Portland's Antifascists Punch White Supremacists. Are They Also Helping Trump?

With antifa under greater scrutiny than ever before, WW sat down with a half-dozen Portland antifascists in the past two weeks. None of them wore a mask.


Portland was supposed to be a peaceful escape for Tim Ledwith.

He came to the West Coast fleeing his hometown of Boston—a city where he says he suffered childhood sexual abuse, spent time in juvenile detention for attacking a classmate with a wrench, and where his uncle was murdered by a white supremacist.

He wanted to be a standup comedian. But Ledwith, 35, carried his strong aversion for bigots across the country with him.

"I've always hated Nazis," he says. "I've had Nazis in my life that have done fucking bad things."

That's why, after the 2016 election, when far-right brawlers began to use Portland as a playground for beatdowns, Ledwith started suiting up in a black tracksuit and a cheap black bandanna.

Read more: https://www.wweek.com/news/2019/08/07/portlands-antifascists-punch-white-supremacists-are-they-also-helping-trump/
(Williamette Week)