People will not stand for this level of intimidation and fear. This coverage provides a much needed breath of fresh air to this story.

"By inviting minors to a demonstration with an anarchist group known to be violent, Caleb elevates ide[o]logy over the safety of minors." Pray tell, oh anonymous commenter, who this anarchist group is who is known to be violent and what violence they hath wrought to receive such a description.

Minors are affected by austerity just as much as anyone else in our community. In fact, the next generation probably has more to lose.

For the record, I prepared material about austerity and conducted media interviews before and after the day of action. I did little inviting. That was mostly the job of outreach groups that included very mainstream groups in Portland and Oregon at large. The day was essentially a parade full of music and fun until people started getting pepper sprayed.

Note that the police story has changed roughly five times in five different press releases. The article I wrote on BlueOregon details some of the changes.

we also have video of a cop spraying people 40 feet from the banners. they only had clearance to spray the banner teams. witch is messed up. being we have the right to assemble. we wanted to go in the direction where the cops where blocking. they blocked the march from where it was intended to go. witch is stomping on our civil rights.

"you publish your long-winded tripe on the anarchist site greycloud" What the fuck is greycloud? I published on BlueOregon, basically a Democratic Party website.

Look, it's kind of hilarious to me that someone who is going after the shady, anonymous anarchists is posting anonymously.

Here, have some more, because you obviously didn't read the article I wrote: "Whether intimidation or ineptitude, PPB's treatment of peaceful demonstrators takes place within a broader context of federal investigation of so-called "anarchists", violent raids looking for black clothing and literature, and on-going grand jury resistance. The FBI has also taken great pains to try to engineer terror plots so they can link "anarchists" to them. According to leaked FBI training powerpoints, they consider "anarchists" to be "criminals seeking an ideology". "Anarchist" is quickly becoming the new "terrorist", as was "Communist" before it, and "Hun" before it. One can only wonder how much of this viewpoint has trickled down into our local police bureau so eager to reduce what are complex social upheavals over legitimate issues to simplified words that can instill fear and allow the maximum of authoritarian leeway (they also serve as justifications for further institutional funding). It's why they are having trouble wondering why a middle class attorney/university professor who doesn't fit their categorical expectations is out in the streets demanding change. Your government is (again) making it very difficult to express messages of dissent at a time when they are needed most. Unsurprisingly, you don't hear about it from the mainstream media, but it is happening." (Hyperlinks in the original)

You say anarchist like it's a bad thing. Are you a cop, Anarchistssuckevenmorenow?

To the anonymous commenter:

If you actually bothered to look at the article you linked to, it begins with "From Portland Occupier" and links directly to the original article there: http://www.portlandoccupier.org/2011/12/28…

Grey Coast (not "greycloud") frequently reposts content from other sources. In fact, it almost exclusively does so.

For someone who hates anarchists so much, you really don't pay much attention to the milieux.

You know an argument isn't worth continuing when you present vindicating evidence and only receive "I stand by my comment" in return.

The so called "Black Bloc" were High School students, I was one of them along the front line who were pepper sprayed along students as young as 15, some who were there cause they saw it from the mall or were there to get credit for school.