Naked Athena

Portland, Oregon.

Abject fascism was afoot. A sweep-the-leg sort of move, in fact. Ugh. More Karate Kid references. Us Gen X’ers just can’t help themselves.

Portland didn’t stop protesting for some time after George Floyd’s death. Unlike other cities, Portland had staying power, a fandango, sage-threaded, Bohemian durability. In late June of 2020 as protests continued, fearful that another Seattle-Chaz outpost was in the making, the feds quietly sent in covert U.S. Marshals Special Ops troops and Border Patrol tactical units to ‘protect’ federal property during the protests…because of all the graffiti. Spray paint implied the end of autocrat rule, it seemed. Minor incidents of escalation ensued when activists tried to pry off plywood barricades blocking the entrances to Portland’s federal courthouse, upon which agents promptly emerged and fired tear gas and pepper balls to push back the crowd.