I grew up in rural Oregon, but matured intellectually and politically in Portland during the George W. Bush era when Portland was a bastion of resistance to the War on Terror and destructive environmental practices. For all of its frivolity, Portland continues to be a serious site of resistance to the forces of hate and destruction. One of Portland’s environmental giants and icons, Bob Sallinger, recently passed away far too young. For me, he was a constant embodiment of what I love about Portland: fierce and unapologetic resistance to attempts to destroy nature for profit; the will to cause problems for those who would destroy and to make their political allies suffer pressure and discomfort from an organized movement. I wish he was still with us in body, but we carry him forward in spirit. As our teachers and mentors leave us, we will continue to educate new generations how to fight and win against the forces who will say and do anything for profit. From the national level where Donald Trump is already beginning his onslaught against people and planet to the local level where companies like Zenith Energy threaten residents and the environment, Portland will continue to be a site of resistance. We will continue to organize and fight for a livable future.
Continue the Struggle
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There is a lot to unpack here, so let’s focus on what’s urgently and emergently relevant to the present situation.
Portland is not a place of safety or seriousness.
let’s repeat that: Portland is not a place of safety or seriousness.
It’s a place dominated by Nazis, Nazi sympathizers, Nazi Abiders, and Nazi’s useful idiots. Sure, some people cosplay as “resistance” in their free time when its convenient for them. But what do they do during times of inconvenience, who do they look to when things are uncomfortable? Do they celebrate violence and assault against others? Do they try to guide a community dialogue towards transparency and peace? Do they ally with Nazi forces to suppress people who speak out against their abuse and corruption? Do they participate in the the corrupt political complex?
How do these people interact with people who they feel ‘can’t do anything for then’? How do they interact with those who experience poverty or homelessness?
What kind of car do they drive? Are their social media feeds self-obsessed? What power structures prop them up? Where do they obtain their income from? Who owns them?
Fuck your pathetic resistance. It’s embarrassingly incompetent and underwhelming. It’s rife with security holes, and has consistently failed to accomplish anything to meaningfully progress the community. I’m not saying people don’t have a fun time or enjoy the networking opportunities your cute little coffee klatch has put together. But get fucking real, you all are woefully unprepared and under equipped for the task at hand.
Tighten your security. Turn the internal saboteurs and double back.
Pay attention to girl by the whirlpool.
Focus on what you can accomplish.
Providing food and shelter to community members in an environment free from coercion and manipulation.
That is your one and only mission. You can’t be trusted with anything else.
Kudos to Anonymous! Advocates are not going away. We have increased public awareness about Big Oil and have support from federal, state, and, especially, county officials–some of whom formerly declared “this is out of our jurisdiction.” Are we safer from the CEI Hub than we were a decade ago–not yet. It’s painfully slow but is change happening? Yes. Are the new city councilors carrying a promise of a more inclusive, responsive, transparent city government–you bet! Get involved to help!