Portland issues 'maximum fine' on feds for unpermitted fence outside courthouse; bill is $192,000

Portland issues ‘maximum fine’ on feds for unpermitted fence outside courthouse; bill is $192,000 ‘and counting’


Portland Commissioner Chloe Eudaly said Tuesday the city is fining the federal government $500 every 15 minutes – the maximum charge allowed -- until it removes an unpermitted fence blocking a bike lane on Southwest Third Avenue.

Eudaly, who oversees the transportation bureau, said the government hasn’t responded to her demand to remove the fence, which surrounds a portion of the federal courthouse. She said the bill is now $192,000 “and counting.”

“We intend to collect,” Eudaly, who is running for reelection, said in a tweeted statement. She also described the forces at the courthouse as “federal occupiers.”

The fence has become the centerpiece of nightly protests as the months-long marches and demonstrations devoted to racial justice and curbing police excesses escalated in recent days with the arrival of federal law enforcement teams staged at the courthouse.

Read more: https://www.oregonlive.com/politics/2020/07/portland-issues-maximum-fine-on-feds-for-unpermitted-fence-outside-courthouse-bill-is-192000-and-counting.html