Philip James

Philip is deaf, gay, and angry about police brutality in the USA in general and in Portland in particular. He organized a rally, march, and die-in, the latter in the street directly in front of the main police bureau in Portland (Extra). Speakers in addition to Philip included Jo Ann Hardesty, who is running for City Council in our next election, and Sarah Iannarone, who ran for mayor in the last election and for whom I voted, though she was not elected.

I was disappointed by the poor turnout--only about fifty people--but I wonder if Portland is beginning to suffer from protest fatigue. There was a march in solidarity with immigrants earlier in the day (which I also attended, and which drew about 500 people), and there have been marches, vigils, rallies, art exhibits, and all manner of protests since Charlottesville. 

Security, traffic control, and assistance to people with disabilities was provided by a group of young black bloc protesters. When three people associated with the local Alt Right movement showed up, one of the women on the Peace Team skillfully de-escalated the situation and persuaded them to leave. There was no visible police presence at the protest, even when the die-in occurred in front of police headquarters.