What do the Portland Protesters want?

[janterry]

What are the specifics? Is there a spokesperson who is working with the local government on formulating a plan?


I understand the anger - and I've heard many different ideas for changing the system. (In our community, we have identified a plan to change policing, for instance).

I just want to know if there are any real negotiations underway in Portland. Or any kind of path forward.

[Fiendish Thingy]

1. 1) Justice for George Floyd and all killed by police 2) feds out of Portland nt

[janterry]

2. I guess I wasn't clear

I wanted to know if there is any movement on a specific plan forward.

Are there any negotiations? Concrete ideas/plans? Or are they being ignored by Portland.

Any spokespeople working on anything?

[mwooldri]

7. I don't know. But...

... should the Portland protesters negotiate with terrorists?

[janterry]

8. To make political change they have to work on changing policy

That means meeting with city council members, mayors, representatives.

If they really want to change the police, they need to do the work of it. Don't they?

[LakeArenal]

36. Maybe in the beginning

But unidentifiable agents making unwarranted and probably illegal arrests have changed the dynamic.

Now they are protesting Fascism and the police state.

You can’t negotiate with them at all. And why should they?

[janterry]

41. Oh, I wouldn't negotiate with the FEDS

but any good mayor or governor or - city council person should be working on the next steps. Our little town did - we had two marches - an afternoon sit in at the park.

After weeks of protesting in Portland, there should be some movement (I say should, I guess I should say I would like for there to be). It IS a progressive city, though ---they must be willing to talk?

[CentralMass]

19. Possibly arguably what started this perpetual cycle of "storming the fence" every night for the last

two months was a small number of individuals that trashed, burned, and looted downtown Portland. Including the vandalising of this fenced in Federal building that has become ground zero. Night after night events at that fence by a handful of the protesters assembled there attemped and succeeding in provoking an illegal assembly.
It has morphed into a battle against tRump and the feds that he brought in supposedly to protect that federal building.

Here is a thought. If that rioting and looting hadn't occurred, if the nightly assaults at the fenced in building hadn't occurred, we wouldn't be in this predicament.

[PSPS]

3. Yes, that's about the size of it. Trump's SS out and reform policing.

[Drunken Irishman]

4. Weren't the protesters vandalizing the federal building before the feds arrived?

So, that second demand doesn't seem to be true, unless you mean they want all federal jobs out of Portland and if that's the case, that's just lunacy.

[Doremus]

18. Do we need federal guards to protect buildings from graffiti? nt

[R B Garr]

35. They supposedly want to burn them down.

That is at least how the Feds presence is being excused from the news bits I hear.

[Drunken Irishman]

40. Nope. Just pointing out the protesters were there long before the feds.

So, that's not what they're protesting.

I just think these white folks just like to protest and raise hell. Nothing will satisfy their anger.

[WhiteTara]

5. Now it's to get the feds out of the city

they are uninvited and unwanted and are thoroughly destructive.

[HotTeaBag]

6. I've been wondering the same thing.

And my question is 'what don't they want?' - there seems to be no unifying ask.

Portland has a pretty long history of protest (referred to as Little Beirut by GHW Bush), but most recently the protests seem to have been around policing in the city itself which has had some serious problems with the way the PD has been treating POC where they are a tiny minority.

[brooklynite]

27. In which case, why are they targeting Federal buildings?

More specifically, why the Courthouse?

[HotTeaBag]

28. The Courthouse would make sense from a criminal justice perspective

if they are mainly concerned with the way justice is meted out.

Other than that, as I said I have no idea.

[brooklynite]

32. The issue isn't how the Courts handle these matters...

...and certainly not Federal Courts. These are almost always local cases, which boil down to Police policies and District Attorney prosecution.

[HotTeaBag]

33. OK then, you tell me why they're prostesting

because as I mentioned in my original post, I don't know, and can't tell because there are so many different types of protesters with no unifying ask.

I guessed it had something to do with policing but you seem intent on proving my assumption incorrect.

Your guidance is much appreciated.

[LeftInTX]

9. They want to protest

[janterry]

10. This is what I think

looking from the outside.

I think it's a mistake, because it impedes progress (imo)

[WhiskeyGrinder]

26. What progress is being impeded?

[janterry]

34. I don't see them moving forward

Do you? In our town, activists have set up meetings and formed a committee to continue to work on reducing police in the community (and increasing our budget for social services).

Our town officials have endorsed this plan and the community is moving forward. They have this front and center for the agenda in Sept.

I don't see any progress (yet) in Portland. Perhaps there are meeting that I (and I guess others on this thread) are not aware of.

[Steelrolled]

21. What else are you going to do?

Not safe being in bars.

[chowder66]

11. Police accountability, racial justice, income inequality reforms. And now the right to protest.

snip

What started out as a movement for police accountability and racial justice has morphed into a complex mobilization. The protesters’ goals now include defunding the police, addressing income inequality and pushing federal agents out of the city.

snip
Others were not moved to participate until federal agents entered the city. Christopher J. David, a Navy veteran who was filmed being beaten with a baton by federal officers, had not followed the protests until U.S. agents were deployed. He came to the protests to ask officers about their use of violent tactics against protesters, which he said conflicted with their oath to uphold the Constitution.

https://www.nytimes.com/article/portland-protests-explained-protesters.html

[LakeArenal]

37. Yes yes yes.. OUR (everyone's) Constitutional RIGHT to assemble and protest.

Exactly.

[LeftInTX]

12. Trump found Portland

PORTLAND, Ore. — As statues of Confederate generals, enslavers and other icons tumbled from their pedestals amid protests last month, President Trump issued an executive order meant to break the cascade. It enlisted the Department of Homeland Security, created in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks to protect the country against external threats, to defend U.S. monuments and federal property against "anarchists and left-wing extremists" who he said are advancing "a fringe ideology."

The order signaled Trump’s eagerness to mobilize federal power against the societal upheaval that has coursed through America since George Floyd’s death. He sought to frame and create a culture war — right vs. left, right vs. wrong — and was taking a stand at the monuments that some view as historical homages and many others view as symbols of oppression.

But Trump’s June 26 declaration came too late. The momentum of the protests was fading in many U.S. cities, and confrontations between federal authorities and civilians were becoming less frequent. Then Trump found Portland, according to administration and campaign officials.

Still restive, the West Coast city with a long tradition of protest as a subculture of anarchism was staging peaceful mobilizations as well as smaller nightly clashes with authorities. Militant black-clad demonstrators were directing their anger at a large federal courthouse downtown.

Sinking in the polls over his handling of the coronavirus pandemic, Trump seized a chance to appear as a field general in a wider American cultural conflict over racial justice, police misconduct and the reexamination of American history and monuments. In Portland, he found a theater for his fight.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/portland-protests-operation-diligent-valor/2020/07/24/95f21ede-cce9-11ea-89ce-ac7d5e4a5a38_story.html

[Reader Rabbit]

13. First and foremost, consequences and accountability for PPD.

We've long had a corrupt and out-of-control police department. They regularly abuse their power, particularly against people of color, and they are never held accountable.

Here are two good articles about the history of the PPD:

For nearly 80 years, the Portland Police Association Has wielded power in a town that doesn't like cops.

Five Infamous Incidents that Didn't Cost Portland Police Officers Their Jobs

[LeftInTX]

14. They should be protesting at the PPD...

Now it's about robocops at the federal court house.

Also it should not be that hard to work with elected officials. We're doing it here in San Antonio, which is not really a city known for any equity at all. We have protests and elected officials got the idea. Change just doesn't happen with protests. Now we are circulating petitions to curtail the police union. (Texas is a right to work state, so it can be done via a municipal election. We voted for collective bargaining in the 1980's via a municipal election) It will go to voters in May 2021.

[Reader Rabbit]

22. They were/are.

Then the feds arrived.

It appears that no one bothered to read the articles.

If anyone truly wants to know about the efforts BLM and Don't Shoot Portland, then you need to do your own homework. All the information is out there; it just appears that some people find it easier to blame the victims than support them.

[Blecht]

23. This +1000

People are so fucking ignorant about what is going on here in Portland.

They really need to do their own homework and stop blaming the victims.

The information is easily available.

[Bradshaw3]

25. If it's easy then why not post the efforts and any accomplishments

Toward reaching the goals? A lot of people on here are veterans of protest movements, some successful but many were not. I'm not convinced these tactics are working toward changing our government, it's policies, or those in charge. If there are accomplishments that have come out of these nightly confrontations then please let us know, and answer the OP's legitimate question of what are the practical means to advance the stated goals.

[Reader Rabbit]

31. Why on earth would you expect others to do your homework for you?

Your unwillingness to do your own research makes your questions seem very disingenuous, but I will provide you with some Googling tips.

Ted Wheeler: Our current mayor and a tower of jello, completely lacking in spine
Joann Hardesty: Black city councilwoman who has been working for decades for police accountability
Don't Shoot Portland: a local civil rights agency involved in coordinating the protests and getting police held accountable
Black Lives Matter PDX: local chapter of BLM involved in coordinating the protests and getting policy held accountable

If you can't easily find the information you need, blame the corporate news media, not the people attempting to effect change.

[Bradshaw3]

39. Pretty much what I expected

I'm not unwilling to do research but this isn't the first time I asked this question and, like the OP's question, you don't get an answer. The only one misplacing blame is you, shifting it to the media and to DUers who ask legitimate questions about the point of these actions - questions that aren't being answered. And no, listing groups or individuals like you did isn't an answer to why these types of protests are ongoing or what they have accomplished. It does say a lot though.

If the people there truly want change, I suggest there are more effective ways to do it, such as spending time doing the unglamorous work of electing Democrats in the fall, and so far I haven't seen sensible counter arguments to the contrary.

[janterry]

15. so are they meeting with the mayor?

have they starting talking to the city council? What are they doing to make progress on these goals?

[EllieBC]

16. That requires a plan.

There is no structure or clear plan.

Hasn’t been hasn’t this been a running joke though the recent decades? You go to an antiwar protest and there’s always somebody there with a sign that says save the whales?

Structure and focus are lost skills.

[janterry]

17. we have taught 'critical theory' and created lots of interest in protest

but no way forward
(this is just a working hypothesis at this point! But it's something I'm playing with -as I watch this unfold)

[Steelrolled]

20. It was a joke in the 60's

For What It's Worth:

What a field-day for the heat
A thousand people in the street
Singing songs and carrying signs
Mostly say, hooray for our side

John Lennon was more direct in Revolution, a real callout to the radical left.

[EllieBC]

30. Yeah it's a problem.

It’s something everyone is afraid to address though.

The right is effective because they don’t care about hurting feelings. And they have plans and structure and hierarchical organizations.

We need to stop being worried about hurting feelz and just tell people, “this is the aim and goal, this is how we will carry it out. No one cares about your plastic straws right now, Kinsleigh. Stay on message.”.

[maxsolomon]

29. The Mayor was tear gassed over the weekend.

It sounds like the Portland protestors aren't living up to your standards.

Lots of second guessing and concerns out there - editorials in the NYT, in the WaPo...

[LakeArenal]

38. Good point.

[stillcool]

24. Portland is a place of it's own...

it has a long history of protests, and the police have been an issue for a long time. The first link has some interesting photos. It's amazing how little I know about my country.

'Little Beirut' legacy: 21 of the most memorable protests in Portland history
Updated May 18, 2019; Posted Apr 11, 2016
By Douglas Perry | The Oregonian/OregonLive

https://www.oregonlive.com/living/2016/04/little_beirut_legacy_20_of_the.html

https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/07/21/portland-feds-protests/
Violent protest clashes turned Portland into a ‘right-wing boogeyman.’ Here’s how it happened.
By
Katie Shepherd
July 21, 2020 at 6:41 a.m. EDT

The most recent national focus on Portland as a hub of clashes between police, left-wing protesters and right-wing agitators began in November 2016, when the city erupted into large, and at times unruly, protests after Trump’s unexpected victory. Police deployed tear gas and arrested hundreds, as a small group of anarchists shattered windows and sprayed graffiti on buildings.
About six months later, the city was mourning the killing of two men on a light-rail train in a hate crime when a far-right group known to attract neo-Nazis and white supremacists held an “anti-antifa” rally days after the slaying. When more than 2,000 Portlanders marched against the right-wing extremists, police detained almost 400 people and took photos of their IDs.

That incident set off nearly two years of costly protests that frustrated police and the public. Far-right groups not from Portland repeatedly held rallies and marches throughout the city during the summer of 2017, congregating in June, August and September. Local counterdemonstrators showed up in droves.

A familiar pattern developed: Hours of peaceful protests would eventually deteriorate. Sometimes, physical fights broke out between anti-fascist activists and far-right extremists who came to town openly advocating violence. More often, the left-leaning crowds clashed with the police.