[citation needed] The elder son of the Kinney family, William X Nietzche, described the home as "unceded territory."

[22] J.J. MacNab, a research fellow at the George Washington University's Program on Extremism, said that their rhetoric was similar to that of Ammon Bundy in his occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge.

[3] The family states it has had trouble finding an attorney who would take their cases, often needing to be represented by their son, William Kinney III.

Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler took a different view, writing on Twitter, "There was a lengthy, thorough judicial proceeding resulting in a lawful judge's order to evict people illegally occupying a home.

[2][24] In September 2020 the family petitioned a judge to be allowed to stay in their home, pointing to Oregon's moratorium on evictions that had been implemented due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

[20][26] After the event, OPB author Jonathan Levinson apologized and defended the "second home" story, stating it should have been reported with more context, compassion, and nuance.

[31] Predatory lending and the criminal history of the family's son have been cited as reasons for financial difficulties leading to the foreclosure.

[33] The sheriff's department stated that protestors have been "camping on adjacent privately owned and city-owned properties", and that 81 calls for service were made between September 1 and November 30, because of fights, shots fired, burglary, thefts, vandalism, noise violations and threats by armed individuals.

[34][29] Around 5 a.m. on December 8, 2020, the Portland Police Bureau and Multnomah County Sheriff's Office arrived to evict residents, clear property, and render the house uninhabitable.

They further said that the enforcement of Oregon gun laws were being more aggressively applied against Black and Indigenous people of color (BIPOC), stating "We are threatened upon speculation, while known white supremacists continue to brandish arms without consequence.

"[24][38] On December 9, The Oregonian reported that guards, at least one of which was armed, had been posted at each intersection blocked by protesters, and that spike strips made of boards and nails were outside one of the barricades.

[41] On December 10, Oregon Public Broadcasting reported that protestors have been forbidding people from taking pictures or video from within the occupied zone.

[42][43] On December 11 district attorney Mike Schmidt praised "the neighbors and community members who have refused to stand by silently" and who spoke out about what was happening, but stated that some neighbors were scared to leave their homes and that "continued violence, property damage, and harm to our community is inexcusable and will be met with aggressive prosecution.

"[29] The director of the Coalition to Save Portland visited the Red House on December 11, and reported, among other things, that the Kinney family wanted a letter offering assurances that people would not be arrested or prosecuted if they worked to take down barriers.

[44] Also on the 11th, a GoFundMe fundraising campaign to help the Kinney family repurchase their house surpassed $260,000, approximately the amount the developer paid for it in 2018.

[46] Two days later, the Kinney family reached a tentative deal with the City of Portland, which would prevent the eviction as long as barricades would come down in the neighborhood.

[48] The Kinney family echoed that sentiment in a statement,[49] as did City Council member Jo Ann Hardesty[50] and local news outlets.

[23][8] In a press conference the following day, Mayor Wheeler expressed "disgust" at the idea that his own statements constituted a "win", saying that "we are talking about safety.

Neighbors and local residents complained of harassment, vandalism, and personal threats by occupiers, and some emailed the city government asking that the area be cleared.