed more than 35,000 Palestinians, according to the Health Ministry.
On Thursday night, police arrested seven protesters, including the two who chained themselves to the Richard and Maurine Neuberger Center. Three of the seven were PSU students, according to Katy Swordfisk, a university spokesperson.
Portland State University Police Chief Willie Halliburton. July 2, 2020 Beth Nakamura/Staff
Halliburton, who retired from Portland police in 2016, has served as chief of the campus security since July 2022.
Portland Police Chief Bob Day said Friday he was “grateful that Chief Willie Halliburton is recovering” while condemning what he said he believed was illegitimate protest and criminal conduct by some of the demonstrators.
He said officers “were assaulted and harassed, and lifesaving medical care was delayed for Chief Halliburton.”
“It baffles me that these actions are being portrayed as legitimate political protest,” the chief said in a statement.
He said when campus public safety officers attempted to make arrests Thursday night, the crowd “became extraordinarily hostile” and surrounded the officers. As campus officers attempted to take those they had arrested out of the garage, a crowd blocked the garage exit, he said.
Someone spit in the face of one officer and other officers were punched, the chief said.
And when officers attempted to get emergency medical care to Halliburton, a group “refused to move and officers had to forcibly push their way out to ensure that medical care could be brought in,” according to Day.
Attorney Michael Fuller said his office has been contacted by several students who contend they were assaulted by police while peacefully assembling on campus and he’s agreed to represent them and intends to serve notices with the university and city on Tuesday of their intent to file lawsuits.
Day, in his statement, said that “PPB policy and the law recognize that members may use objectively reasonable force” in response to criminal behavior.
-- Maxine Bernstein covers federal court and criminal justice. Reach her at 503-221-8212, mbernstein@oregonian.com, follow her on X @maxoregonian, or on LinkedIn.
-- Tanner Todd of The Oregonian contributed to this report. Reach them at ttodd@oregonian.com, or 503-221-4313.
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