If you’ve ever visited Portland, Oregon (or even just watched Portlandia) you’ve probably gotten the impression that it’s a weird and very liberal place, but also an inclusive place where people have and value community. The real-life Portland isn’t living up to that image this week. Under threat of violence, organizers have had to shut down a beloved annual parade.
The story begins with the violent anti-Trump protests that occurred immediately after the November election. No big surprise there would be demonstrations about that in Portland, but police finally had to step in on the third day of protests after anarchist rioters wielding baseball bats began smashing cars, electrical boxes and shop windows and people began lighting trash fires. There was also a handful of assualts, including one against a reporter for a local television station, and people threw bottles at the police when they moved in.
Demonstrations continued for more than a week, and 113 people were arrested in all. But the district attorney decided to dismiss charges against nearly everyone.
The red-shirts learned their lesson: They rule Portland — not the mayor, not its city council. It was all a facade. There is no community or rule of law, just whatever the most violent and intellectually immature people among them decide to tolerate.
That leads to this week’s news that anarchist threats have led to the cancellation of the 82nd Avenue of Roses Parade. The reason: The anarcho-fascists involved in the November protests, emboldened by the authorities’ weak response, threatened to assault the float of the (basically harmless and ineffective) county Republican party, which had been included in the parade’s lineup, as is typical.
The parade’s organizers pulled the plug after police refused to act on the threat they had received. The Oregonian provided a small excerpt from the anonymous email, which promised that hundreds of goons would assault the handful of Republican marchers who were to hold the 67th position in the parade:
“You have seen how much power we have downtown and that the police cannot stop us from shutting down roads so please consider your decision wisely,” the anonymous email said, telling organizers they could cancel the Republican group’s registration or else face action from protesters. “This is non-negotiable.”
So the anarcho-fascists think they rule Portland. And the Portland Police Department…went on to prove them right!
Organizers pulled out after contacting Portland police, according to Rich Jarvis, spokesman for the Rose Festival Foundation. When police said they couldn’t offer any additional security for the parade, organizers decided to cancel it due to safety concerns.
If the city’s elected authorities had any interest in showing that the vote to elect them was somehow meaningful, or that their city is a safe place for everyone, they would not leave their citizens at the mercy of these wannabe freedom-fighter militiamen. You can’t have a culture where peaceful protest and civic engagement reign unless there are consequences for the violent jerks who work to destroy that culture.
