Brace for Impact
Yeah, it’s going to get worse
Whenever I see the news of another black man who is gunned down or choked to death by police I go though a standard emotional transition that is unique to this kind of situation. I start with anger. Anger that it is happening again and that without a video they would have probably got away with it. Then that anger transitions into sadness. Sadness that the person I saw is now dead or dying or critically injured because he had the audacity to be black while having an interaction with police. Then I get anxious. Anxious because I know there will be protests, those protests will be followed by riots, those riots will be followed by more police brutality and building’s set ablaze. Now I’m anxious that the right wing are going to insert themselves at an unprecedented level and kill many more people.
GREAT PATRIOTS!
Our president is no stranger to exalting the assault of protesters. Thinking back to the now ancient history of 2016, which feels like some kind of alternate universe at this point, he encouraged violence frequently. Like, over and over and over again into his presidency. This Orange violence (hot new term for Trump encouraged violence) is encouraged either towards protesters or suspects who have been arrested by police.
“I think there is blame on both sides,” …”You had a group on one side that was bad. You had a group on the other side that was also very violent. Nobody wants to say that. I’ll say it right now.”
I’m sure you remember when Trumps response after Charlottesville. I’m sure you remember feeling, “oh shit he really just called the group of white nationalists good people” and you are remembering correctly, no matter how the White House tries to spin it.
Now we are seeing trump give the green light for more vehicular manslaughter. There was a murder involving two individuals from that caravan of GREAT PATRIOTS! And many videos of altercations.
The caravan was not supposed to go though downtown originally to not have conflict with the protesters. But these MAGA patriots decided to go downtown, where the BLM protesters where. Upon rolling into downtown there where predictable interactions between the two diametrically opposed groups. First arrival brought middle fingers flying along with insults and predictable racial slurs. Then came the PATRIOT drive by paintball shooters from the bed of their pickup trucks adorned with flags of Trump 2020 campaign slogans as far as the eye can see. As the trucks started to get into crowds of people partially blocking the road or on both sides, they rapidly accelerated though the streets. BLM activists set fire to Trump flags and fistfights broke out.
At some point in the night someone was shot and killed. Its unclear who the shooter was, or the victim. Whatever the political affiliation of the individual was but, it really doesn't matter. Without some sort of decisive action the situation in Portland has now reached a point were it may not be able to return without a large event taking place, military police or otherwise. Now we have inserted all in the same city; angry right wing mobs, angry left wing mobs and police mobs. These will all clash in various ways and combinations in the coming days. No one is truly leading any of them. It will get more reactionary, it will get more violent, it will end in more death.
Take a Breath
With the awareness that no one that is on the ground in Portland reading this story, take a breath. To those on the ground that have been fighting with the police and feds for months, breathe. There are many of us who have watched Portland both proud of those fighting for what they believe to be true and protesting as hard as I have seen a group protest in my life time. And, as much as I’d like to have them continue with the same tenacity and to not recommend dialing back 1st amendment rights to assemble and shout, the narrative of the right is leading down a clear path.
Celebrating the murder of someone you presume to be a fascist (although with Trump’s rhetoric lately his supporters sure do seem to be heading that way fast) is not going to help. Its just not going to anything besides embolden more of those PATRIOTS! to come to Portland and various other protests across the nation, most of which have not been violent and have been taking place every night alongside the riots.
This rhetoric, even if it applies to Portland who have had one of the more unique sets of events happen to them during the protests (and some of the most state violence) , is going to get people killed across the country for simply going and protesting for BLM and the things they believe in. There have already been altercations between these two groups across the country, thankfully many ending in nothing more than scrapes and bruises and a trip to the jail.
As hard as I have defended those on the ground to every person who has pushed back against me saying they are all violent when we know they are not. And with the knowledge that I have not been on the ground there. I don’t know how it feels to be under assault by those in my city put there to protect me. I don’t know how it feels to be rolled up on by a mile long caravan of trucks full of individuals that hate me. I’m begging you brave men and women on the ground, breathe. Breathe so that you can relax, and continue to fight another day. De-escalate altercations and don’t take every fight. I may not be there, but from my vantage point I see the the rhetoric taking place online from the right. They are starting to get organized, armed and set to return. Night after night. Confrontation after confrontation. Shot after shot.
i love you all -please be safe
