Introduction
This is the first of a series of explainers which will provide background on the protest situation in Portland, Oregon. Addition explainers will cover information on the people/organizations involved in the protests, and a history of racism in Oregon.
The basics
Protests have been occurring in the United States since the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer in late May 2020. These protests focused on police brutality in Minneapolis and other parts of the United States, and the Black Lives Matter movement.
What’s happening in Portland, Oregon?
Portland has had protests for over 100 days since the killing of George Floyd. From Wikipedia:
Some of the protests in Portland have been peaceful, but some have involved injury, vandalism, arson, looting, and heated confrontations with police and counter-protesters, sometimes involving injury to protesters and police, declaration of riot, and use of tear gas and other less-lethal weapons. One person was shot and killed in a clash between protesters and counter-protesters.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Floyd_protests_in_Portland,_Oregon
Why are people in Portland upset?
Police brutality against blacks
Portland has had a history of police brutality, and the state of Oregon has had a racist history These past events have spurred organizers to pressure the City of Portland to divert funding from the Portland Police Bureau to programs to address needs of the Black community ($15 million diverted in June 2020).
Police brutality against black protestors, but little to no police action against white right-wing protestors
While the evening protests focusing on Black Lives Matter have had considerable police resources used against them, events like the Proud Boys rally in Portland on August 22nd and in Salem on September 7th had little to no police involvement.
How can I follow what is going on?
This website (Portland Protest News) is publishing a daily summary of protest-related news. A news river site (Andy Sylvester’s Portland Protests Reading List) collects news and information from Portland-area news media, reporters, groups involved in protests, and government officials. This news river site provides the raw material for the daily posts on Portland Protest News.