Karl Rove party nearly gate crashed by protestors

Demonstrators keep it calm outside while one group of protestors lead a submarine assault at the front gates accusing the President’s advisor of being a criminal

By Bob Schoenberg

The Regal Courier, Apr 14, 2007, Updated Oct 30, 2009 (3 Reader comments)

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TIGARD – Demonstrators began arriving outside the Embassy Suites Hotel in Tigard at about 5:30 p.m. Friday afternoon anticipating the arrival of Presidential Advisor Karl Rove, who was scheduled to give a one-hour speech at a meeting of the Washington County Republican Party.

In all about 60 demonstrators were seen walking along Hall Boulevard until after dark while the Republicans were inside one of the hotel’s meeting rooms and while hotel guests came and went throughout the evening.

Drivers in cars on Hall Boulevard honked and waved either in encouragement, or with disgust, at the mostly anti-administration marchers. A group of local high school students arrived at about 7 p.m. to show their support for President Bush and his advisor Rove.

Teresa Teater from Oregon City walked back and forth along the sidewalk where police asked the demonstrators stay, along with her friends to demonstrate their feelings about the administration.

Asked why she was here this evening she said, “I have issues with Karl Rove.”

But she said that she was sure that nothing they did would have any impression with Mr. Rove.

“I don’t think anyone could impress anything on Karl Rove, he’s got his own agenda, he doesn’t care about nobody else’s agenda. His agenda is lies and more lies, and more lies.”

She had heard about the event from sources on the Internet and knew that it was a fundraiser for the Republican Party.

She held a sign demanding President Bush’s impeachment.

“Instead of having fundraisers for the Republican Party we should be having fundraisers for the VA hospitals and for veterans who are back from Iraq for the third time around but haven’t gotten there PTSD (Post-traumatic Stress Disorder) medicine for their first time around.”

A group of women that go by the name The Surge Protection Brigade, and who are allied with Code Pink, another women’s anti-war protest group that became well known for surprise demonstrations at the Republican Convention in New York during the last election cycle, executed their own surprise demonstration deep in the Republican’s territory staked out in the Embassy Suites Hotel.

The Tigard Police and the staff at the Embassy Suites Hotel had asked that demonstrators stay off private property, the Embassy Suites grounds, and to stay on the public sidewalks. Demonstrations were allowed across the street from the Embassy Suites driveway entrance, as long as they stayed on the side walk there. A Tigard Police sergeant said that permission was granted by Target stores for the demonstrators to be in their parking lot.

People who were staying at Embassy Suites and customers for the Hotel’s restaurant and bar, as well as other groups that were meeting there, were allowed into the hotel.

Noting a week ago that there was a hotel restaurant, a women in The Surge Protection Brigade reserved a table for a birthday party at the restaurant. All the women arrived carrying colorfully wrapped presents, were sat down and they ordered dinner. Another four people joined them after they arrived, making 16 in all.

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