It was only a matter of time, it seemed, before the wave of bomb threats towards Jewish community centers and schools around the country during the Donald Trump era would make its way to Portland.
It happened here last night.
At 8:28 p.m. on Monday, Portland Police Bureau (PPB) officers responded to a bomb threat the Mittleman Jewish Community Center in Southwest Portland.
"Officers contacted employees at the center and consulted with the Metropolitan Explosives Disposal Unit (Bomb Squad) on how to proceed with a safe search of the facility," the PPB reported. "Several officers walked with employees through the building and did not find any suspicious items requiring a Bomb Squad response."
There have been more than 100 bomb threats in 2017 to Jewish community centers and schools, Buzzfeed reports. Disgraced ex-reporter Juan Thompson was arrested last week by the FBI for making a handful of them, but he's only accused of a small fraction.
"At this point, it is not known if the threat to the Mittleman Jewish Community Center is in any way connected with other incidents across the country," the PPB says. "The Portland Police Bureau is continuing to investigate and has been in communication with federal law enforcement regarding the incident. "Portland Police officers have regularly been providing extra patrol to the community center and other facilities after reports of threats occurring across the United States."
The JCC just issued a statement on Facebook: "As you know, many JCC's around the nation have received bomb threats in recent weeks. Yesterday evening, the MJCC received an email threat that turned out to be a hoax. Your safety and the safety of everyone who enters our facility is our top priority. We have been working with local and regional law enforcement, and together with the JCCA, we are working with the FBI to bring those responsible for these threats to justice."
If you know anything about the bomb threats at Mittleman JCC, contact the police: email CrimeTips@portlandoregon.gov and reference case #17-67367.
We will update this story if/when more information comes in.
Played so much basketball there as a kid; loved the massive playground in the back, too. https://t.co/5VRoD3v5av
— Ken Libby (@kenmlibby) March 7, 2017
Mittleman JCC - my preschool, after school care and community center had a bomb threat last night. JCCs are a vital part of American Jewry https://t.co/4gtkkYDdFa
— Maya Ward-Fineman (@mwardfineman) March 7, 2017
My wee-man plays ⚽️@mjccpdx. His ⚽️ team, like the JCC, is a multicultural & ethnically diverse part of our PDX community. #LoveTrumpsHatehttps://t.co/JxEEiRJy2m
— Portland Beer (@Portland_Beer) March 7, 2017