Protest Erupts at Hotel Rumored to Host High-Profile FBI Director: What You Need to Know

An assembly of demonstrators gathered at an Oregon hotel, reportedly hosting FBI Director Kash Patel, who was in town for a friend’s funeral over the weekend.

Footage shared on social media captures the crowd vocally protesting outside the Sentinel Hotel in downtown Portland on Saturday evening.

The protesters rallied against what they termed the FBI’s “weaponization” during President Donald Trump’s tenure, as well as Patel’s involvement with documents related to the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, as reported by FOX 12 Oregon.

The exact hotel where Patel stayed remains unverified.

Fox News Digital confirmed through sources that Patel and his partner, Alexis Wilkins, were indeed in town to attend a friend’s funeral.

Patel helped carry the friend’s casket during the service, sources said. The funeral was scheduled for Saturday and set to take place in Portland, according to an obituary shared with Fox News.

The protesters obtained Patel’s suspected travel itinerary using publicly available tracking data to follow a Department of Justice aircraft believed to be connected to the FBI director, FOX 12 reported.

A crowd of protesters shout outside the Sentinel Hotel in downtown Portland, Oregon, on May 9, 2026, searching for FBI Director Kash Patel. (Rhein Amacher)

Demonstrators then reportedly narrowed down the hotel in which Patel was believed to be a guest by observing security measures throughout the downtown area.

“It wasn’t 100% confirmed but very likely he was at the Sentinel,” one protester told FOX 12. “We were there to protest the weaponization of Trump’s and Patel’s FBI to suppress our freedom of speech and freedom of press.”

Fox News Digital reached out to the Department of Justice, Sentinel Hotel, Portland Police Bureau and FBI for comment.