24-25 July 2020 Call for Action
July 22, 2020
tl;dr Nationwide Call for Action
Portland residents who aren't involved in the #PDXProtests are quick to assure their social media friends and followers that Portland is not, contrary to #FauxNews reports, a city at war, under siege, and/or torn apart by riots.
It's
important to understand that there are riots every night. The police riot. The Feds riot. They attack people who are literally just standing in the park, on the sidewalk, in a crosswalk, on the street, passing by the protest areas (walking and in vehicles, dragging them out of their cars and/or filling the car with tear gas) with weapons of war and beat them with batons and their fists.
We are under siege, by federal and local cops who are filling local streets, residences, vehicles, and businesses with tear gas that has residual effects lasting for days.
The feds are snatching people off the street, covering their faces, interrogating them in unknown locations, and sometimes releasing them without any charges and then denying they were ever
in custody. Portland cops are routinely arresting people (including reporters and non-participant legal observers) on bogus charges they know will be dropped, forcing them to spend a night in a jail that is not meeting the sanitary requirements of a pandemic, and stealing their stuff.
There is looting. The Cops and the Feds deliberately target and destroy the food and medical supplies that have been donated to aid not only the protesters but anyone who's hungry or in need including houseless folks caught in the crossfire. Early this morning (July 22, 2020) the Gestapo went so far as to set tents on fire that are just used to prepare food (@RiotRibs if you haven't heard of them, you will) and turn over/break the tables they use to prepare and serve food (not the first time Riot Ribs has been targeted for feeding people). A week ago the cops stole tents, clothing, electronics, and other items from folks (many homeless, some protesters) camping in the park. Cops routinely arrest people and release them after stealing their shoes, phones, and any equipment used by the press including their identification.
Food carts were deliberately flooded with tear gas by the Portland Police Bureau resulting in destroyed food and the need for even more cleaning. Although you can walk a block from the (in)Justice Center and not know that anything unusual is going on, businesses and residents in the area and blocks away are dealing with ridiculous amounts of tear gas that seep into their buildings and vehicles every night.
The Portland Police Bureau frequently "closes" hundreds of blocks of downtown and arrests anyone who is unfortunate enough to be on those streets, even if they're just trying to get home or to work an early shift (especially if they're not white). Usually this occurs after midnight (and bars currently have a mandatory 10 p.m. closing) so the thousands of folks who live and work in the area aren't even aware of it. But it happened nightly before the federal occupation and still happens whenever the local cops get involved.
The only "violence" perpetrated by the "violent anarchists" is throwing things like pig food and dildoes (and the occasional water bottle) at cops. Oh, and tomatoes. They have become skilled at throwing back the tear gas canisters and flash grenades (hockey sticks and soccer players for the win) and the cops/feds absolutely hate that. The cops/feds also hate the leaf blowers that send their tear gas away from the protesters. They must really despise the wind that also often works in the protesters' favor.
The boarded up buildings (most of which had their windows covered in April/May during the shutdown and remain closed) you see on national television have been painted with beautiful artwork. Most of the local businesses that are open downtown support the local protesters, not the police (more than 80 percent of whom live out of town and/or out of state) and the federal Gestapo.
Most importantly, this is not just happening in Portland, Oregon. It's happening across the United States. The local cops were violently attacking people before they asked the Feds to show up (yes the White Supremacist cops,
not the police chief or the mayor, but the rank and file, asked the Feds to come and defy orders not to collaborate with the Gestapo). They're still the problem here and elsewhere.
And, even if the Gestapo hasn't goose stepped into your town, yet, your local cops are doing this to people in your city. If you don't know about it that's because you're not blessed with indie journalists (or don't know where to find their reports) who risk their lives, their bodies (at least two were injured early this morning here and they were hardly the first), and arrest every night to report the truth.
Don't believe me? T. Greg Doucette has been documenting incidents of police brutality across the country. He started out a twitter thread back in May intending to post the top 10 incidents of police brutality during protests inspired by George Floyd's death at the hands of the brutal police. It's grown to more than 800 entries (all separate incidents). Portland is featured frequently, but we're hardly alone (content warning for graphic violence).
Friday July 24 and Saturday, July 25, people will be protesting across the country in solidarity against the federal invasion/occupation of Portland and the Fanta Fuhrer's promise to take his violent campaign road show to other cities. Look for an event in your town (PNW Youth Liberation Front is tracking/listing them) and go. Wear your mask. Study the safety protocols available online and abide by them. Do not bring your phone (it allows you to be tracked) or anything else you can't afford to have the police steal. Do not take photographs showing protesters faces, but do photograph the criminal activities of cops and feds.
Be prepared to be met with Police State violence and be grateful if you're not.
It's
important to understand that there are riots every night. The police riot. The Feds riot. They attack people who are literally just standing in the park, on the sidewalk, in a crosswalk, on the street, passing by the protest areas (walking and in vehicles, dragging them out of their cars and/or filling the car with tear gas) with weapons of war and beat them with batons and their fists.
We are under siege, by federal and local cops who are filling local streets, residences, vehicles, and businesses with tear gas that has residual effects lasting for days.
The feds are snatching people off the street, covering their faces, interrogating them in unknown locations, and sometimes releasing them without any charges and then denying they were ever
in custody. Portland cops are routinely arresting people (including reporters and non-participant legal observers) on bogus charges they know will be dropped, forcing them to spend a night in a jail that is not meeting the sanitary requirements of a pandemic, and stealing their stuff.
There is looting. The Cops and the Feds deliberately target and destroy the food and medical supplies that have been donated to aid not only the protesters but anyone who's hungry or in need including houseless folks caught in the crossfire. Early this morning (July 22, 2020) the Gestapo went so far as to set tents on fire that are just used to prepare food (@RiotRibs if you haven't heard of them, you will) and turn over/break the tables they use to prepare and serve food (not the first time Riot Ribs has been targeted for feeding people). A week ago the cops stole tents, clothing, electronics, and other items from folks (many homeless, some protesters) camping in the park. Cops routinely arrest people and release them after stealing their shoes, phones, and any equipment used by the press including their identification.
Food carts were deliberately flooded with tear gas by the Portland Police Bureau resulting in destroyed food and the need for even more cleaning. Although you can walk a block from the (in)Justice Center and not know that anything unusual is going on, businesses and residents in the area and blocks away are dealing with ridiculous amounts of tear gas that seep into their buildings and vehicles every night.
The Portland Police Bureau frequently "closes" hundreds of blocks of downtown and arrests anyone who is unfortunate enough to be on those streets, even if they're just trying to get home or to work an early shift (especially if they're not white). Usually this occurs after midnight (and bars currently have a mandatory 10 p.m. closing) so the thousands of folks who live and work in the area aren't even aware of it. But it happened nightly before the federal occupation and still happens whenever the local cops get involved.
The only "violence" perpetrated by the "violent anarchists" is throwing things like pig food and dildoes (and the occasional water bottle) at cops. Oh, and tomatoes. They have become skilled at throwing back the tear gas canisters and flash grenades (hockey sticks and soccer players for the win) and the cops/feds absolutely hate that. The cops/feds also hate the leaf blowers that send their tear gas away from the protesters. They must really despise the wind that also often works in the protesters' favor.
The boarded up buildings (most of which had their windows covered in April/May during the shutdown and remain closed) you see on national television have been painted with beautiful artwork. Most of the local businesses that are open downtown support the local protesters, not the police (more than 80 percent of whom live out of town and/or out of state) and the federal Gestapo.
Most importantly, this is not just happening in Portland, Oregon. It's happening across the United States. The local cops were violently attacking people before they asked the Feds to show up (yes the White Supremacist cops,
not the police chief or the mayor, but the rank and file, asked the Feds to come and defy orders not to collaborate with the Gestapo). They're still the problem here and elsewhere.
And, even if the Gestapo hasn't goose stepped into your town, yet, your local cops are doing this to people in your city. If you don't know about it that's because you're not blessed with indie journalists (or don't know where to find their reports) who risk their lives, their bodies (at least two were injured early this morning here and they were hardly the first), and arrest every night to report the truth.
Don't believe me? T. Greg Doucette has been documenting incidents of police brutality across the country. He started out a twitter thread back in May intending to post the top 10 incidents of police brutality during protests inspired by George Floyd's death at the hands of the brutal police. It's grown to more than 800 entries (all separate incidents). Portland is featured frequently, but we're hardly alone (content warning for graphic violence).
Friday July 24 and Saturday, July 25, people will be protesting across the country in solidarity against the federal invasion/occupation of Portland and the Fanta Fuhrer's promise to take his violent campaign road show to other cities. Look for an event in your town (PNW Youth Liberation Front is tracking/listing them) and go. Wear your mask. Study the safety protocols available online and abide by them. Do not bring your phone (it allows you to be tracked) or anything else you can't afford to have the police steal. Do not take photographs showing protesters faces, but do photograph the criminal activities of cops and feds.
Be prepared to be met with Police State violence and be grateful if you're not.