Bomb squad called to Rose Garden arena

PORTLAND, Ore. - A suspicious device forced the postponement of a Christian convention for women in the Rose Garden Friday night.

At about 6 p.m. Portland police responded to a call regarding a suspicious object that was found in a bathroom by a Rose Garden employee. The bomb squad was called in to examine the object and determined it was not dangerous.

But the device kept 8,000 out of the Rose Garden and another 2,000 trapped inside. All were there to attend a Women of Faith conference to study Christianity, but instead got a lesson in police response.

Police eventually decided to evacuate.

"We knew something was going on, but we just didn't know what it was," said one attendee.

It turned out the object was a generic plastic cylinder on the wall. Police determined that it was neither an explosive or a hoax.

One of the attendees, Rhonda Buck, was not concerned even if it was put there maliciously.

"Quite honestly, I didn't know what to think," she said. "Who would threaten a group like this unless they're opposed to what the women are doing in there."

 She and about 10,000 other women plan to return Saturday morning to attend the event in its entirety. The Women of Faith said in a press release late Friday that the rescheduled event would begin at 8 a.m., with doors opening at 7 a.m. They said it will run until about 5 p.m.

Marie Boswell said the situation was in God's hands.

"Our God is in control," she said. "You know, if something happens, we just get to go home first."

Police said they will continue to investigate to see who would have put the cylinder were it was found and why.

UPDATE: The Women of Faith Conference resumed at the Rose Garden arena Saturday morning. Here is the statement from Women of Faith: "We are grateful to the Rose Garden Arena and the Portland authorities for their professional management of the situation Friday evening. Saturday morning we will gather together and resume the live event in its entirety, with encouraging messages and inspiration. The doors to the arena will open at 7:00 a.m. on Saturday, October 10. The full program will begin at 8:00 a.m. and is expected to run until 5:00 p.m. We're looking forward to sharing the event with women."