I took the picture today in Portland. It was taken long after the Proudboys were gone and the police were 100% aware of this. This militant police force — hundreds of storm troopers like this — were deployed to “control” a peaceful crowd 99% composed of peace protesters (both antifa and the more ‘traditional’ colorful mishmash of gay, straight, unicorn, multi-racial, multi-aged, hippy/technohippy, artist and just general peace-wishing people.
I wrote this as a comment in another diary and it pretty much is what I wish to say. There is a live stream I took and posted to Facebook at the bottom. I am sad right now.
I happen to randomly be here and I actually had not been paying attention to the news and I happened on the protest on a bike ride.
Our side of the protest was very emotional for me. There were so many expressions of love, peace, a strong showing of Union members and speeches which were awesome. When I showed up antifa struck me strangely. Without question I know they aren’t terrorists or anything near but I still didn’t really feel good about the black helmets, the masks and the reality that they even if they were only loosely organized there was a very military feeling to what they were doing. They had leaders shouting directions to move — not chants, instructions like “Let’s move toward the fountain, stay tight and even spaced”. It’s not an exact quote but it was commands like that.
The other thing that freaked me out was the level of militant presence of the cops who I’ve never seen a force of robocops in person and it was daunting.
They created a physical divide between the groups with almost like a DMZ of maybe 200 feet — a “no man’s land” and since I arrived on the peace/antifa side even though I was just dressed in shorts and a white t-shirt I was grouped with this (which is where I clearly would be anyhow) but I literally wasn’t allowed to pass with my bike (I wanted to see the Proud Boys group but from a distance — especially because I knew as a white male in plain clothes I wouldn’t have a concern if I didn’t speak which I wouldn’t do).
It was really hard to watch. I started crying because it seemed so awful that we have gotten to this place. I supported the peace protesters 100% and I felt like the antifa people were making a forceful version but it didn’t feel like the right message regardless. It seemed very aggressive and super confrontational. I thought it was very much not in line with peaceful protest of history.
That said, the part that was maybe even worse was a few hours later. I actually left a few minutes after the wall of cops stopped me from seeing the other side and I rode my bike to lunch and more of the city.
When I returned apparently the Proud boys were gone and this was the part that was maybe more awful.
The robocops were mobilized, moving around in huge groups — hundreds of them. It seemed like they were looking for a peace protester to break a rule and then they would arrest them almost to try to start a riot . There was nothing left to “control” — there was only one side of the protest left.
Anyhow, I have written a ton and I really wanted to share this disturbing live stream I took. It felt so wrong what the cops were doing and I express that in it.
I don’t like this side of America. It looks like facsim to me. The final takeaway was that I actually wound up thinking that maybe the antifa people weren’t so off base with the helmets and masks.
Here is the video