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Latest call for 'direct action' escalated Portland protest destruction, pushed for anonymity
[OREGONLIVE] Portland’s mayor and police chief Monday vowed to pursue and punish protesters who broke windows and threw flares into the Oregon Historical Society, toppled statues of two celebrated U.S. presidents and fired gunshots into a restaurant during a downtown riot the previous night.But the culprits may prove difficult to identify let alone capture. After months of demonstrations punctuated by Calls to action by often anonymous organizers spread rapidly among left-wing activists on social media and can come together in a matter of hours. Some participants will then take steps to shield their identities during marches or demonstrations that — while leaderless in appearance — can have a specific goal and the tools to carry it out. Such dynamics were on vivid display Sunday night, escalating destructive tactics that had waned in recent weeks. Protest organizers using the Twitter account Generational Resistance® started promoting an "Indigenous Peoples Day of Rage" only the day before. The event generated an immediate interest in activist circles that have demanded an end to systemic racism and police brutality since the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police. Generational Resistance®, which calls itself "a BIPOC affinity group" and has just under 2,800 followers, laid out a loose outline for the evening. There would be an undisclosed "direct action" involved. Participants should dress in black and "cover up." Photographs, video or livestreams would be prohibited. Portland protesters topple statues of Theodore Roosevelt, Abraham Lincoln in ’Day of Rage’; police declare riot The group also smashed windows at the Oregon Historical Society and several downtown storefronts before police moved in. Members of Generational Resistance® could not be reached for comment through their Twitter account, though the group released a statement Monday night. "We stand to decolonize ourselves and decolonize society by working to abolish colonial systems rooted in racism and build community rooted in liberation," the statement said. Members also called for the abolition of police, prisons and capitalism, the return of land to Indigenous communities, and said they supported reparations for Black people and their descendants. More than 200 people braved a steady downpour and gathered beneath the western span of the Burnside Bridge, the protest starting point, by about 7:30 p.m. Sunday. Most of the participants dressed head-to-toe in black and wore face coverings. Several milled about and handed out shields, body armor and helmets to those who wanted them. A group of Native organizers, some whom were not masked, burned sage and asked the crowd to line up behind a banner that read, "This is Indigenous Day. We want our land back." The crowd then began a 20-block march through downtown Portland to the city’s South Park Blocks, delivering call-and-response chants and singing Indigenous songs. Posted by: Fred 2020-10-15 |
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