Portland Insists its Protests are Peaceful

Now that President Trump has decided to send in the Oregon National Guard to Portland, this sanctuary city is protesting his decision. The fact that they intend to prevent ICE from doing its work, which is dictated by federal law, is being ignored. Observers have tried to characterize these protests as harmless, but the facts on the ground are different:

Several hundred people gathered outside the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement building in Portland Sunday afternoon and into the evening to protest the Trump administration’s deployment of National Guard troops to the city. Federal agents armed with long-barrel firearms patrolled from nearby rooftops. Families, including grandparents and children riding bikes, filled the streets alongside the longtime protesters clad in the ‘black bloc’ style of ski masks and sunglasses who have been outside the Portland ICE building off and on for the past several months. Chants and bucket drumming rang in the air during an afternoon demonstration that was raucous but largely free of confrontation. [snip] Later in the evening, there were more encounters between protesters and federal agents. Several protesters were hit with pepper balls as ICE agents attempted to escort a car into the building. (italics are mine)

Apparently, the local authorities see no problem with the chanting and noise created by protesters while nearby residents are trying to sleep. They conveniently refuse to inquire into the people wearing black ski masks, very possibly Antifa, who have organized to disrupt Portland and deface government buildings. Evidence of the presence of Antifa has been seen:

Since June, demonstrators have been protesting daily outside a federal ICE detention facility in Portland. Among the demonstrators have been antifascist activists. These protests have at times turned violent, with crowds throwing rocks and launching fireworks at agents and towards the windows of the facility. [snip] On Tuesday, antifa put out a flyer obtained by NewsNation, that calls for activists to gather at the Eugene Federal building where authorities recently made arrests during a night of unrest. The flyer reads, ‘Portland in solidarity with Eugene. We are everywhere. Squad up. Make travel plans. Bring PPE and your unhinged Portland energy.’

With Trump ramping up immigration enforcement, protests are getting more radical:

The ICE facility in the Rose City has long been a target for local far-left and communist radicals. The location was targeted during the 2020 BLM and Antifa riots, continuing until Joe Biden's inauguration in 2021. With the Trump administration's renewed crackdown on illegal aliens, Antifa activists have doubled their efforts to attack the building and federal agents. The crowds often stand in front of the driveway in an attempt to prevent federal vehicles from entering or leaving, forcing agents to remove them physically or with crowd-control munitions.

Meanwhile, Republicans are also attempting to set the record straight:

The state’s House minority leader Christine Drazan said characterizations of Portland as doing fine were ‘tone-deaf,’ and Lori Chavez-DeRemer, a former Oregon representative serving as Trump’s labor secretary, said she’d witnessed Portland transform ‘from a beautiful place to live to a crime-ridden war zone.’

Portland is ignoring the impact of becoming a sanctuary city in 2017; they were already defying federal law. No local laws permit them to violate federal law on immigration.

On August 5, AG Pam Bondi put 32 jurisdictions on notice that they were violating federal law by declaring their status as a sanctuary city:

‘For too long, so-called sanctuary jurisdiction policies have undermined this necessary cooperation and obstructed federal immigration enforcement, giving aliens cover to perpetrate crimes in our communities and evade the immigration consequences that federal law requires,’ Bondi wrote the letter to officials across the country. ‘Any sanctuary jurisdiction that continues to put illegal aliens ahead of American citizens can either come to the table or see us in court,’ Bondi wrote in a post announcing the move.

It's unclear what AG Bondi will do in court against the City of Portland. In the meantime, residents are ready to take back their city and to have Antifa held to account.