Plaintiffs describe being taken in unmarked vans, being deliberately shot at with rubber grenades and being wantonly hit on the head, among other complaints.
www.opb.org
I haven't been following it very closely because things have been quiet ever since the crack down on Proud Boys after Jan 6 and the turnover in the executive branch of our government. I think the 50 or so police officers resigned rather than face charges. Once those bad apples were made examples, the Portland Police stood down. Antifa hasn't had a reason to show up in numbers because fascists are no longer trying to project their own brand of power onto our streets. It's more like a fire that is smoldering beneath the forest floor right now. It might die down or it might flare up, guarantee it will if fascism takes over government again. Also, the people of Portland are ready to march in support of BLM if they call for a demonstration. We learned a lesson when some people hijacked the BLM cause and acted against the wishes of the BLM leadership in Portland. Antifa and BLM are not the same but they do share objectives and sometimes ally with each other.
But not much has changed beneath the surface. This is highlighted by a shooting that took place a couple of years ago.
A prosecutor has described what happened when a 43-year-old man confronted protesters against police violence in a Portland park on Saturday night.
apnews.com
Immediately after the shooting of BLM protesters, the police released a report that blamed the BLM protesters. The had to reverse their statements soon thereafter but the red flag was seen by all. Mayor Wheeler also backtracked on some loose comments about roughing up protesters should they be seen on his streets. So, its all still there. The pieces are set to go off again.
I believe that Antifa are heroes in this but nobody is pure after a war. Everybody is a little tainted. That said Antifa are on the right side of all this. We saw on Jan 6 what fascists do when they think they have the upper hand. The good people of Portland made sure that fascists know they aren't welcome here. Regarding BLM protests, they will stop when police brutality against our Black brothers and sisters stop. Nobody is holding their breath waiting for that to happen.
on a lark, I just checked for anything new on the subject of the confrontation between fascists and those who oppose them including BLM and Antifa. The Atlantic just published a retrospective that says what I have been saying all along. Trump and his gang targeted Portland for propaganda purposes. I don't think the article captures the meaning behind the fact that all the chaos and violence went away when Fascists lost power in 2020. The subject is complicated and he tries to take a balanced stance when there was imbalance in power at that time. But still, its a good read, if you have the time for it.
America faces a type of extremist violence it does not know how to stop.
www.theatlantic.com
.
