With Trump threatening to deploy more agents to other U.S. cities, we should be paying close attention to what's been happening in Portland.

Over the weekend I asked a friend up there, one who's been showing up for the protests regularly, what the scene is really like and if she knew what needed to be shared to a wider audience. The main message? Protesters are hoping people outside Portland understand that "this a fight for all of us." She also shared:

Having the FEDS here is super scary for the state of our democracy (and a sign that Trump is a bloody fascist). The local cops have also been gassing and beating up protesters here for weeks with no oversight and little provocation.

The clashes between protesters and police here on the ground is isolated to a small area and happens late at night — but the threat to our democracy is real and present. The cops — both local and Feds are brutalizing people, mostly young and dis-enfranchized folks like the houseless and mentally ill. They pepper spray and beat them every night. It is scary to see.

"There is a nationwide call now for solidarity marches on July 25 -- one in most major cities including Oakland," she also wrote.

She offered press collective @45thabsurdist as a "real-deal" trusted source, "they're the ones out every night getting gassed." Here's a tweet from them, dated June 26:

Here’s what the hell we’re doing & why.

Please support folks reporting on the ground.

Read the rest

https://boingboing.net/2020/07/21/what-portland-protesters-want.html