Chaos ensued at Portland State University as the campus was shut down Tuesday following a dramatic takeover of its library by pro-Palestinian protesters. According to KGW, the university issued a statement early Tuesday morning on social media confirming the closure due to an "ongoing incident at the library," with no clear timeline for reopening.

The protests at PSU are part of a wider movement, as demonstrations also sprang up at Reed College, University of Oregon, and University of Washington; at Columbia University in New York, students similarly occupied a building early Tuesday, Oregon Public Broadcasting reported, the protestors are part of a collective action opposing the ongoing war in Gaza and demanding universities sever ties with Israel and defense contractors. But as the PSU protest escalated, concerns grew, like the student Carlos Canchola, who told KATU, "I was sitting down; I could see people spray-painting, I was seeing things be broken. This is the library, what if the whole campus turns into this?" expressing worries about the protest's potential to expand.

The escalation prompted PSU President Ann Cudd, Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler, Police Chief Bob Day, and Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt to condemn the actions as criminal in a news conference reported by Oregon Public Broadcasting. Schmidt remarked, "his office planned to prosecute people who were arrested for the occupation," signaling a hardline stance against the protestors.

Further compounding the tension, Bob Horenstein of the Jewish Federation of Portland expressed his distress over certain messages, such as "intifada" being spray-painted on property - telling KATU he mentioned the term reminds the Jewish community of a violent past. Nevertheless, some protestors have argued the word simply signifies a "shaking off" or a civil uprising, reflecting the deepened divides as the university grapples with its decision to suspend contributions from Boeing amid escalating pressures from its student body.