Wheeler says area near ‘Red House on Mississippi Street’ will reopen

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    PORTLAND, OR (KPTV) — Portland Mayor Wheeler announced Sunday in a statement that he has reached an agreement with the Kinney family to bring down the blockades that surround what is known as the “Red House on Mississippi Street.”

The house has been the center of an anti-gentrification protest over the past week when demonstrators began forming barricades around the home.

In the statement released on Sunday, Wheeler said:

“My goal remains finding a peaceful resolution to the situation on North Mississippi Avenue. My focus has been on protecting lives.

An agreement in principle we reached late Saturday evening will result in the re-opening of the streets and sidewalks in the area near the Red House on Mississippi. This agreement is an important step toward de-escalation and a long-term resolution for the neighborhood and the Kinney family.

I maintain measured optimism that we can accomplish this step and move toward the next steps to advance the safety and well-being of the family and the safety of the neighborhood.

I also want to acknowledge the neighbors and the challenges this situation created for them. Thank you for your patience and understanding while we took the time needed to try to resolve what is a very dangerous situation.”

On Dec. 8, The Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office and Portland Police Bureau arrived at the home to served a writ of execution to evict the family. Still, they were met with demonstrators opposing the eviction. Six people were found inside the house. They were arrested and charged with trespassing. Later in the day, more people were arrested after police reported rocks and other items thrown at them.

The Kinneys, a Black and Indigenous family, had been fighting the foreclosure for two years. In the early 2000s, the family had taken out a loan against the home to pay for legal fees incurred by the homeowner’s son, William Kinney III, who goes by William X Nietzche now. The loan, which they say, was a predatory loan and common practice at the time. The family said they were taken advantage of.

Before the loan, the house had been paid off.

Several lawsuits have been filed to try and keep the home in the Kinney Family. A federal lawsuit filed in 2018 was dismissed in October of 2019.

FOX 12 has reached out to the mayor’s office about the deadline for when the barricades need to come down,but have not yet heard back.

FOX 12 also reached out to the Kinney’s for comment but have also not yet heard back.

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