As Portlanders approach four months of physically protesting our police bureau, the police and their counterparts have done much to further the case against themselves. It’s frequently discussed amongst protesters, typically to the tune of comedic irony, how the wanton person-to-person violence exacted nightly by the Portland Police Bureau across the city is responsible for the rapid radicalization of the very citizens they are allegedly deployed to serve and protect. Additionally, the ongoing targeting, arrests and abuse of medics, food providers, press and legal observers – a tactic also utilized by federal agents and alt-right militiamen – has only served to strengthen the resolve of the mutual aid workers who discuss injuries and arrests openly with one another like a public support group.
Make no mistake, the catalyst for this radicalization is anger. The anger is justified. We were angry when we took the streets, and regular abuse at the hands of police only fans the flames.
