Friday protests: The good, the bad, and the ugly
Portlandia Protestia was in full gear yesterday, with three gatherings of note.
In the afternoon, many hundreds (one estimate was more than 1,000) marched from the MLK statue at the Convention Center to Revolution Hall, chanting along the way. There were speakers and music at either end. Traffic was disrupted, but other than that, it looked peaceful. It also looked pretty cool.
In the evening, a few demonstrators occupied the lobby of the Pearl District condo building where the mayor, F. Ted Wheeler, lives. Many more demonstrators held a loud party on the street outside, also replete with live music. The neighbors were probably not amused. It didn't appear that Wheeler was home.
At midnight, a group of about 150 showed up at the police union office in North Portland and immediately commenced their usual lunacy. Graffiti, dumpster fires, then a mattress fire, then a fire right next to the building, which charred the exterior if not outright igniting it.
The police declared a "riot" and started whacking and arresting people. There were a couple of "bull rushes." Apparently a car drove through the area and its occupant fired a handgun into the air. The fire was put out before it got too far.
The police version of the early morning row is here. There is no word yet about the number arrested, or the charges.
I like this emphasis on some of the good things happening in our city and for that matter nationally. For example, I was very moved by the Democratic Convention. Here they had President Trump completely nailed as a Russian secret agent working for Vladimir Putin. I mean we spent every waking minute on that for over 3 years, right? And as it turned out these would be some of the last years before the pandemic and we could have been out dancing and going to ball games, but no. We were focused on Russiagate because it meant so goddamn much to America. And yet when the Democratic Convention rolled around, these noble people saw it in their hearts to forgive and not even mention it. It was almost like the whole thing was a giant crock. Frankly, I was touched by the convention organizers who decided to cut Trump a break on what sure sounded like treason. God bless you for showing such forgiveness in your hearts. We need more of that in this country!
ReplyDeleteKey Thread: Nonviolent Protest Works against the Regime Being Protested; Violence makes it work for the Regime:
ReplyDeletehttps://twitter.com/ClaireBerlinski/status/1299350372918714370
Credit Don Winslow:
ReplyDeletehttps://twitter.com/donwinslow/status/1299866013626822656
When buildings burn, Trump wins.
When footage runs of cops fighting protesters (even when the cops are the aggressors) Trump wins.
When streets fill with tear gas, Trump wins.
When looting happens, Trump wins.
You only confirm his narrative.
You supply footage for his ads.