Portland Protestors Hand Trump New Public Failure

Donald Trump’s attempt to halt Portland’s protests through violent escalation ended in public failure as protests at the federal courthouse were non-violent for the second day in a row. Trump’s demand that state police bring the situation under control in only 2 days were filled as organizers and individual protestors policed crowd actions. Limited acts of destruction were recorded, including an American flag burned for a short time on the federal courthouse fence and a large graffiti message spray painted on the courthouse wall. Deference was generally given to Black Lives Matter organizers throughout the night, although some individuals did attempt to maintain an atmosphere conducive to a leaderless movement.

Many actions, such as the lighting of a fire on 3rd Ave, seemed to be planned in advance. The fire, well controlled and distanced from the federal courthouse, acted as a location for a “fireside chat” by a BLM organizer using a megaphone for the few protestors remaining in the early morning hours August 1. Even the small number of destructive acts witnessed had the effect of managing crowd behavior as protestors policed each other and effectively brought crowd actions under control. The effect of the night’s activities was to place continuing protest leadership at the feet of BLM organizers.

Whatever disagreements these groups may have in the future, it seems self-evident that Donald Trump would be a common adversary. His attempts to violently end legitimate dissent is a threat to Americans’ core values. By organizing in alignment with Governor Brown’s agreement to end federal policing, Portland protestors handed Donald Trump another public failure. He is increasingly unable to keep promises made to his followers and consistently forced to step-back on statements, even reversing his opinions on salient issues like coronavirus containment efforts. Continue reading.