Why are they so obsessed with Portland, Oregon??

[moose65]

Over the past 3 years, I have seen numerous shared articles and comments about Portland on various social media.

Now, I know the deplorables have always hated Chicago and San Francisco, calling those places liberal shitholes, but why have they suddenly seemed to fixate on Portland? Did I miss something? And they never seem to fixate on places like Provincetown or Fire Island. Their outrage is selective.

Which reminds me of something else: can you imagine their outrage if Democratic politicians talked about West Virginia and Eastern Kentucky the way the Republicans talk about Portland and Chicago?

[Sky Jewels]

1. It might be because

not only is it a very progressive city, it's a very white city. Maybe they feel that we white Portlanders are turncoats to the Caucasian race because we don't go along with Republican white supremacy bullshit and we don't think that becoming ever more Nazi-like is a good thing.

[Sympthsical]

4. More like that whole CHAZ thing

It allowed the Right to prop up Portland as a home and symbol of the most radical Leftists and then use that as a way of painting all Democrats with that brush.

Just like they call all of us socialists. They grabbed the civil unrest, chaos, and government ineptitude in dealing with CHAZ and marched across the media with, "This is what all cities will look like!"

It's a very useful set piece for them.

[nolabear]

20. That was Seattle.

I spent some time in the CHOP/CHAZ zone when it first started. It was a good idea and peaceful. Weird how things like that get corrupted over time, as opportunists come in and create chaos and violence. Seems a combination of those who want to prey on honest participants, those who think violence is due, those who want to disrupt and harm the original agenda, and others who don’t care. The city government didn’t handle it well but I’m not sure what they could have done that didn’t cause some kind of stir, also among both the sympathetic and the chaos mongers.

[Sympthsical]

27. You're right

Thanks for the correction. Seattle and Portland often become very interchangeable in my head for some reason.

[nolabear]

29. We're very different but I get it.

We get lumped together a lot since we’re both up here in the crazy upper left liberal part of the country. At least the cities are. The outlying areas can be red af but so far we’re holding on to a relatively sane government. Wish us luck.

[Sogo]

11. "very white city"

That's very interesting, in light of the recent news that Walmart plans to close all their stores in Portland due to historically high theft rates there. Kind of shoots a hole in the white supremacist stereotype that blacks are the criminals.

[Sky Jewels]

15. Right.

I'm personally familiar with one of the Walmart locations, on the southeastern edge of the city. It's not in a traditionally Black neighborhood (which historically has been the city's northeastern sector).

Portland's current status as a city that white GQPers love to hate is relatively recent. Racism and official racist policies were rampant in Portland for many decades and practices like redlining were common (which is one of the reasons it wound up with a relatively low non-white population in the first place). Of course there is still plenty of racism here, as there is everywhere, but the area has attracted lots of liberals/progressives/hippies/hipsters/artists/politically active white Democrats, etc. in more recent decades and "the vibe" has changed, man.

We moved here before we were on the internet, in the mid-90s, and I had no idea the city was this white before we came. I had assumed that because it was on the west coast it would be more diverse, like other places I'd lived.

Portland's biggest suburb, Beaverton, is now a lot more diverse than the population that lives within the city limits itself.

[Retrograde]

18. There you go, trying to bring logic into it

My own theory is that Portland sounds exotic - it's way out there on the West Coast, pretty much all by itself out there on the edge of the Pacific, far from the East Coast dominated media and far from most of their viewers. Portland has gotten a lot of coverage in the past decade for its foodie scene (OK, but about average for the West Coast IMHO) and its general trendiness. Unlike the eastern parts of Oregon, it tends to be liberal, which is why I think Donnie and his ilk have decided to make it an easy target. For them, it's like San Francisco in 1967

[gratuitous]

25. Wal Mart's publicly stated reason for closing its Portland stores

Wal Mart said it's closing the Portland stores because they're underperforming. For some odd reason, some other people led by the New York Post put forward the notion that it was because of high theft rates.

According to KPTV, a spokesperson for the company said: “The decision to close these stores was made after a careful review of their overall performance.

“We consider many factors, including current and projected financial performance, location, population, customer needs, and the proximity of other nearby stores when making these difficult decisions.

“After we decide to move forward, our focus is on our associates and their transition, which is the case here.”

I'll mention it again for the folks in the back: "The decision to close these stores was made after a careful review of their overall performance."

[Sogo]

26. Thanks for following up and correcting the record.

I don't recall where I heard the "theft" reason, but it appears to be inaccurate. I'm glad of that, but knowing how dependent people are on Walmart in this area (no other stores, because WM has driven them out), I'm concerned what people in Portland will do.....Maybe Target, if they're there.

[inthewind21]

2. Black lives Matter

George Floyd. 100 days of protests. Was all over the news.

https://www.deseret.com/2022/7/20/23182386/resilience-in-the-city-of-roses-portland-home-protests-2020-blm-black-lives-matter-george-floyd

[Mr.Bill]

3. Portland is still there?

I thought BLM and Antifa burned the entire city to the ground.

[inthewind21]

5. Right

[Sky Jewels]

6. We've all been living in giant tree stumps amidst the smoldering ruins.

[Iggo]

28. Every day, to hear the wingers tell it.

[Boxerfan]

7. My guess. It's a "test" market or area for the Proud Boys-

They have a strong following in the Portland Authoritie force. And my opinion-is they are ignoring almost anything they can. This drives sentiment that the handbasket to hell is well underway here in 'Murica just look at this city. Fodder for the radio clowns etc...

And Poopie Diaper baby Donnie was a big provider for that and probably melded the PB / PD in that cause.

They need to clean house (acab). And there has been recent crime legislation that should help. But it is evident they are not sticking their neck out or interacting with criminals unless absolutely mandatory.

[Fiendish Thingy]

9. Portland is just across the river from PB world headquarters

In Vancouver WA

PB’s used to have regular “rallies” that usually ended up in violence against locals who objected to racist assholes disrupting their city.

That seems to have died down, since a bunch of PB’s were charged/convicted of various felonies committed in Portland.

[meadowlander]

17. Yes, very liberal city surrounded by very conservative rural/wilderness and next to Idaho.

Remember the "anarchists" at the WTC protests in Seattle in 1999 came from around Portland.

Also the 2014 Cliven Bundy standoff was in eastern Oregon.

Idaho is libertarian fantasy land and that spills into some of the neighbouring metro areas - easier for them to get to Seattle or Portland than New York or DC.

So there's crazy in them there hills.

Also, the TV show Portlandia popularised Portland as the apex of extreme liberal PCness.

[gratuitous]

8. Their hero declared war on us, kidnapped people off the streets, and sent a death squad out

During the 2020 demonstrations in support of Black Lives Matter, Portland was victimized about nine ways from Sunday as groups such as Patriot Prayer descended on the city to disrupt the demonstrations. They vandalized buildings downtown (many of which are boarded up to this day), drove their pickups through the demonstrators, and colluded with law enforcement (local and federal) to curtail the rights of the demonstrators. When Trump sent federal law enforcement agents to Portland, they routinely just waded into the crowd and started swinging their batons, gassed the demonstrators, and even snatched people off the street who weren't in the demonstrations.

When Aaron Danielson of Patriot Prayer was killed in a gun fight, Trump sent out a death squad to track down Michael Reinoehl, alleged to be Danielson's killer. Federal law enforcement tracked Reinoehl to Olympia, Washington (about 125 miles north of Portland) and executed him on September 3, 2020. The cover story was that Reinoehl was armed and shot first; witnesses to Reinoehl's shooting disagreed, saying that Reinoehl was in a car when the death squad arrived and started shooting at the vehicle. Reinoehl got out of the car and ran, and was gunned down for his trouble. Their hero boasted of the execution several times during his 2020 campaign, and the liberal media collectively forgot all about Michael Reinoehl.

[gratuitous]

14. I misspoke

Danielson wasn't killed in a gunfight, he was shot while in a caravan of vehicles driving through the demonstrators. He was just the guy who caught the bullet, allegedly fired by Reinoehl. Hardly premeditated or an ambush, unless Danielson just figured, like the thugs he was traveling with, that the crunchy granola Portland soy boys didn't have firearms.

Shooting at a vehicle doing this:

could be classed as self defense. We'll never know, thanks to Trump's death squad.

No, not ALL the violence was from the right, and I don't think anyone said that. But the worst of it was indeed perpetrated by the thugs who idolize Trump.

[The_Casual_Observer]

21. No Danielson was shot in the street after he bear sprayed

Reinoehl. Danielson and another patriot prayer thug were out wandering around looking to gang beat "Antifa".
Had Reinoehl found a good lawyer in the hours after the shooting he would probably be free by now on a self defense claim.

[ZonkerHarris]

23. enjoy your brief time here

[blm]

19. In the Floyd protests the worst of the violence WAS RightWingers

premeditated and planned to use protests as cover for their assault on law enforcement knowing the left would be blamed in the news cycle. Glad to help you out with some hard facts.

Far-right ‘boogaloo boys’ linked to killing of California law officers and other violence
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-06-17/far-right-boogaloo-boys-linked-to-killing-of-california-lawmen-other-violence

Feds say far-right group coordinated attack on Minneapolis police precinct during protest
https://thehill.com/homenews/news/522509-feds-say-far-right-group-coordinated-attack-on-minneapolis-police-precinct/

Minneapolis police say 'Umbrella Man' was a white supremacist trying to incite George Floyd rioting
https://www.startribune.com/minneapolis-police-say-umbrella-man-was-a-white-supremacist-trying-to-incite-george-floyd-rioting/571932272/

[HeartachesNhangovers]

10. Portland is a pretty obvious target - one of the two biggest metro ares in the Pacific Northwest,

all politicians are Dems and the city really has fallen on hard times in the last three years (I know because I live 10 minutes away in SW WA and spend a lot of time in Portland - I'll be there later this morning).

I worked in SF for 26 years until 6 years ago and it's indisputable that the quality of life there has dropped for anyone who doesn't have millions of disposable dollars to isolate themselves from the city's persistent problems.

[Prairie_Seagull]

12. Could be this that fanned the flames.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/oregon-man-gets-life-without-parole-killing-2-portland-train-n1232067

There has always been a continent of cranks in the burbs around Portland they have just become more vocal, insidious and dangerous.

That said, I have not heard anything extraordinary in a while. Admittedly I do not have my finger on the pulse like I used to.

[Amishman]

16. Portland has long been a highly visible progressive front runner

And the right takes particular satisfaction in blaming those progressive policies for Portland's homeless problems and struggling downtown areas.

[lame54]

24. Don't believe what they say about SF - it's still a beautiful place

[electric_blue68]

30. I hope so. I loved my visit to 🧡 SF decades ago as part of my across the USA bus trip.

[lame54]

31. Went there for a concert a few months ago...

Spent 2 days walking around

Nothing like what I heard

[electric_blue68]

32. Cool! Glad to hear! When I visited...

back in '79 I went all over to different places I'd researched, as I could in a 3 day/2 night stay. I had a great time!

Rode the trolley every way I could. One thing I went to the club area to see their punk/new wave scene. Couldn't get in but heard a band from outside.

My only big disappointment bc I didn't check the schedule was getting to The Exploritorium and finding it was closed for the day! At least I did get to see the beautiful structures by it that had been built for the World's Fair back in the ?1920s, or '30s.

[betsuni]

33. The show "Portlandia" was funny. I just thought about the old Seattle Weekly column

"Ask an Uptight Seattleite" the other day, funny.