Protests again draw attention to Portland

PORTLAND, Ore. — Viral videos of bloody skirmishes between rightwing activists and selfdescribed anti-fascists have drawn national attention to this city of storied political activism that has struggled to keep the peace at dueling rallies illustrating a microcosm of the nation’s political division.

Tensions erupted most recently this month when members of the so-called “antifa” movement showed up at a march organized by a right-wing group called Patriot Prayer.

As police tried to keep order, fistfights broke out in a string of downtown parks fringed with aspen trees and dotted with plaques honoring Portland’s founders and fallen World War II soldiers.

Videos from the conflict on social media show one man being knocked to the ground and kicked repeatedly as he covers his head with his hands. In another, a man lying on the ground is dragged away from a group of attackers, his face bloodied. In a third, two men — including one wearing homemade body armor — take swings at a third man who is backed against a wall with his arms raised.

Police made four arrests June 3 in and around the parks, which have become gathering places for dissent in this liberal city already known for near-weekly protests.

And in a city that patiently waits out traffic jams caused by protests, residents wondered how free speech had turned so violent.

Protesters here traditionally have demonstrated together for their causes. But over the past year, a different type of political activism has shattered the unanimity normally seen among demonstrators, longtime resident Jon Baldivieso said.

“It obscures better forms of political speech,” he said. “It feels different when protests are more one-sided and not skirmishes between ideological factions. ... I’ve got very low patience for physical confrontation.”

What is happening could be an expression of a deep sensitivity to a dark chapter of the city’s history that’s bubbling up as the rest of the country, too, becomes more politically polarized.

In the 1920s, the Ku Klux Klan had a strong presence in the city, and by the 1980s, Portland was a hot spot for white supremacist groups, earning it the nickname: “Skinhead City.”