Groundhog Year
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| Ready to get out there and wreck stuff. |
It's an important day in Portland history. As I expected, and feared, the black-bloc brats were back on the streets last night. Some of them made speeches and wandered around, and some of them started spray-painting their profundities on buildings and who-knows-whatever-else. It was the second night this week of vandalism, after the complete trashing of the county elections building on the east side the other night. And it would have gotten a lot worse if the cops hadn't stepped in pretty quickly.
At least five people were arrested during an anti-Trump protest march through downtown Portland after police spotted vandals spray painting along the route, police officials said early Tuesday night.
KOIN 6 News crews observed hundreds during the initial rally that started around 5 p.m. at the Battleship Oregon Memorial at Tom McCall Waterfront Park. That number dwindled to less than 100 around 7 p.m. as the crowd began to march south on Southwest Naito Parkway, then onto Southwest Morrison.
That’s where the arrests took place as more than two dozen police officers and Oregon State Police troopers detained people they saw spray painting and tagging buildings along the route just after 7 p.m.
Reading the news accounts of the night, one is struck by how eerily similar the story is to the ones we read four years ago. The police arrested at least five people. Last time there were few or no adverse consequences for the arrestees. To the contrary, some of them sued the cops and got nice paydays out of it.
As I said yeterday, the key question for Portland is whether this time, it's going to go any differently. We'll know within a week or two.
Here are the names and charges, according to KPTV. It's amazing how many news outlets won't report them:
Julia Jacobson, 22, Criminal Mischief in the Second Degree (Class A Misdemeanor), Unlawfully Applying Graffiti (Class A Violation), and Attempted Aggravated Harassment (Class A Misdemeanor)
Andrew S. Bolen, 29, Criminal Mischief in the Second Degree (Class A Misdemeanor), Possession of a Graffiti Implement (Class A Violation)
Allstair M. Sidener, 19, Criminal Mischief in the Second Degree (Class A Misdemeanor), Resisting Arrest (Class A Misdemeanor)
Harmony Adcox, 31, Interfering with a Peace Officer (Class A Misdemeanor), Resisting Arrest (Class A Misdemeanor)
William J. Leahy, 21, Interfering with a Peace Officer (Class A Misdemeanor), Resisting Arrest (Class A Misdemeanor), and Disorderly Conduct in the Second Degree (Class B Misdemeanor)
It's good to see that the state troopers are here, for a change. And it's nice that somebody's taking the chronic property damage at least mildly seriously. But if this goes like past "protests," you'll never hear about these five actually being punished, because they won't be. Then you'll know that Portland is still stuck where it was in 2021, and continuing to slide.
Just like Mudface Caligula says.
I hope the Portland Police spent the last 4 years reflecting how they could do a better job with the idiots this time. They seemed to relish in situations escalating in the past, and we deserve better. Maybe just relying on OSP is the way to go.
ReplyDeleteNot saying PPB should be hands-off, but it felt like, in 2020, they were enjoying the nightly kabuki because it meant overtime.
I think the cops would rather have the rioters perform in another city.
DeleteNah, the cops loved every second of it. They got to pop tires, pop jaws, and hose hundreds down with all kinds of chemical agents. My old college RA even got in on the act by running a hippie over in his unmarked, blacked-out cop SUV, fulfilling a lifelong dream of his. He retired right afterward. No word on whether he had to give up his certification.
DeleteIt's taken a few years for PPD to venture past the wire and start doing their jobs again. It's good to see they're back out there earning their keep.
Another similarity to 4 years ago - a fairly peaceful rally/protest takes place, then after a couple of hours, most go home, except the crazies, graffiti lunatics and anarchists. That's when the destruction begins. Maybe the police have figured that out.
ReplyDeleteI agree. It plays a lot better when you arrest those who are NOT peacefully protesting--and it's easier if you wait until the peace-mongers go home to continue living their peaceful lives.
DeleteDoes it ever enter these forever-adolescent minds (and others around here) that this kind of stuff put the Trumpster in office? The rest of the country saw what the progressive stormtroopers did to a formerly nice city and reacted as any sane adults would.
ReplyDeleteI don't understand how people who seem to hate this nonsense then won't vote against the machine that has inspired, encouraged, and protected these jerks.
I hate these gutter punks with a passion, too. How do feel about the slobs who stormed the Capitol and beat on police officers? And how about the bastard who just pardoned them?
DeleteCould everyone who identifies as a Democrat or Republican, fuck off? That would fix a lot of dumb.
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