By Hal Brown:
Previous diaries, and my blog which I update throughout the day
Excerpt:
A riot was declared in the early hours of Wednesday after demonstrators gathered across Portland on Tuesday and later marched to the Portland Police Association building where some set fires and barricaded public roadways for the 68th night of protests against systemic racism and police.
As the protests spilled into Wednesday morning, several shots rang out near North Mobile Avenue and then again about 15 minutes later near North Lombard Street. No one was hurt, but a car was struck. When Portland police went to investigate, the crowd that met them was hostile and no one would speak to officers about the incident.
I hate that this is happening in Portland. Since I moved here eight years ago I thought Portland had an inordinate amount of violent gang activity and street violence. (See “High-profile killings fuel heated gang rivalries, increase in Portland shootings” from 2018 and this from a few days ago “More than 150 rounds fired outside Portland apartment building, police say”.)
I think there is a good chance that some of the people who used to engage in these activities are now contributing to or are the driving force of the violence that continues to plague the Black Lives Matter peaceful protests. Of course it is possible, some would say likely, that far right groups like The Patriot Boys and Proud Boys are behind the continuing violence as they attempt to provide an excuse for sending his federal stormtroopers back in. (See: “Patriot Prayer, Proud Boys Continue Violence Even As Legal Consequences Mount”.)
We just don’t know. Most likely it is a combination.
Lake Oswego is one of Portland’s wealthy suburbs. This is how they want to be seen:
In 2014 the majority voted for Hillary Clinton. This doesn’t mean they are an entirely liberal community. Consider another local story that dismayed me. It shows the ugly side of the Portland area.
This is the letter the family received after a 15 year old in the family posted this message inside one of the windows. Click to enlarge and read replies to the tweet which has had more than 40,000 likes and 10,000 retweets since it was posted Sunday. By Tuesday morning, Lake Oswego was trending nationally.
The official response from the city manager was gratifying.
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The tweet message continues:
The City of Lake Oswego is committed to making Lake Oswego a welcoming community for everyone. We envision a place where every person feels safe and supported by each other. We respect our residents’ First Amendment rights for free expression, and we believe in constructive dialog that allows people to discuss their differences of opinion face-to-face.
As a City, we value our BIPOC community members, and we stand for anti-racism. Everyone should be able to thrive in Lake Oswego without worrying about how the color of their skin affects their opportunities. No one should have to live with suspicion and fear of one’s neighbors.
We are committed to making Lake Oswego a community for all and we need the help of every person. Please join us in stamping out racism, intolerance, and fear in Lake Oswego.”
This (from a July 25th diary) is the good Portland I am proud to be a part of:
Read story Oak Grove senior citizens rally for Black Lives Matter for the background of this protest and several more photos.
I live in a Portland suburb senior facility of over 400 residents which is next to a similar facility. For several weeks from 4:30 — 5:30 PM at least 100 residents aged from the mid-60’s to nearly 100 years old from both places have lined the moderately traveled street where they are located with various homemade versions of Black Lives Matter signs. At what passes for rush hour on our street about six to 10 cars pass by every minute.
The rules are simple: wear a mask and maintain social distance. We wave at every car, and enthusiastically respond to everyone who honks or waves at us.
My estimate is that 95% of those who drive pass react positively with gestures and/or think their horns, 4% ignore us, and 1% give us the finger, a thumbs down, or look of disapproval. I counted two men, both in pick-up trucks, giving us the finger. Every once in awhile a car would pass where passengers would lean out the window and cheer loudly. Twice a car with black passengers shouted out “thank you.” This made tears well up in my eyes.
The group I have been standing with have appropriated the arm raised clenched fist gesture. We all remember the Black Power Movementwhen the Black Panthers made this their signature gesture, but using it to represent solidarity goes way back in history possibly to the French Revolution. Today some football players are also using this gesture.
I have noticed how a fair number of people who have been waving, giving us a V or thumbs up sign change to the clenched fist gesture when they see ours.
I thought a bit about whether white people ought to use a gesture which in recent history was used predominantly by black protesters to express solidarity with each other, but I decided that because this was a power symbol it felt acceptable because it went beyond just waving back at someone to saying without words “we won't allow this and it has got to stop!”
In Portland’s Wall of Moms women are risking being harmed and arrested. While we take no such chance, like them we are saying that whatever power we have because of who we are, old people in our case, we give it to members of the black community by publicly showing our support and our anger at what has been done to them.
Trump’s Schutzstaffel isn’t going to teargas us or haul us away in unmarked vehicles and it’s highly unlikely anyone would dare get out of their vehicle to confront us. We are past our prime but our protest is peaceful, passive, and in its own way, powerful.
On July 25th I post this poll but omitted some choices.