Protesters dance at an ICE facility in Portland after demonstration
Protesters rallied and danced twice at an ICE facility in Portland after opposing President Trump’s National Guard plan.
PORTLAND, Ore. – It’s a typical fall Sunday afternoon here, locals say. Melancholy and damp. Temperatures are hovering in the low 50s, but the cold rain will chill you to the core. During downpour breaks, parents push their children in strollers and cling to coffee cups for warmth. Friends hole up in bars near downtown, watching NFL games and sharing laughs over brunch plates.
Some might say soccer, friends, family, in any city in America.
But things are a little different at the Oregon Convention Center Plaza. Parts of Portland are in protest mode.
Hundreds of people gather to cycle around the city.
In the cold rain.
Stay naked.
Fragments are scattered here and there.
Organizers of the World Naked Bike Ride have planned an “emergency” ride for Sunday, October 12, to draw global attention to President Donald Trump’s plan to deploy the National Guard to the city.
There were speeches from local organizers and activists, who led the crowd of young and old in shouting chants. It was very interesting to see some riders completely naked, others wearing transparent ponchos and underwear, and some topless and bottomless. Of course there was some eccentricity. Cartoon character or fluffy pig costume. leopard costume. Halloween mask. And a fluffy hat.
If their naked bodies weren’t enough to get the message across, their signs made their intentions very clear. And many riders wore messages painted on their naked bodies.
“Stop the occupation. Stop the deportations.”
“No one is an illegal alien in stolen land.”
“Kick me out. You’re an immigrant too.”
“We’re cold, but not as cold as ICE.”
“I don’t think it’s because of skin color.”
Trump has a story about this place. Portland is filled with what he calls “antifa and radical left-wing anarchists.” These criminals have created a war-torn environment where federal law enforcement officers are attacked and cities are burned to the ground.
Clashes have occurred outside the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Portland in recent weeks. Residents attending the rally do not want ICE agents to round up their fellow Portlanders. They do not approve of coercive methods of deportation. They don’t want to live in militarized conditions in the National Guard.
And on Sunday, they rode naked and fearless to an ICE facility about four miles away to continue their protest.
“People are willing to stand up for what they believe in, even when they’re vulnerable,” said artist Tyler Walters, 35, wearing a yellow cartoon-style blockhead costume with the words “I’m here to party” written on it.
Walters was wearing flip-flops from the waist down.
“Protests are peaceful and we show that through our actions,” he said.
“This country has a long and fundamental tradition of resistance to government overreach, particularly in the form of military intervention in domestic affairs,” a federal judge said on October 4, twice blocking President Trump’s efforts to send in troops.
“This historical tradition boils down to a simple proposition: This is a constitutional, not martial law, country,” Karin Immergut, a federal judge appointed during the Trump administration’s first term, wrote in the ruling.
People who did not take part in the bicycle trip also came to testify. I noticed a fully clothed woman on the sidewalk watching a group of riders race down Grand Avenue. Although she had a big smile on her face, she became emotional and was on the verge of tears.
“Damn, this is a nice place to live,” Jennifer Frykman, 70, told me. “I know that there is a heartbeat of love and compassion in the heart of this city.”
Her tears began to flow in earnest.
And just a few minutes later, the sun came out.
Suzette Hackney is a national columnist. Contact her at:@suzyscribe
