Portland, Oregon has been in the news over the years as a fairly tolerant community in regards to protesting. But since the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis in late May activity in the streets has been on the rise.
On mainstream media you see bits and pieces of the protesting but it sometimes appears all the major media ignore what happens after dark, choosing instead to concentrate on the peaceful aspects of the protests.
Watching and monitoring the protests on Twitter, over the the course of two months provides a different perspective.
In talking to friends, some keep saying it is blown out of proportion and to use the cliche, “there are very fine people on both sides”.
But in recent days, House Judiciary Chairman was interviewed and he stated that the violence in Portland was a “myth”. Hence this article as I profoundly disagree with him.
The following video explains Chairman Nadler’s viewpoint pretty concisely. There is no problem at all in Portland, and the group(s) there are peaceful. But, given he is hard at work prepping for the Attorney General Bill Barr hearing, he may not have time to review the reality presented in the nightly news.
And on August 4th, Senator Mazie Hirono-HI(D), walked out of a hearing as she refused to say anything negative about AntiFa.
2020-Aug-5, Day 71
The next three videos concern a driver, perhaps caught in the wrong place. A motorcycle catches the car, veers in front of him. People start surrounding him and he takes off. Some might say he should have gotten out and tried to have a conversation with them. Hmm?
Second video, another angle, shows a Peaceful Protestor slicing his tire with a peaceful knife at the one-sec mark. You can hear the air.
The next video shows more peaceful protestors. With the Feds not on the scene so strongly the peaceful protestors have turned back to focus on the city. Pulling plywood off of windows seems to be something they can get behind.
2020-Aug-3
2022-Aug-2
The evening of August 2nd found the protestors being herded away from the city core once again.
And during the day standard fights break out on the streets of the city.
With the Feds taking a reduced presence the Portland Police herded the protestors out of the downtown core and into residential area. One young girl falls down here and is helped to the side of the street by a Police Officer.
The Washington Post, always ready to downplay any protest violence appears to hope that a reduced Federal presence would lead to less violence.
The park that was taped off the prior day now has is full fledged campground. Parents even brought young children to the nights festivities because of the perceived safety.
2020-Jul-30
With the Feds verbally stating they might begin to destaff the protection of the Federal Courthouse, Mayor Ted Wheeler requested that park benches be removed from a park nearby.
Once the area was taped off and city workers disappeared, the protestors removed the tape and moved back onto the park grounds.
2020-Jul-28
Here we have what I consider an interesting interview with Michael Essig. He basically wants the Feds to leave so they can get back to their original dispute with the Police.
And an interview with a person who has been called “Trumpet Man”
The night of the 28th showed an uptick in the power of the ‘fireworks’ being used. Nearing IED levels.
The Portland Police stated this near IED could be felt a block away.
And the introduction of the Naked protestors. She must throw the public safety officers on scene for a loop. How do you handle her? What do you do?
An interesting tidbit is the man guarding her was ID’d by his grandmother who gave him the vest, the NY Post reported. Late that same night Agard-Berryhill told his probation officer he wanted to turn himself in for throwing a small bomb at the Federal Courthouse, previous video.
2020-Jul-27
The 27th brought more arrests. As the protestors got bolder.
A couple of woman being arrested are shown here.
These aren’t your old school 20th century protestors that were proud to be arrested.
These folks seem genuinely confused when they are chosen to be arrested.
2020-Jul-25
Most everyday for the month of July crews have been out everyday fixing the fence around the courthouse.
The protestors have use angle grinders to cut the fence. Then the next morning crews from the city use their funding to repair, day after day.
Over time improvements are made and it has been strengthened.
It’s gets tougher everyday but cutting and then trying to pull it down can work after a few hours of determined work.
2020-Jul-23
The 23rd brought the surprising introduction of a young black man named Phillip Anderson. He made some news in a viral interview a few weeks prior where he denounced the violence taking place.
He tries to stop them but can’t.
Portland Moms Arrive on the Scene mid-July/2020
The fact that mothers were also protesting did make media news.
The Federal Courthouse fence was a nightly focal point for the protestors and a few, very few mothers chipped in to help pull the fence down.
2020-Jul-22 - Mayor Ted Wheeler shows up
This date was highlighted by visit to downtown by the Mayor of Portland, Ted Wheeler. The first video shows Mayor Wheeler arriving on scene about 9PM.
The second video shows him stating he see’s nothing to warrant Federal Officer introduction. Has Mayor Wheeler lost control of the city?
This next video shows him getting hit with a leaf blower. Leaf blowers are used, by both sides, to move pepper spray and smoke away from you and toward the other side.
The second video shows him leaving the scene early, before 10PM.
And one of my personal favorite videos. A family brought a number of children to the protests, not in the evening of course. You can see, they are not Mayor Ted Wheeler fans. Love to see how these cute kids grow up.
They seem precious.
2020-Jul-21
The first video here shows Seattle Public School teacher Jeff Paul. He gets hit in the eyes. When school starts he undoubtedly will be able to pass on his new experiences to the kids in his class.
This next video shows a Federal Officer barely getting away on the Courthouse Steps.
The next two show the peaceful protestors getting ready, and then the charge.
2020-Jul-20
House Representative Earl Blumanauer, who represents Portland in the 3rd district made a speech stating nothing violent was happening in Portland.
Interesting news here is minor burning of some stores in the downtown area. Luckily just the awnings are burnt. Some in the media, and AntiFa don’t consider burning of structures as violence.
2020-Jul-16-18
The makeshift fence around the Federal Courthouse, initially very easy to move. Over the next two weeks it gradually becomes tougher as the Portland maintenance crew uses lessons learned to make it tougher.
And the fabled Navy guy, crosses the demarcation line to become a mainstream hero. Watching the video he seems to have masochistic tendencies. But it’s his cause.
June 8, 2020
With the protests now starting their second week, the City of Portland put out their Arson report on the downtown area. Note that is covers 11 days, but none the less, their Fire Department must have been busy.
2020-May-30
Immediately after the George Floyd event Portland’s protest state was elevated.
The following video is the Nike store in downtown Portland. Nominally folks talk of Nike as using slave Chinese Uighurs to reduce the cost of manufacturer their shoes. But these protestors were protesting the death of George Floyd.
The booty the protestors rescued from the Nike is highly valued by some.
The video’s in this article were collected from a number of sources. Following is a partial list.
- Sergio Olmos
- Andy Ngo
- KittyLists
- Marie Viti