Portland?

Hard as it may be to believe for all of us in Portland going about our normal (for 2020) lives in beautiful summer weather, there's apparently a media narrative out there that Portland is a city at war / under siege / torn apart by riots. This is to be expected from Fox and the right-wing echo chamber, but we have friends and family from as far away as Europe and as close to home Vancouver, WA reaching out to make sure we're okay and staying safe.

To be clear:

- There is zero disruption to daily life stemming from the demonstrations. (And, to be clear, neither are moms with strollers at the farmer's market being snatched up by stasi-wannabees in Escalades all day long.)
- Until Friday, the demonstrations had dwindled to about 100 nightly die-hards, pretty much localized to the Justice Center, with occasional marches and rallies on or from the east side. People are now back out on the streets BECAUSE of the escalation of violence from the state: the secret police kidnappings, the introduction of new battlefield weapons, and the violent dawn raid of the encampment over the weekend.
- Portland looks and feels like any other American city in July 2020, right down to the crowds of unmasked idiots stuffing into downtown bars every night. I imagine a majority of Portlanders aren't even aware of what's happening—those of us who are have read about it in the news like everyone else. I don't know of anyone who has encountered newsworthy civic disruption without having diligently sought it out. For everyone else, it's a topic of conversation as you go for a picnic in the park or pick up your dry cleaning.
- There is no looting, and hasn't been since the very first weekend after George Floyd's murder. People like to post pictures of boarded-up windows downtown as evidence of rampant destruction, which is stupid on several levels. Most downtown businesses with large glass storefronts boarded up in April/May during the shutdown, and many remain closed. In almost all cases, corkboard or plywood fronts are protective measures for businesses that have been closed for weeks or months, NOT temporary coverings for shattered glass. Businesses that are open are uncovered and unmolested (see pictures).
- The small encampments and heavy graffiti, as well as the nighttime demonstrations, are limited to a tiny corner of downtown around the Justice Center and the adjoining squares. You can walk one block in any direction and not have ANY notion that anything unusual is going on—except, of course, after midnight, when the police either perform a sortie from the JC and push protesters out street by street, or quietly form a perimeter four or five blocks out and close in.
- As for the encampment—this outpost of crazed anarchists proffers such horrors as art workshops, medics, "protest buddy" signups and 24/7 free barbecue. I spent all of yesterday evening in and around Chapman and Lownsdale Square—walking, sitting, eating, drinking, taking photos and generally looking suspicious—with absolutely no sense of discomfort or lack of safety, despite the encampment being a magnet for all the bored, curious and hungry people in a one-mile radius. In fact, I was ignored entirely. I'm sure unpleasant stuff happens occasionally, but that's a downtown for you.

Portlanders, let's show pictures of daily life on our timelines, on Twitter and on Instagram: #portlandundersiege.

Edit: thank you to the folks who are calling out that the horror show of state violence that erupts nightly in response to the protests is NOT okay and NOT normal. This had already been the main theme of my social media engagement the last few days, and I had no idea (no one ever does!) that this particular post would go beyond a few friends. So the focus here was different—namely, to counter the absurd Trump/right-wing narrative that Portland is in the throes of a violent anarchist rebellion, and that the city is crying out to be saved by police strength and federal intervention. Rather, people here tend to agree that anarchists are sweeties, revolution is welcome anytime, it's time to defund or abolish the police, and Donald Trump should rot in jail as a forgotten monstrosity.

Moms with linked arms being tear-gassed, riot police and storm troopers charging, tackling and beating citizens and anonymous arrests by literal secret police: these are hideous and terrifying outrages that now occur with regularity in Portland, and we want the rest of you in the nation and the world to watch and to stand with us rather than wringing your hands or trying to discern justifications—as if there could be ANY in a nation supposedly characterized by due process and by freedom of speech and assembly—that help you sleep at night: "Well, there must have been violence on both sides," "Crazy Portland! There's probably some truth in all the talk of riots, so once this all fizzles out we won't need to worry about feds in unmarked vans," etc. We're at a juncture, and we need all you to think about which side of history you'll be on.