1 00:00:00,920 --> 00:00:07,240 Speaker 1: Police grow do not interfere with the officer instructions, he 2 00:00:07,320 --> 00:00:11,360 Speaker 1: will be sus A four scud embatations and riottral agents 3 00:00:11,840 --> 00:00:22,360 Speaker 1: stay back. By the time protests kicked off in Portland, 4 00:00:22,440 --> 00:00:25,480 Speaker 1: protesters in Minneapolis had burned down the Third Precinct and 5 00:00:25,560 --> 00:00:28,520 Speaker 1: several other buildings. But as it turns out, Portland was 6 00:00:28,560 --> 00:00:30,880 Speaker 1: actually the first city in the country to declare a 7 00:00:31,000 --> 00:00:34,920 Speaker 1: riot over the protests after George Floyd's death. This has 8 00:00:34,960 --> 00:00:37,240 Speaker 1: more to do with the way that Portland police declare 9 00:00:37,320 --> 00:00:41,120 Speaker 1: riots than the objective standard of unrest, and now many 10 00:00:41,159 --> 00:00:44,160 Speaker 1: months later, Portland police still declare riots on a fairly 11 00:00:44,200 --> 00:00:47,400 Speaker 1: regular basis. It seems that Portland is set on having 12 00:00:47,440 --> 00:00:51,800 Speaker 1: the first and last riot of the protests. So what 13 00:00:51,960 --> 00:00:56,200 Speaker 1: happened that turned relatively normal BLM actions in Portland, which 14 00:00:56,200 --> 00:00:59,480 Speaker 1: were happening in every major American city into a movement 15 00:00:59,480 --> 00:01:03,280 Speaker 1: that still draws out crowds today. I'm Robert Evans and 16 00:01:03,360 --> 00:01:07,039 Speaker 1: this is Uprising, a guide from Portland. My partners in 17 00:01:07,040 --> 00:01:10,920 Speaker 1: this series are a team of local Portland journalists Garrison Davis, 18 00:01:11,080 --> 00:01:14,800 Speaker 1: Donovan Smith, b Lake, and Elaine Kitchen. We wrote this 19 00:01:14,840 --> 00:01:17,680 Speaker 1: series together and they'll be handling most of the narration. 20 00:01:17,760 --> 00:01:20,520 Speaker 1: For this episode, you'll be hearing more from me too, 21 00:01:20,600 --> 00:01:22,959 Speaker 1: as we've embedded audio from several of the live streams 22 00:01:22,959 --> 00:01:26,200 Speaker 1: I recorded during cop riots. Right now, I'm going to 23 00:01:26,240 --> 00:01:29,200 Speaker 1: hand the mic off to Donovan Smith. He's reported on 24 00:01:29,240 --> 00:01:33,000 Speaker 1: politics and social justice for a wide variety of local publications, 25 00:01:33,319 --> 00:01:37,080 Speaker 1: and he helped produce a documentary on gentrification. Here's Donovan. 26 00:01:37,640 --> 00:01:40,400 Speaker 1: After the first night of quote unquote rioting in Portland's, 27 00:01:40,520 --> 00:01:43,440 Speaker 1: a state of emergency was declared and a curfew was 28 00:01:43,480 --> 00:01:47,119 Speaker 1: imposed from eight pm to six am, with the express 29 00:01:47,200 --> 00:01:50,920 Speaker 1: interests of cracking down all mass gatherings of protesters. When 30 00:01:50,920 --> 00:01:53,160 Speaker 1: asked if the curfew will be enforced if someone was, 31 00:01:53,240 --> 00:01:56,880 Speaker 1: for example, to go grocery shopping, the Mayor's office replied, quote, 32 00:01:57,400 --> 00:01:59,920 Speaker 1: the city is not interested in citing people who are 33 00:02:00,040 --> 00:02:03,120 Speaker 1: lying about their business, causing no harm and uninvolved in 34 00:02:03,120 --> 00:02:07,800 Speaker 1: criminal conduct. Quote. But it didn't require property destruction or 35 00:02:07,880 --> 00:02:10,760 Speaker 1: criminal conduct for the police to start attacking and arresting 36 00:02:10,760 --> 00:02:16,359 Speaker 1: protesters on Saturday. Even before the curfew. That Saturday, thousands 37 00:02:16,400 --> 00:02:19,240 Speaker 1: gathered outside the Justice Center, which had to become tradition 38 00:02:19,320 --> 00:02:23,080 Speaker 1: in Portland. People march around downtown and occupied the street 39 00:02:23,120 --> 00:02:25,480 Speaker 1: in front of the j C, the casual name given 40 00:02:25,520 --> 00:02:28,120 Speaker 1: to the Justice Center. Police came out a few times 41 00:02:28,120 --> 00:02:30,160 Speaker 1: throughout the day to try and get people off the street, 42 00:02:30,480 --> 00:02:33,919 Speaker 1: with mixed results. This culminated with the police and riot 43 00:02:33,919 --> 00:02:36,960 Speaker 1: gear tear gassing the streets and city parks around the 44 00:02:37,040 --> 00:02:40,000 Speaker 1: j C while bashing people in the head with truncheons, 45 00:02:40,240 --> 00:02:42,919 Speaker 1: all in broad daylight, hours before the curfew was said 46 00:02:42,960 --> 00:02:54,360 Speaker 1: to begin. Look at this top hitting with this. Look 47 00:02:54,360 --> 00:03:00,720 Speaker 1: at the look at this. Throughout downtown, some white vans 48 00:03:00,720 --> 00:03:03,920 Speaker 1: targeted the largest crowd of protesters they could find, launching 49 00:03:03,960 --> 00:03:06,480 Speaker 1: tear gas and stunt grenades into the crowd of people. 50 00:03:06,760 --> 00:03:09,760 Speaker 1: Regular city traffic was engulfed in clouds of gas on 51 00:03:09,880 --> 00:03:13,240 Speaker 1: streets which had not even been closed. Houses Portland are 52 00:03:13,280 --> 00:03:17,640 Speaker 1: sleeping intents were woken by flashbangs, gas and impact grounds. 53 00:03:18,080 --> 00:03:21,200 Speaker 1: As a clock struck eight pm. After telling and gassing 54 00:03:21,280 --> 00:03:24,200 Speaker 1: protesters for the better part of two hours, cops kettle 55 00:03:24,240 --> 00:03:27,840 Speaker 1: protesters onto a bridge, surrounding and arresting the entire crowd 56 00:03:27,880 --> 00:03:30,600 Speaker 1: for being out past curfew. A total of forty eight 57 00:03:30,680 --> 00:03:34,000 Speaker 1: arrests were made that night. Portland Mayor Tet Wheeler, upon 58 00:03:34,040 --> 00:03:37,040 Speaker 1: his return from visiting his sick mother extended the curfew 59 00:03:37,080 --> 00:03:40,440 Speaker 1: for yet another day. On Sunday, May one, the largest 60 00:03:40,440 --> 00:03:43,880 Speaker 1: crowd yet, ten thousand strong, marched across the burn Side 61 00:03:43,880 --> 00:03:46,800 Speaker 1: Bridge into downtown. As the marchers approached the end of 62 00:03:46,840 --> 00:03:49,280 Speaker 1: the bridge, cops were waiting on the other end, blocking 63 00:03:49,280 --> 00:03:52,480 Speaker 1: their path. Once the sheer size of the crowd became apparent, 64 00:03:52,880 --> 00:03:55,320 Speaker 1: the police turned tail and ran high, telling it back 65 00:03:55,360 --> 00:03:58,080 Speaker 1: to the Justice Center. The crowd followed them there and 66 00:03:58,160 --> 00:04:02,120 Speaker 1: attends hours long standoff allowed. Eventually, the crowd thinned out 67 00:04:02,240 --> 00:04:04,520 Speaker 1: enough that police were able to tear gas and flash 68 00:04:04,520 --> 00:04:08,360 Speaker 1: band grenade protesters into dispersing. That night was one of 69 00:04:08,400 --> 00:04:12,000 Speaker 1: the most terrifying evenings of the entire uprising, with the 70 00:04:12,080 --> 00:04:15,800 Speaker 1: officers hanging off of riot evans and grenading passers by 71 00:04:15,960 --> 00:04:19,880 Speaker 1: seemingly at random. Mayor Wheeler extended the curfew for yet 72 00:04:19,880 --> 00:04:24,120 Speaker 1: another day. At a press conference announcing his ascension, Wheeler 73 00:04:24,160 --> 00:04:26,760 Speaker 1: doubled down on his law and order stance, this time 74 00:04:26,839 --> 00:04:29,080 Speaker 1: with the help of Governor Kate Brown. I want to 75 00:04:29,120 --> 00:04:33,120 Speaker 1: be very clear that there are open lines of communications 76 00:04:33,200 --> 00:04:36,560 Speaker 1: between myself and the Governor personally, as well as between 77 00:04:36,600 --> 00:04:42,360 Speaker 1: our offices. There is coordination with the Superintendent of State 78 00:04:42,400 --> 00:04:47,520 Speaker 1: Police as well as the leadership of the National Guard UM. 79 00:04:47,560 --> 00:04:50,880 Speaker 1: I spoke to the Governor three or four times yesterday. 80 00:04:51,120 --> 00:04:54,800 Speaker 1: I did make the request on all three of those 81 00:04:55,120 --> 00:05:02,440 Speaker 1: occasions for support from the National Guard. The Governor had 82 00:05:02,560 --> 00:05:09,280 Speaker 1: alternative strategies that she suggested, including deploying more state police resources. 83 00:05:09,400 --> 00:05:13,279 Speaker 1: We subsequently asked for additional tools that could be used 84 00:05:13,279 --> 00:05:17,760 Speaker 1: in the field. That was agreed to by the Governor 85 00:05:17,800 --> 00:05:22,760 Speaker 1: and supported UM Based on last night, however, I agree 86 00:05:22,920 --> 00:05:25,479 Speaker 1: with what the U. S. Attorney has said, and I 87 00:05:25,560 --> 00:05:28,560 Speaker 1: agree with what my colleagues in the Portland Police Borough 88 00:05:28,960 --> 00:05:31,920 Speaker 1: have just confirmed with me, which is we do need 89 00:05:32,360 --> 00:05:36,040 Speaker 1: more resources. Come Monday, June one, there was a shift 90 00:05:36,080 --> 00:05:39,559 Speaker 1: in Portland protests. Instead of meeting at the Justice Center, 91 00:05:39,800 --> 00:05:42,279 Speaker 1: another crowd of thousands gather on the east side of 92 00:05:42,279 --> 00:05:45,800 Speaker 1: Portland's across from the river downtown at an aptly named 93 00:05:45,800 --> 00:05:50,480 Speaker 1: concert venue Revolution Hall. After some speeches, the crowd began 94 00:05:50,520 --> 00:05:54,359 Speaker 1: to march west toward downtown. The crowd near Defense with 95 00:05:54,440 --> 00:05:56,960 Speaker 1: a line of riot cotts behind the chain link. A 96 00:05:57,040 --> 00:05:59,039 Speaker 1: young black woman at the head of the march asked 97 00:05:59,040 --> 00:06:02,120 Speaker 1: an officer of the march to the j C. The 98 00:06:02,120 --> 00:06:05,279 Speaker 1: police said no, Eventually, the huge march headed back to 99 00:06:05,360 --> 00:06:09,640 Speaker 1: Revolution Hall and no tear gas was used. Now you 100 00:06:09,680 --> 00:06:12,000 Speaker 1: have to understand at this point a lot of the 101 00:06:12,040 --> 00:06:15,400 Speaker 1: crowd had just been the last three days getting horribly 102 00:06:15,440 --> 00:06:19,280 Speaker 1: tear gas, beat up and chased by the police. The 103 00:06:19,360 --> 00:06:22,120 Speaker 1: thought of doing a protest and march without being assaulted 104 00:06:22,120 --> 00:06:24,800 Speaker 1: by the cops felt like a nice change compared to 105 00:06:24,839 --> 00:06:28,840 Speaker 1: the last three nights. But that all changed the next day, 106 00:06:29,200 --> 00:06:33,600 Speaker 1: the day that would become infamously known as tear gas Tuesday. 107 00:06:33,760 --> 00:06:38,080 Speaker 1: Tear gas Tuesday sucked. Well. I had a full asthma attack. Um. 108 00:06:38,360 --> 00:06:42,240 Speaker 1: I had never been subjected to tear gas before, and 109 00:06:42,279 --> 00:06:44,400 Speaker 1: so I saw a cloud of tear gas, and I 110 00:06:44,480 --> 00:06:47,560 Speaker 1: saw a man fall down in the cloud of tear gas, 111 00:06:47,720 --> 00:06:50,720 Speaker 1: and he was struggling to get up, and so I 112 00:06:50,839 --> 00:06:53,320 Speaker 1: ran in and I kind of picked him up by 113 00:06:53,320 --> 00:06:55,640 Speaker 1: his shirt and then grabbed my eyes on and pulled 114 00:06:55,680 --> 00:06:58,400 Speaker 1: him out of there. And then I immediately had an 115 00:06:58,400 --> 00:07:03,839 Speaker 1: asthma attack. Um, and my buddy picked me up and yeah, 116 00:07:03,880 --> 00:07:07,560 Speaker 1: that's both out of there. That's Chris, a volunteer protests 117 00:07:07,600 --> 00:07:11,040 Speaker 1: medic and tear Gas Tuesday was actually his second night 118 00:07:11,080 --> 00:07:14,520 Speaker 1: out the brutality. He witnesses what got him to decide 119 00:07:14,560 --> 00:07:17,640 Speaker 1: to dedicate his whole summer to helping people in the streets. 120 00:07:18,040 --> 00:07:19,640 Speaker 1: I saw a girl get hit in the face with 121 00:07:19,880 --> 00:07:23,920 Speaker 1: trapnel and that was not okay. And then everybody's getting 122 00:07:23,920 --> 00:07:25,440 Speaker 1: tear gas and it was a mess. And it was 123 00:07:25,480 --> 00:07:29,040 Speaker 1: the infamous tear Gast Tuesday. And after that, I just 124 00:07:29,160 --> 00:07:32,080 Speaker 1: kind of decided that I needed to start coming out 125 00:07:32,200 --> 00:07:36,880 Speaker 1: with medical supplies because how that was handled, what people 126 00:07:36,880 --> 00:07:42,760 Speaker 1: were doing to provide medicine in that moment wasn't up 127 00:07:42,800 --> 00:07:44,679 Speaker 1: to a standard that I knew that I could provide. 128 00:07:44,800 --> 00:07:47,560 Speaker 1: But let's take a step back. Tear Gast Tuesday was 129 00:07:47,600 --> 00:07:50,640 Speaker 1: a noteworthy shift for Portland protests for a multitude of reasons. 130 00:07:51,520 --> 00:07:54,280 Speaker 1: It was the first day since Riot Night with no curfew, 131 00:07:54,480 --> 00:07:57,440 Speaker 1: with city officials even publicly admitting to the curfew being 132 00:07:57,480 --> 00:08:00,720 Speaker 1: in effective now, and it was the first day that 133 00:08:00,760 --> 00:08:04,400 Speaker 1: the protests noticeably began to splinter. Just like Monday the 134 00:08:04,480 --> 00:08:08,520 Speaker 1: day before, thousands sparks from Revolution Hall towards the fence, 135 00:08:08,880 --> 00:08:11,880 Speaker 1: which at this point surrounded several city blocks, including the 136 00:08:11,960 --> 00:08:16,360 Speaker 1: Justice Center, the Federal Courthouse, and Chapman in Loudesdale, the 137 00:08:16,440 --> 00:08:20,560 Speaker 1: two city parts which faced those buildings, only this time 138 00:08:20,760 --> 00:08:23,040 Speaker 1: just have the crowd turned back to Rev Hall, but 139 00:08:23,120 --> 00:08:25,640 Speaker 1: the other half set on chanting at the police behind 140 00:08:25,680 --> 00:08:28,840 Speaker 1: the chain link fence. The Portland Police issue repeated warnings 141 00:08:28,840 --> 00:08:31,760 Speaker 1: over louds because that protesters were not to touch defense 142 00:08:31,960 --> 00:08:36,120 Speaker 1: under threat of right munitions as might be predicted. The 143 00:08:36,120 --> 00:08:40,160 Speaker 1: santity of PPB sacred fence became an immediate source of ridicule. 144 00:08:40,640 --> 00:08:43,720 Speaker 1: Even as police followed through on their threats and as 145 00:08:43,760 --> 00:08:46,440 Speaker 1: members of the crowd dared to touch the fence, the 146 00:08:46,520 --> 00:08:50,440 Speaker 1: PPB once again deployed an outrageous amounted tear gas. And 147 00:08:50,480 --> 00:08:53,080 Speaker 1: it wasn't even the mounted teer gas that was fired 148 00:08:53,080 --> 00:08:55,800 Speaker 1: off that night, but how they fired it. Several times 149 00:08:55,800 --> 00:08:59,200 Speaker 1: Police rushed in multiple directions, all while firing off more 150 00:08:59,240 --> 00:09:02,880 Speaker 1: tear gas, eating a massive cage of poison. Police are 151 00:09:02,920 --> 00:09:06,280 Speaker 1: boxing and crowded on several sides and deploying munitions into 152 00:09:06,280 --> 00:09:10,960 Speaker 1: the crowd, flashbags and gas to see the antashes flag here. 153 00:09:13,000 --> 00:09:15,520 Speaker 1: Two other things stick out from tear gas susan, the 154 00:09:15,559 --> 00:09:18,480 Speaker 1: first of which was just how many motorists driving through 155 00:09:18,520 --> 00:09:24,120 Speaker 1: downtown were tear gas by Portland police them everywhere from 156 00:09:24,120 --> 00:09:32,240 Speaker 1: the rooftops hall side pump gas in County gas into 157 00:09:32,280 --> 00:09:36,960 Speaker 1: the crowd, shooting gas. Look, there's fucking tear gas. They're 158 00:09:37,000 --> 00:09:40,600 Speaker 1: sucking tear gas in the middle of traffic. That was 159 00:09:40,679 --> 00:09:44,160 Speaker 1: just fired from someone up on a rooftop into the 160 00:09:44,200 --> 00:09:47,439 Speaker 1: middle of traffic. Multiple times, people who are blinded by 161 00:09:47,480 --> 00:09:50,720 Speaker 1: gas while driving panic and lost control of their vehicles, 162 00:09:51,040 --> 00:09:55,040 Speaker 1: nearly hit people as they drove into crowds. Protesters were 163 00:09:55,040 --> 00:09:57,960 Speaker 1: water bottles and medical supplies render aid to drivers who 164 00:09:58,000 --> 00:10:00,480 Speaker 1: had crashed into the curves. Here, we have how many 165 00:10:00,480 --> 00:10:03,559 Speaker 1: cards there are here? All of these people are about 166 00:10:03,600 --> 00:10:08,679 Speaker 1: to get tear gas. Oh boy, they're just started arcing 167 00:10:08,720 --> 00:10:10,480 Speaker 1: them down at us from God and us where baby 168 00:10:10,520 --> 00:10:13,480 Speaker 1: on the roofs. They're just coming down from the sky. 169 00:10:13,640 --> 00:10:16,520 Speaker 1: People was trying to traffic coming them, trying to pick 170 00:10:16,600 --> 00:10:19,960 Speaker 1: them away, trying to stop them from gassing traffic. The 171 00:10:20,000 --> 00:10:22,720 Speaker 1: other thing that sticks out is the crowd's resilience was growing. 172 00:10:23,120 --> 00:10:26,679 Speaker 1: Protesters started adopting Tati scene in the Hong Kong Uprising, 173 00:10:26,760 --> 00:10:30,480 Speaker 1: like placing traffic cones over tear gas canisters and pouring 174 00:10:30,520 --> 00:10:32,599 Speaker 1: water through the top of the cone to get the 175 00:10:32,640 --> 00:10:36,160 Speaker 1: Bernie caranister out. We see people actually very effectively to 176 00:10:36,240 --> 00:10:40,360 Speaker 1: polling on tactics here to stop these tear gas grenades 177 00:10:40,720 --> 00:10:44,439 Speaker 1: from dropping brock Co tusters and from gassing vehicles. A 178 00:10:44,559 --> 00:10:46,680 Speaker 1: chance that became popular in the Whist to Come was 179 00:10:46,920 --> 00:10:50,920 Speaker 1: walked don't run, reminding people in times of panic often 180 00:10:50,960 --> 00:10:56,240 Speaker 1: the safest way out. It's just by walking calmly. More 181 00:10:56,280 --> 00:11:00,000 Speaker 1: experienced organizers are walking calmly through the crowd, putting hands 182 00:11:00,120 --> 00:11:03,200 Speaker 1: on people and saying do not run. Do not run, 183 00:11:03,600 --> 00:11:06,360 Speaker 1: because the thing that hurts people in situations like this 184 00:11:06,440 --> 00:11:10,960 Speaker 1: is panic. It's scary, but it probably won't seriously harm 185 00:11:11,000 --> 00:11:13,920 Speaker 1: you if you don't panic, and the police aren't going 186 00:11:13,960 --> 00:11:16,840 Speaker 1: to take any steps to try to avoid a stampede, 187 00:11:17,320 --> 00:11:20,520 Speaker 1: so the only way to avoid a stampede is again 188 00:11:20,559 --> 00:11:23,839 Speaker 1: for the crowd to take care of itself. We have 189 00:11:23,920 --> 00:11:28,120 Speaker 1: seen people get so much better at reforming the crowd 190 00:11:28,760 --> 00:11:32,880 Speaker 1: after being gassed. That started to really improve on Sunday night. 191 00:11:33,679 --> 00:11:37,320 Speaker 1: And look, most of the people are still here, still organized, 192 00:11:37,320 --> 00:11:40,640 Speaker 1: still marching, still many thousands of people. This is the 193 00:11:40,679 --> 00:11:43,120 Speaker 1: first time we've seen the best job of the crowd 194 00:11:43,240 --> 00:11:48,000 Speaker 1: staying together and really showing commitment and endurance uh in 195 00:11:48,040 --> 00:11:51,280 Speaker 1: the face of police brutality. So this has been a 196 00:11:51,400 --> 00:11:56,079 Speaker 1: very important and a very impressive night from the activists 197 00:11:56,440 --> 00:11:59,600 Speaker 1: and the citizens of Portland, Oregon. Chris will acquire a 198 00:11:59,600 --> 00:12:02,240 Speaker 1: gas asked the very next day sums of his feelings 199 00:12:02,280 --> 00:12:05,400 Speaker 1: about tear gas Tuesday like this. It was such an 200 00:12:05,440 --> 00:12:09,360 Speaker 1: odd response to see the police respond to a protest 201 00:12:09,440 --> 00:12:27,160 Speaker 1: about um police violence and brutality with police violence and brutality. 202 00:12:30,000 --> 00:12:32,439 Speaker 1: After tear gas Tuesday, things in Portland started to fall 203 00:12:32,480 --> 00:12:35,880 Speaker 1: into a pattern. During the day, there'll be massive peaceful 204 00:12:35,880 --> 00:12:38,600 Speaker 1: marches starting from Revolution Hall led by a new group 205 00:12:38,640 --> 00:12:43,000 Speaker 1: called Royal City Justice. At night, about a thousand protesters 206 00:12:43,000 --> 00:12:45,880 Speaker 1: would gather at the Sacred Fence, which now only surrounded 207 00:12:45,920 --> 00:12:49,800 Speaker 1: the Justice Center and the adjacent federal buildings, to inevitably 208 00:12:50,000 --> 00:12:53,199 Speaker 1: get tear gas and attacked by police for quote tapering 209 00:12:53,280 --> 00:12:57,200 Speaker 1: with the fence. Photo journalists and photographer Mariah says some 210 00:12:57,280 --> 00:12:59,320 Speaker 1: of her favorite moments of the protests were at the 211 00:12:59,360 --> 00:13:02,800 Speaker 1: massive march is organized by Royal City Justice in early June. 212 00:13:03,000 --> 00:13:05,920 Speaker 1: I would say, like in the early days, UM really 213 00:13:06,280 --> 00:13:10,160 Speaker 1: is some stuff that really is memorable to me, especially 214 00:13:10,160 --> 00:13:13,480 Speaker 1: with a lot of my UM favorite photos from this 215 00:13:13,520 --> 00:13:18,040 Speaker 1: whole um UM movement has come from the earlier days, 216 00:13:18,080 --> 00:13:19,720 Speaker 1: Like there was a moment I want to say it 217 00:13:19,880 --> 00:13:23,880 Speaker 1: was that Burnside Bridge when everyone was like laying down 218 00:13:23,960 --> 00:13:26,720 Speaker 1: for eight minutes and forty six seconds, and Um, I 219 00:13:26,760 --> 00:13:29,360 Speaker 1: got some good pictures of that, and it was just 220 00:13:29,480 --> 00:13:32,720 Speaker 1: really great to capture. UM. I think that the moment 221 00:13:32,720 --> 00:13:35,000 Speaker 1: when Damian Lillard came out, you know, everyone like you know, 222 00:13:35,120 --> 00:13:37,120 Speaker 1: had like this slub moment in this and I got it. 223 00:13:37,200 --> 00:13:38,920 Speaker 1: And at the moment actually when he came out, I 224 00:13:38,960 --> 00:13:41,600 Speaker 1: didn't even know he was out there, and so I 225 00:13:41,880 --> 00:13:44,040 Speaker 1: checked my photos later and I was like, oh, snap, 226 00:13:44,559 --> 00:13:47,720 Speaker 1: UM got him and stuff. Activists and live streamer Max 227 00:13:47,760 --> 00:13:50,600 Speaker 1: Smith attended both the larger daytime protests on the East 228 00:13:50,640 --> 00:13:54,160 Speaker 1: Side and the night protests at the j C. Here 229 00:13:54,320 --> 00:13:56,640 Speaker 1: he explains how he became a popular speaker at the 230 00:13:56,640 --> 00:13:59,920 Speaker 1: Portland protests and the interesting effect of having both the 231 00:14:00,080 --> 00:14:03,160 Speaker 1: daytime march and a nighttime action on the public. I 232 00:14:03,160 --> 00:14:05,240 Speaker 1: want to say it was the second or the third 233 00:14:05,360 --> 00:14:09,160 Speaker 1: that I actually got out in the streets um doing 234 00:14:09,200 --> 00:14:11,559 Speaker 1: the work with the security stuff and helping out with 235 00:14:11,600 --> 00:14:15,360 Speaker 1: the larger marches on the East Side, the Revolution Hall 236 00:14:15,440 --> 00:14:17,520 Speaker 1: things and all that. So I was kind of doing 237 00:14:17,880 --> 00:14:20,120 Speaker 1: playing a couple of rolls over there with helping with 238 00:14:20,120 --> 00:14:24,120 Speaker 1: the Guardian folks and doing some you know, political education 239 00:14:24,160 --> 00:14:26,280 Speaker 1: at the same time, and it's it kind of just 240 00:14:26,360 --> 00:14:28,480 Speaker 1: came natural. I just started talking to people and people 241 00:14:28,480 --> 00:14:31,720 Speaker 1: started listening to what I'm saying, and um, on the 242 00:14:31,880 --> 00:14:37,040 Speaker 1: night of the five, I got arrested downtown at the 243 00:14:37,120 --> 00:14:41,040 Speaker 1: j C um or near the around the area of 244 00:14:41,040 --> 00:14:43,320 Speaker 1: the j C. At least I got arrested down there. 245 00:14:44,040 --> 00:14:48,400 Speaker 1: And so that weekend I ended up giving a speech 246 00:14:49,200 --> 00:14:53,320 Speaker 1: at Irving Park and that's kind of where things started 247 00:14:53,600 --> 00:14:56,680 Speaker 1: ended up being like streamed on the news locally. So 248 00:14:56,800 --> 00:15:00,600 Speaker 1: that's where things kind of started changing for me at 249 00:15:00,640 --> 00:15:04,200 Speaker 1: that point. And can you talk to me about the 250 00:15:04,280 --> 00:15:07,280 Speaker 1: night you were arrested? Yeah, just kind of as much 251 00:15:07,320 --> 00:15:09,600 Speaker 1: detail as you're because you're interested in going in. Yeah, 252 00:15:09,640 --> 00:15:14,000 Speaker 1: that's fun my, you know, it was just a basic arrest. Um. 253 00:15:14,040 --> 00:15:16,520 Speaker 1: I was actually out there with a couple of people. 254 00:15:16,560 --> 00:15:18,400 Speaker 1: We had been going down a couple of nights to 255 00:15:18,400 --> 00:15:20,760 Speaker 1: see what was going on at the Justice Center because 256 00:15:20,800 --> 00:15:22,200 Speaker 1: you know, I have been you know, if you're just 257 00:15:22,240 --> 00:15:24,720 Speaker 1: watching the news, all you see is, you know, it 258 00:15:24,720 --> 00:15:27,720 Speaker 1: looks like one big march, right, Like it's one huge march. 259 00:15:27,760 --> 00:15:29,160 Speaker 1: It starts in the daytime and all of a sudden 260 00:15:29,520 --> 00:15:33,000 Speaker 1: it descends into madness at night. But quickly I realized 261 00:15:33,040 --> 00:15:35,360 Speaker 1: that there's there's multiple things that are going on. If 262 00:15:35,360 --> 00:15:36,920 Speaker 1: you leave your house, you know, you get the TV, 263 00:15:37,080 --> 00:15:38,920 Speaker 1: it's a lot that's going on in the streets. So 264 00:15:38,960 --> 00:15:41,280 Speaker 1: I started, you know, going out to see different things. 265 00:15:41,400 --> 00:15:44,320 Speaker 1: And we were down at the j C and things 266 00:15:44,360 --> 00:15:47,120 Speaker 1: got really gassy. It was one of the nights. So 267 00:15:47,160 --> 00:15:49,240 Speaker 1: again it was the first like you know, a few 268 00:15:49,320 --> 00:16:10,800 Speaker 1: days of gassing, and I had been down there before, 269 00:16:10,800 --> 00:16:12,640 Speaker 1: and this time I brought a couple different people that 270 00:16:12,680 --> 00:16:13,800 Speaker 1: were like, you know, I'm trying to see it, but 271 00:16:13,800 --> 00:16:15,120 Speaker 1: I'm scared. I was like, just come with me. I'll 272 00:16:15,120 --> 00:16:17,440 Speaker 1: show you what's going on. It's not that big of 273 00:16:17,440 --> 00:16:20,440 Speaker 1: a deal. But we ended up um catching up with 274 00:16:20,480 --> 00:16:22,760 Speaker 1: some other people down there and kind of had like 275 00:16:22,800 --> 00:16:25,200 Speaker 1: a little group and we were and there were a 276 00:16:25,240 --> 00:16:28,320 Speaker 1: lot of like teenagers down there, and so we were 277 00:16:28,320 --> 00:16:30,920 Speaker 1: actually making sure a lot of people got out because 278 00:16:30,920 --> 00:16:33,680 Speaker 1: there were cops everywhere, like circling and pulling people over 279 00:16:33,720 --> 00:16:35,720 Speaker 1: and stopping people and arresting him. So we were like 280 00:16:35,800 --> 00:16:40,440 Speaker 1: kind of helping folks navigate their way out and then um, 281 00:16:40,480 --> 00:16:42,400 Speaker 1: as it got late, there were a bunch of people 282 00:16:42,440 --> 00:16:44,720 Speaker 1: that were suffering from tear gas. And so myself in 283 00:16:44,760 --> 00:16:47,040 Speaker 1: a medic and I have like a first day to 284 00:16:47,080 --> 00:16:50,120 Speaker 1: training basic stuff, and so that those first nights I 285 00:16:50,160 --> 00:16:51,800 Speaker 1: was out there with like you know, milk or the 286 00:16:52,000 --> 00:16:54,760 Speaker 1: baking soda and water solutions and whatever else, just helping 287 00:16:54,800 --> 00:16:57,840 Speaker 1: folks out. And so we were following the groans of people, 288 00:16:57,920 --> 00:17:00,800 Speaker 1: you know, coughing and and being into tear gas, and 289 00:17:00,840 --> 00:17:04,200 Speaker 1: the cops just rolled up with like four cars and 290 00:17:04,280 --> 00:17:08,720 Speaker 1: eight officers hopped out and I got snatched up and 291 00:17:08,760 --> 00:17:10,439 Speaker 1: it's got snatched up by that. I got grabbed by 292 00:17:10,440 --> 00:17:13,680 Speaker 1: the hair, got young to the ground, bruised my elbow. 293 00:17:14,280 --> 00:17:16,240 Speaker 1: You know, I had to creeck on my neck for 294 00:17:16,280 --> 00:17:19,760 Speaker 1: a few days. But they arrested me. They drove me 295 00:17:19,800 --> 00:17:22,679 Speaker 1: around a squad car for like fifteen twenty minutes. They 296 00:17:22,680 --> 00:17:27,199 Speaker 1: picked up some other guy, Um, you know, they accused 297 00:17:27,280 --> 00:17:30,760 Speaker 1: him of drawing on a drawing on a window with 298 00:17:30,760 --> 00:17:33,399 Speaker 1: a sharpie or something, and he's like what and they 299 00:17:33,400 --> 00:17:35,439 Speaker 1: were like, you know, they were trying to charge him 300 00:17:35,440 --> 00:17:38,199 Speaker 1: with a felony. All of our charges got dropped. No 301 00:17:38,240 --> 00:17:40,800 Speaker 1: one got charged with anything. I got charged with obstructing 302 00:17:40,840 --> 00:17:43,880 Speaker 1: the police. He got charged with something else. As Mac 303 00:17:44,040 --> 00:17:46,199 Speaker 1: was inside the police car, he was also able to 304 00:17:46,200 --> 00:17:48,840 Speaker 1: get a sneak peek of how the police were targeting 305 00:17:48,840 --> 00:17:51,439 Speaker 1: people for a rest behind the scenes. I thought it 306 00:17:51,480 --> 00:17:54,040 Speaker 1: was crazy because they had this like thing in their car, 307 00:17:54,800 --> 00:17:56,840 Speaker 1: like this like a heads up display like a HUT 308 00:17:56,920 --> 00:17:59,960 Speaker 1: and it it it had like it had an airy 309 00:18:00,040 --> 00:18:03,600 Speaker 1: o view of this of the downtown grid and it 310 00:18:03,680 --> 00:18:08,159 Speaker 1: had like it was able to track people. And I 311 00:18:08,160 --> 00:18:09,720 Speaker 1: thought that was it was like a call of duty 312 00:18:09,760 --> 00:18:11,600 Speaker 1: to display like when you're like using like you know, 313 00:18:11,640 --> 00:18:14,040 Speaker 1: the helicopter or whatever. It was like that, and like 314 00:18:14,080 --> 00:18:15,920 Speaker 1: you could see like the people and they were like 315 00:18:16,160 --> 00:18:18,560 Speaker 1: I represented like as lights a kind of there was 316 00:18:18,600 --> 00:18:20,639 Speaker 1: like a light on them. It was like a it 317 00:18:20,760 --> 00:18:23,680 Speaker 1: was like a black and white display and you could 318 00:18:23,680 --> 00:18:26,000 Speaker 1: see the things that are moving. But then like with people, 319 00:18:26,440 --> 00:18:29,080 Speaker 1: it basically lit them up with like lights and circles. 320 00:18:29,119 --> 00:18:32,160 Speaker 1: It would a circle us um if we were in groups, 321 00:18:32,640 --> 00:18:35,560 Speaker 1: and when the group's got small enough and they would 322 00:18:35,600 --> 00:18:37,399 Speaker 1: like a turn green and the cops were just to 323 00:18:37,400 --> 00:18:40,040 Speaker 1: go and rest people. The group of protesters gathered at 324 00:18:40,040 --> 00:18:43,000 Speaker 1: the fence were quick to make a distinction between quote 325 00:18:43,080 --> 00:18:47,360 Speaker 1: peaceful protests and non violent protests. While the massive Rose 326 00:18:47,400 --> 00:18:50,720 Speaker 1: City justice marches remained peaceful, the crowds have to j 327 00:18:50,840 --> 00:18:55,120 Speaker 1: C would engage in nonviolent actions such as shaking, tearing down, 328 00:18:55,160 --> 00:19:05,840 Speaker 1: and cutting apart the chain link fence. Most of what 329 00:19:05,880 --> 00:19:07,879 Speaker 1: people did at the j C was just standing in 330 00:19:07,920 --> 00:19:11,119 Speaker 1: the street in parks while channey demands and slogans. But 331 00:19:11,200 --> 00:19:13,320 Speaker 1: it didn't require people to tamper with the fence or 332 00:19:13,400 --> 00:19:15,359 Speaker 1: throw a half drunk water bottles for the police to 333 00:19:15,440 --> 00:19:18,960 Speaker 1: respond with force. As this protester can attest, I was 334 00:19:19,040 --> 00:19:22,119 Speaker 1: downtown and it was back at the original fence, and 335 00:19:23,320 --> 00:19:26,400 Speaker 1: you know, there was probably I probably estimate like five 336 00:19:26,880 --> 00:19:31,080 Speaker 1: people there and everyone was really spread out, and um, 337 00:19:31,119 --> 00:19:33,240 Speaker 1: there was no police on the ground. It was raining 338 00:19:33,280 --> 00:19:39,080 Speaker 1: that night, and they had their floodlights like pointed at us. Um. 339 00:19:39,119 --> 00:19:44,480 Speaker 1: And one shot got fired from one of the like 340 00:19:44,520 --> 00:19:47,280 Speaker 1: the little balcony areas, the one that's farther to the right, 341 00:19:47,960 --> 00:19:50,879 Speaker 1: and it hit me in the leg. It was just 342 00:19:50,960 --> 00:19:54,120 Speaker 1: one shot and it hit me at the like the 343 00:19:54,200 --> 00:19:58,119 Speaker 1: very top of my left thigh. And I was just 344 00:19:58,280 --> 00:20:01,400 Speaker 1: standing there with a group of ends like I had. 345 00:20:01,440 --> 00:20:03,120 Speaker 1: There was a beach ball in the crowd that night 346 00:20:03,200 --> 00:20:05,080 Speaker 1: and it said don't gas me bro, And I picked 347 00:20:05,080 --> 00:20:07,120 Speaker 1: it up and I started writing on it, and one 348 00:20:07,160 --> 00:20:08,840 Speaker 1: shot got fired and it hit me in the leg. 349 00:20:09,000 --> 00:20:11,880 Speaker 1: And that was what I would consider to be at 350 00:20:11,920 --> 00:20:16,399 Speaker 1: least like protests related my first encounter with the Portland 351 00:20:16,440 --> 00:20:18,560 Speaker 1: Police Bureau. No one was doing anything, No one was, 352 00:20:19,000 --> 00:20:21,000 Speaker 1: you know, pushing on the fence or knocking on it, 353 00:20:21,040 --> 00:20:22,600 Speaker 1: and they just fired a shot into the crowd and 354 00:20:22,640 --> 00:20:39,600 Speaker 1: it hit me. Next you're going to hear from Garrison Davis. 355 00:20:39,800 --> 00:20:42,800 Speaker 1: He was just seventeen in Portland's vehle and protests started, 356 00:20:42,880 --> 00:20:45,840 Speaker 1: and for weeks he was out virtually every night, filming 357 00:20:45,880 --> 00:20:48,439 Speaker 1: some of the most intense police violence and posting some 358 00:20:48,520 --> 00:20:52,280 Speaker 1: of the most viral videos of the entire uprising. Here's Garrison. 359 00:20:52,760 --> 00:20:55,320 Speaker 1: Every night. The fence at the Justice Center seemed to 360 00:20:55,400 --> 00:20:58,600 Speaker 1: grow larger. The city doubled up some sections of the 361 00:20:58,640 --> 00:21:02,280 Speaker 1: chain link and stacked pieces offense on top of one another. Eventually, 362 00:21:02,400 --> 00:21:04,960 Speaker 1: concrete barriers were added to make it harder to knock 363 00:21:05,000 --> 00:21:08,400 Speaker 1: over the fence. The divides between protesters began to widen 364 00:21:08,440 --> 00:21:12,199 Speaker 1: as well. Some of the more radical leftist BLM activists 365 00:21:12,320 --> 00:21:16,280 Speaker 1: in Portland criticized Rosity Justice and their insistence on quote 366 00:21:16,280 --> 00:21:20,160 Speaker 1: peaceful protest over direct action that might damage police property. 367 00:21:20,560 --> 00:21:24,040 Speaker 1: Gregory McKelvey, vice chair of organ DEM's Black Caucus and 368 00:21:24,160 --> 00:21:27,800 Speaker 1: former organizer, pushed back on some of that criticism. Gregory 369 00:21:27,840 --> 00:21:30,679 Speaker 1: was also organizing on a new front, now as Protest 370 00:21:30,760 --> 00:21:33,120 Speaker 1: Gain Steam. He was in the home stretch of leading 371 00:21:33,119 --> 00:21:36,760 Speaker 1: a grassroots style campaign for political newcomer Sarah I on 372 00:21:36,840 --> 00:21:40,480 Speaker 1: our Own to take down incumbent Mayor Ted Wheeler. Many 373 00:21:40,520 --> 00:21:43,359 Speaker 1: Portlanders felt Wheeler had failed on his promise to deliver 374 00:21:43,440 --> 00:21:47,160 Speaker 1: fundamental change on issues of housing and please reform. Instead, 375 00:21:47,240 --> 00:21:50,680 Speaker 1: Wheeler became a symbol of big money in politics more 376 00:21:50,680 --> 00:21:53,159 Speaker 1: of the same. Gregory's candidate I on our Own ran 377 00:21:53,200 --> 00:21:56,400 Speaker 1: to the left of Wheeler, dubbing herself and quote everyday 378 00:21:56,440 --> 00:22:01,480 Speaker 1: anti fascist. So you know, uh, we had a situation 379 00:22:01,520 --> 00:22:03,719 Speaker 1: where tens of thousands of people were marching every day. 380 00:22:03,720 --> 00:22:06,760 Speaker 1: And if you're at those events, they're just beautiful, and yeah, 381 00:22:06,800 --> 00:22:10,359 Speaker 1: they're way more liberal, they're way more moderate. Um, but 382 00:22:10,480 --> 00:22:14,080 Speaker 1: those people are being marched along pun intended towards a 383 00:22:14,119 --> 00:22:17,800 Speaker 1: more radical place. And you know, Malcolm X said more 384 00:22:18,000 --> 00:22:21,720 Speaker 1: eloquently than me that basically, UM, you know everything, you know, 385 00:22:21,720 --> 00:22:25,600 Speaker 1: there was a point where you didn't UM. And so 386 00:22:25,960 --> 00:22:28,400 Speaker 1: these people are on their journey just as everybody else. 387 00:22:28,440 --> 00:22:30,840 Speaker 1: And just because they're not anarchists yet does not make 388 00:22:30,880 --> 00:22:33,840 Speaker 1: them agents of the state. UM. And I really think 389 00:22:33,880 --> 00:22:38,159 Speaker 1: that those protests are what effectively got us the UM 390 00:22:39,080 --> 00:22:42,159 Speaker 1: the twenty million defunded from the police. I mean, we 391 00:22:42,200 --> 00:22:45,320 Speaker 1: had a moment where they were mass protests and Damian 392 00:22:45,400 --> 00:22:48,560 Speaker 1: Lillard was at the front of a protest UM that 393 00:22:48,640 --> 00:22:51,600 Speaker 1: was in capturing the entire city. Now, if you're wondering, 394 00:22:51,960 --> 00:22:55,879 Speaker 1: yes he's talking about that, Davian Lillard, five time NBA 395 00:22:56,040 --> 00:23:01,439 Speaker 1: l Star and Portland's Trailblazers superstar point guard day mean Lillard, Yeah, 396 00:23:01,480 --> 00:23:05,760 Speaker 1: he was out there too. Yeah. They weren't burning stuff down, um. 397 00:23:05,800 --> 00:23:08,440 Speaker 1: And also some of their rhetoric was not, you know, 398 00:23:08,600 --> 00:23:10,960 Speaker 1: as far left as maybe I would like or and 399 00:23:10,960 --> 00:23:13,280 Speaker 1: and certainly that some people at the Justice Center would like. 400 00:23:13,560 --> 00:23:16,160 Speaker 1: But I actually do think those protests were more effective 401 00:23:16,520 --> 00:23:19,680 Speaker 1: and they certainly have far more support from the broad public. 402 00:23:19,920 --> 00:23:21,920 Speaker 1: And we were getting people at these protests who had 403 00:23:21,920 --> 00:23:24,200 Speaker 1: never protest before. Like I don't think the Justice Center 404 00:23:24,240 --> 00:23:26,120 Speaker 1: protests should have stopped. And I don't think that they're 405 00:23:26,200 --> 00:23:29,320 Speaker 1: ineffective per se um, but I think there's certainly much 406 00:23:29,320 --> 00:23:32,480 Speaker 1: more effective if in tandem. There's also the other protests 407 00:23:32,520 --> 00:23:37,000 Speaker 1: going on. So if I'm at home watching UM like 408 00:23:37,520 --> 00:23:40,480 Speaker 1: Chanel two, six, eight or twelve, which I had to 409 00:23:40,480 --> 00:23:43,800 Speaker 1: watch a lot for my job, UM, they're not making 410 00:23:43,800 --> 00:23:47,080 Speaker 1: a difference between which protesters are which protesters. They're just 411 00:23:47,119 --> 00:23:51,000 Speaker 1: saying protesters merged and Damian Lillard joined them. Later in 412 00:23:51,040 --> 00:23:55,040 Speaker 1: the night, protesters were gased and beaten. Right that that 413 00:23:56,040 --> 00:24:01,080 Speaker 1: UM way of explaining things is really helpful for all 414 00:24:01,119 --> 00:24:04,880 Speaker 1: the protesters because um, they see that protests with Damian 415 00:24:04,920 --> 00:24:06,560 Speaker 1: Lillard and they're like, oh, I support this, And then 416 00:24:06,560 --> 00:24:08,280 Speaker 1: they see what they think is the same people getting 417 00:24:08,280 --> 00:24:10,480 Speaker 1: gas that night, and they're like no, no, no, no no, 418 00:24:10,840 --> 00:24:13,800 Speaker 1: And that helps us move the conversation towards the funding 419 00:24:14,040 --> 00:24:16,679 Speaker 1: once those massive protests go away and we only have 420 00:24:16,760 --> 00:24:19,080 Speaker 1: protests that Damian Lillard is never going to be seen 421 00:24:19,119 --> 00:24:22,679 Speaker 1: at now. Uh now they have no support from the 422 00:24:22,680 --> 00:24:25,639 Speaker 1: broad public. Early June is also when most of Portland's 423 00:24:26,240 --> 00:24:30,040 Speaker 1: police reforms were achieved under large pressure both locally and 424 00:24:30,119 --> 00:24:34,560 Speaker 1: from the nationwide BLA movement. The Portland's Public schools superintendent 425 00:24:34,680 --> 00:24:38,880 Speaker 1: decided to end the school resource officer program, opting instead 426 00:24:38,920 --> 00:24:42,320 Speaker 1: for an increased spending on social workers, counselors and culturally 427 00:24:42,359 --> 00:24:47,440 Speaker 1: specific mentors for students, also historically racist. Portland's police unit 428 00:24:47,520 --> 00:24:50,840 Speaker 1: was also disbanded. Here's more on that from Gregory. We 429 00:24:50,960 --> 00:24:53,800 Speaker 1: got rid of some of the specialty units, including the 430 00:24:53,840 --> 00:24:57,000 Speaker 1: Gang Enforcement Unit are formerly known as the Gang Enforcement Unit, 431 00:24:57,040 --> 00:25:00,399 Speaker 1: which kept a list of mostly black individual tolls that 432 00:25:00,480 --> 00:25:03,520 Speaker 1: they thought were gang members. Um and it really was 433 00:25:03,640 --> 00:25:08,800 Speaker 1: a circle of our injustice car strol system um and 434 00:25:09,400 --> 00:25:13,320 Speaker 1: was really abhorrent and racist. And they switched their name 435 00:25:13,400 --> 00:25:15,840 Speaker 1: to the Gun Violence Production Team and a branding effort, 436 00:25:15,880 --> 00:25:18,600 Speaker 1: but still had the same mandate. We got rid of 437 00:25:18,600 --> 00:25:23,080 Speaker 1: that specialty unit. We defunded twenty something million dollars from 438 00:25:23,080 --> 00:25:25,800 Speaker 1: the police, which, um sounds like a lot, but we 439 00:25:25,840 --> 00:25:28,320 Speaker 1: were defunding from a lot of different bureaus because of 440 00:25:28,359 --> 00:25:31,680 Speaker 1: the pandemic in the budget shortfall in general. Alongside those 441 00:25:31,680 --> 00:25:35,320 Speaker 1: small reforms in early June, Portland also saw some negative 442 00:25:35,400 --> 00:25:38,840 Speaker 1: change on the road to police accountability. The officers responding 443 00:25:38,880 --> 00:25:41,240 Speaker 1: to protests were told they were allowed to cover both 444 00:25:41,280 --> 00:25:45,399 Speaker 1: their nametag and badge number amid fears officers would be 445 00:25:45,480 --> 00:25:52,760 Speaker 1: quote docked. Lawyer Alan Kessler explains this in greater detail. So, um, 446 00:25:53,160 --> 00:25:57,119 Speaker 1: there's a directive that says that the police shall display 447 00:25:57,240 --> 00:26:03,680 Speaker 1: their name on their uniform unless they get special dispensation 448 00:26:03,800 --> 00:26:07,800 Speaker 1: from their their command or to not do it. Um. 449 00:26:07,880 --> 00:26:10,040 Speaker 1: And the police are supposed to give you a business 450 00:26:10,040 --> 00:26:11,760 Speaker 1: card if you as they're supposed to identify themselves, are 451 00:26:11,800 --> 00:26:13,359 Speaker 1: supposed to give a business card which has their name 452 00:26:13,359 --> 00:26:15,800 Speaker 1: and badge number on it. Right there. It's not supposed 453 00:26:15,800 --> 00:26:19,080 Speaker 1: to be a secret police force. And the directives are 454 00:26:18,800 --> 00:26:21,120 Speaker 1: there are several directives that are kind of about that 455 00:26:21,720 --> 00:26:27,640 Speaker 1: uh interaction with the public. It turns out that very 456 00:26:27,680 --> 00:26:32,840 Speaker 1: early in the in the protests, there was a an 457 00:26:32,920 --> 00:26:36,160 Speaker 1: email that was sent out that told police that it's 458 00:26:36,160 --> 00:26:40,120 Speaker 1: okay for them to cover their badge and then replace 459 00:26:40,200 --> 00:26:45,480 Speaker 1: it with their It's called their personnel number or perner 460 00:26:46,160 --> 00:26:50,719 Speaker 1: um spelled either PRNR or p E r N r H. 461 00:26:50,960 --> 00:26:53,639 Speaker 1: And it's a it's a weird choice, like the only 462 00:26:54,160 --> 00:26:56,880 Speaker 1: the only thing it was used for before that was payroll. 463 00:26:56,960 --> 00:27:02,040 Speaker 1: It's in their accounting system. Oh and so historically it's 464 00:27:02,080 --> 00:27:06,639 Speaker 1: been used in the on some internal investigations of police 465 00:27:06,680 --> 00:27:11,600 Speaker 1: officers alike in internal review reports. Um. But the reason 466 00:27:11,640 --> 00:27:15,000 Speaker 1: they picked it, like, uh, I kind of guess this 467 00:27:15,080 --> 00:27:16,639 Speaker 1: at the time, but it was suit too silly to 468 00:27:16,680 --> 00:27:21,280 Speaker 1: be true. Was there is a There aren't a ton 469 00:27:21,320 --> 00:27:24,720 Speaker 1: of things that are exempt from the public records lot Oregon, 470 00:27:25,400 --> 00:27:29,119 Speaker 1: but one thing that is exempt is UH numbers on 471 00:27:29,200 --> 00:27:33,000 Speaker 1: an I D badge. Um. So somebody thought this through. 472 00:27:33,040 --> 00:27:35,720 Speaker 1: Somebody who is really familiar with the public records thought 473 00:27:35,720 --> 00:27:39,480 Speaker 1: this through and said, Okay, if we use the number 474 00:27:39,520 --> 00:27:42,000 Speaker 1: from the I D badge as the cops badge number, 475 00:27:42,400 --> 00:27:44,359 Speaker 1: then if anybody asked for the list, we'll say, no, 476 00:27:44,920 --> 00:27:47,439 Speaker 1: those are secret numbers. That are you know, we have 477 00:27:47,480 --> 00:27:49,720 Speaker 1: to keep them secret for the for the cops protection, 478 00:27:50,760 --> 00:27:52,720 Speaker 1: which is nuts because they're wearing it out in public 479 00:27:52,720 --> 00:27:58,280 Speaker 1: on their chest. But but there's like no way to 480 00:27:58,280 --> 00:28:00,760 Speaker 1: trace it back in a digital for in, no way 481 00:28:00,760 --> 00:28:06,200 Speaker 1: for us to for sure. The early marches had been 482 00:28:06,240 --> 00:28:10,480 Speaker 1: absolutely enormous, but almost everyone there fell into the simple 483 00:28:10,520 --> 00:28:15,800 Speaker 1: category of protester. There were some very overworked medics, but 484 00:28:16,000 --> 00:28:19,440 Speaker 1: Portland's lacked the sheer variety of specialties among the activists 485 00:28:19,480 --> 00:28:23,160 Speaker 1: that allowed Hong Kong's protest movement to persist for so long. 486 00:28:23,760 --> 00:28:26,320 Speaker 1: That changed over the first few weeks of the uprising, 487 00:28:26,800 --> 00:28:29,800 Speaker 1: as people who never thought of themselves as particularly radical 488 00:28:30,160 --> 00:28:33,920 Speaker 1: fell into new rules. There were no longer just street medics, 489 00:28:34,119 --> 00:28:37,560 Speaker 1: but shield bearing front liners, people armed with traffic cones 490 00:28:37,600 --> 00:28:41,240 Speaker 1: and water to douse tear gas. Other activists provided food 491 00:28:41,280 --> 00:28:44,600 Speaker 1: and equipment, and a handful of Portlanders began learning the 492 00:28:44,640 --> 00:28:48,920 Speaker 1: trade of the conflict journalist, while Portland's professional press got 493 00:28:49,000 --> 00:28:52,720 Speaker 1: used to packing body armor alongside their camera notebook. As 494 00:28:52,720 --> 00:28:55,360 Speaker 1: an any mass movement, there was bound to be disagreements 495 00:28:55,360 --> 00:28:58,400 Speaker 1: and in fighting. People had different opinions on everything from 496 00:28:58,440 --> 00:29:01,280 Speaker 1: looting to dumpster fires, to how much fence shaking was 497 00:29:01,320 --> 00:29:05,400 Speaker 1: acceptable and the usefulness of large marches that stayed completely peaceful. 498 00:29:05,880 --> 00:29:09,840 Speaker 1: Despite those differences, people did keep coming out day after day, 499 00:29:10,080 --> 00:29:12,920 Speaker 1: night after night, for the entire first half of June. 500 00:29:13,560 --> 00:29:16,560 Speaker 1: Some of those people are still coming out even now. Yeah. 501 00:29:16,600 --> 00:29:20,720 Speaker 1: I was six kind of personally expecting just for people 502 00:29:20,760 --> 00:29:23,479 Speaker 1: just to be maybe be protesting a week to you know, 503 00:29:23,640 --> 00:29:26,000 Speaker 1: not not much and then you know, quote unquote back 504 00:29:26,040 --> 00:29:28,880 Speaker 1: to normal life. But you know, yeah, and then it's 505 00:29:29,040 --> 00:29:34,840 Speaker 1: been now five months, um at it so yeah, and 506 00:29:34,920 --> 00:29:37,440 Speaker 1: I kept going because my I just felt really strongly 507 00:29:37,480 --> 00:29:40,520 Speaker 1: to keep going, and especially with um what I was doing, 508 00:29:40,920 --> 00:29:43,560 Speaker 1: um as for photographing at all, I just had this 509 00:29:43,600 --> 00:29:45,680 Speaker 1: passion that I was like, Okay, I gotta keep going. 510 00:29:45,760 --> 00:29:49,600 Speaker 1: So yeah, I've I haven't stopped. As June wore on, 511 00:29:49,720 --> 00:29:52,600 Speaker 1: the number of people out at nightly demonstrations began to drop. 512 00:29:52,920 --> 00:29:56,360 Speaker 1: Crowds of thousands became crowds of hundreds. A certain mania 513 00:29:56,440 --> 00:29:59,640 Speaker 1: took over the increasingly hardened core of the Portland BLM movement, 514 00:30:00,040 --> 00:30:02,320 Speaker 1: who seems to feel the need to confront police every 515 00:30:02,320 --> 00:30:06,400 Speaker 1: single night without pause. It exhausted many protesters and journalists. 516 00:30:07,000 --> 00:30:11,080 Speaker 1: Cosca describes the feeling, well, um, yeah, I mean it 517 00:30:11,160 --> 00:30:13,760 Speaker 1: was it was every night, and it was it was NonStop. 518 00:30:13,920 --> 00:30:18,600 Speaker 1: And I remember once, um when they when they when 519 00:30:18,600 --> 00:30:20,320 Speaker 1: they had the double fences up in front of the 520 00:30:20,400 --> 00:30:23,840 Speaker 1: Justice Center. I remember when some people walking away from 521 00:30:23,840 --> 00:30:26,120 Speaker 1: it and they were telling me that the protest was canceled, 522 00:30:26,160 --> 00:30:29,520 Speaker 1: and I said, there's no such things. Is canceling this? 523 00:30:29,720 --> 00:30:32,120 Speaker 1: I was like this to me, I was I even 524 00:30:32,160 --> 00:30:34,440 Speaker 1: said it on one of my videos and sound kind 525 00:30:34,440 --> 00:30:38,040 Speaker 1: of cheesy, but I was like, this feels like the 526 00:30:38,200 --> 00:30:43,880 Speaker 1: energy for this rebellion is coming from some some unknown place. 527 00:30:43,960 --> 00:30:48,760 Speaker 1: Like like I said, it's felt almost supernatural because it 528 00:30:48,880 --> 00:30:52,160 Speaker 1: was pushing people on their human limits. Like for me, 529 00:30:52,280 --> 00:30:55,440 Speaker 1: I'm not the kind of person that will, you know, 530 00:30:55,520 --> 00:30:59,600 Speaker 1: interrupt my sleep schedule for almost anything. But I didn't 531 00:30:59,640 --> 00:31:03,400 Speaker 1: really sleep or eat or drink as you're supposed to 532 00:31:03,360 --> 00:31:05,479 Speaker 1: do for almost two months because us so wrapped up 533 00:31:05,480 --> 00:31:08,440 Speaker 1: in yeah, what was happening. And then I didn't know 534 00:31:08,600 --> 00:31:12,040 Speaker 1: that for a while. I didn't know that other cities 535 00:31:12,080 --> 00:31:14,520 Speaker 1: were still protesting for a long time because I you know, 536 00:31:14,640 --> 00:31:16,920 Speaker 1: I didn't even have time to check the news because 537 00:31:16,920 --> 00:31:19,960 Speaker 1: it would take me. You know, since I'm older, it 538 00:31:20,120 --> 00:31:22,880 Speaker 1: takes me longer to recover from that of the whole 539 00:31:23,480 --> 00:31:26,120 Speaker 1: you know what, I would be recovering the whole time, 540 00:31:26,120 --> 00:31:28,680 Speaker 1: not protesting while I was not protesting, to be recovering 541 00:31:28,720 --> 00:31:32,080 Speaker 1: from protesting. That pretty much all I did for almost 542 00:31:32,080 --> 00:31:35,920 Speaker 1: two months. Looking back on the early days of the uprising, 543 00:31:36,000 --> 00:31:37,880 Speaker 1: you can see all the little things that happened in 544 00:31:37,960 --> 00:31:40,800 Speaker 1: order to transform this into more than just a regular 545 00:31:40,840 --> 00:31:44,800 Speaker 1: protest every day. The brutality from the previous night rekindled 546 00:31:44,800 --> 00:31:48,520 Speaker 1: people's desire for change. Repeated tear gassings forced the crowd 547 00:31:48,560 --> 00:31:51,360 Speaker 1: to get good at reforming after being dispersed. As the 548 00:31:51,440 --> 00:31:55,160 Speaker 1: days turned into weeks, protesters started mirroring Hong Kong tactics. 549 00:31:55,200 --> 00:31:58,880 Speaker 1: More and more established activist groups provided support for new 550 00:31:58,920 --> 00:32:03,440 Speaker 1: activists with new ideas. On June seventeenth, inspired by Seattle's 551 00:32:03,480 --> 00:32:07,320 Speaker 1: Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone, Portland protesters announced plans for an 552 00:32:07,320 --> 00:32:11,120 Speaker 1: autonomous zone of their own. This a Z was limited 553 00:32:11,120 --> 00:32:13,280 Speaker 1: to a single city block in front of Mayor Ted 554 00:32:13,320 --> 00:32:17,160 Speaker 1: Wheeler's luxury condo, where protesters set up tents, eight pizza, 555 00:32:17,200 --> 00:32:20,240 Speaker 1: and played dance music late into the night. The Portland 556 00:32:20,280 --> 00:32:23,600 Speaker 1: police ousted the occupation early the following morning, but protesters 557 00:32:23,680 --> 00:32:27,360 Speaker 1: were clearly learning valuable lessons. Drinks, pizza, medical support, and 558 00:32:27,360 --> 00:32:30,600 Speaker 1: a speaker system arrived within the first hour of the occupation. 559 00:32:31,080 --> 00:32:33,920 Speaker 1: Barricades went up soon after, followed by the arrival of 560 00:32:33,920 --> 00:32:36,960 Speaker 1: the Autonomous zones very own porta potty. By the time 561 00:32:37,000 --> 00:32:39,480 Speaker 1: the police swept through in the early morning, a surprising 562 00:32:39,480 --> 00:32:41,880 Speaker 1: amount of infrastructure had been set down in a very 563 00:32:41,920 --> 00:32:45,560 Speaker 1: short amount of time. That action ultimately failed, but as 564 00:32:45,560 --> 00:32:49,160 Speaker 1: protests continued through the city, infrastructure would spring up again 565 00:32:49,200 --> 00:32:52,160 Speaker 1: and again. Throughout the first half of June, a framework 566 00:32:52,240 --> 00:32:55,160 Speaker 1: was put in place that would transform Portland's Black Lives 567 00:32:55,200 --> 00:32:58,360 Speaker 1: Matter protests into a movement that could hold on and 568 00:32:58,400 --> 00:33:04,040 Speaker 1: dig in for more than half a year. Uh Where 569 00:33:04,160 --> 00:33:07,240 Speaker 1: the grandpops who couldn't fathom the obamacist? I don't hate 570 00:33:07,280 --> 00:33:10,360 Speaker 1: America just to man, she keeps the promises twenty teens 571 00:33:10,400 --> 00:33:13,760 Speaker 1: looking like the sixties. It's crazy, a nationwide deja wo 572 00:33:13,880 --> 00:33:16,760 Speaker 1: what my people post to do? Go to schools named 573 00:33:16,800 --> 00:33:19,760 Speaker 1: after the clan founder. We're around town, isa, I don't 574 00:33:19,760 --> 00:33:22,960 Speaker 1: see why we're frowning Native American students forced to learn 575 00:33:22,960 --> 00:33:26,840 Speaker 1: about wind o'pellah Sarah. How is that fair? Bro? Some 576 00:33:27,040 --> 00:33:30,520 Speaker 1: heroes unsung in some monsters get monuments built for them. 577 00:33:30,520 --> 00:33:32,480 Speaker 1: But it ain't be all a little bit of monster. 578 00:33:32,600 --> 00:33:35,880 Speaker 1: We crook it. Man, Your heroes are worthless and man 579 00:33:35,960 --> 00:33:39,000 Speaker 1: can show private only God gives purpose. You crook it.