Laura Jedeed (Misanthrophile)

I've been chatting with some activists about where things go from here Gonna discuss/analyze for a second while nothing's happening The Portland protests have ebbed and flowed. We're in a bit of an ebb right now

The MO right before the fires was: go out, face down the police, drain their resources. But they were doing those mass arrests and that drains the protesters' resources. Fiscal and emotional. Even with the DA throwing out charges, it takes a human toll

Protests have mellowed post-forest-fire. ICE on Friday was a shit-show obviously but the next three days have been incredibly chill. Dance parties, marches, not much direct action Less casualties. But is it bothering anyone? Is it putting pressure on the city?

Some people think protests of federal buildings is the way. Feds have a hair trigger, they'll come out over nothing and show the whole world they're fundamentally opposed to free speech Big headlines. Big attention. Big pressure

But some of those headlines could backfire. An excuse for Trump to impose martial law pre-election seems real dangerous to me. For sure it'll role up his base and scare law-and-order centrists. Is that the way to go?

It feels like there should be other options. Other way to express that the social contract is broken, that we won't put up with it, that we need massive structural changes to how we look at policing and justice in Portland and beyond

What's the answer? No idea Worth thinking about, I think. It feels like we're at a bit of a crossroads, like we were at the end of July