PORTLAND, Ore. ( KOIN ) — After protests calling for a ceasefire in Gaza resulted in the occupation and destruction of Portland State University’s Millar Library, prompting the campus’s closure for several days and culminating in multiple arrests , a local expert and retired PSU professor is weighing in on lessons learned from the experience.
Dr. Randall Blazak , a sociology professor and member of the federally-funded CURE:PNW , told KOIN 6 News that, while related campus protests across the country turned violent – such as UCLA – and others had administrations actively engage with what protesters were asking for – such as Rutgers and Brown – PSU fell somewhere in the middle of the spectrum.
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This is in part due to PSU initially stating they would put a pause on their relationship with Boeing as well as the de-escalation tactics employed by law enforcement during the library’s occupation, according to Blazak.