Inflatable costumes add whimsy to Portland ICE protests
Brooks Brown’s Operation Inflation is distributing free inflatable costumes to ICE protesters in Portland.
Lions, tigers, and bears! But this is a protest in Portland, not the Land of Oz.
A protest against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Portland, Oregon, is starting to look like a bizarre zoo, filled with colorful animal costumes. A new initiative called Operation Inflation may be the reason.
“We buy a bunch of costumes and we go deliver them,” Brooks Brown, an activist who helped found Operation Inflation, told USA TODAY. “And it worked from day one.”
Videos show people preparing for the protest, dancing and wearing inflatable costumes. But they may not have come to the protests hoping to look like the chickens, axolotls, or even reptars from the famous 1990s cartoon Rugrats.
Inspired by the Portland Frog, which began wearing inflatable frog costumes to protests, Operation Inflatable distributes costumes to people protesting against ICE to “help defuse tensions surrounding the protests (just kidding),” according to its website.
“The whole rhetoric has changed.”
When a video of a Portland frog being pepper-sprayed went viral, Brown saw how her perspective on the protests changed.
“We were watching the news about it and how the rhetoric around it was changing,” Brown said. “It wasn’t ‘violent Antifa protesters’ who got whipped, it was frogs.”
Operation Inflation then provided free costumes to demonstrators, prompting more people to wear costumes. Brown says this change has had an impact on how the demonstrations are perceived.
Dinosaurs, pandas, peacocks, etc.
Inflatable costumes range from Tyrannosaurus and unicorns to pandas and peacocks. Some wore inflatable clown costumes or Gritty, the mascot of the Philadelphia hockey team, while others showed up with bubble machines.
Inflation operations and the “No Kings” protests
Demonstrators across the United States are scheduled to gather on Saturday, October 18, to participate in “No King” rallies and marches celebrating the First Amendment, free speech, and the right to assembly, according to event organizers.
Events will be held in various cities and states, and Operation Inflation said it plans to attend demonstrations in Portland.
“We’re looking forward to an exciting weekend full of inflatable fun!” the organization wrote in an Instagram post. “I can’t wait to see everyone fall in love with Norkings!”
Operation Inflation has not publicly announced its plans for the protest, but said on TikTok that “a secret plan is being planned” and urged followers to look for it during the event.
Contributor: Amaris Encinas, USA TODAY
Julia is a trends reporter for USA TODAY, covering scientific research and trending news. Connect with her on LinkedIn ×Instagram, TikTok: @juliamaigz or email jgomez@hannett.com.
