OH, BLACK BLOC protesters. How I pity you. Once again last Thursday evening, April 8, you staged a woefully limp protest at the corner of NW 13th and Everett, the street corner where James Chasse Jr. was beaten by Portland cops in 2006. This followed your effort on March 29, to riot by… throwing a brick through the window of the Bank of America building. Black bloc? More like “bland crock.”
Granted, that insult was a long walk. But at the same time, it was wittier than most of your efforts to call for police reform. Turning dumpsters over in the street? Ooooh. And screaming at a KOIN TV reporter, “You’re a media whore!”
James Chasse, as well as being a man suffering with schizophrenia who was beaten to death by Portland police, was a poet and a musician. So if you’re going to protest in his name, at least be a little more original about it. You’re just giving anarchy a bad name, and I doubt he’d be proud of your efforts.
Having said all that, I was impressed with one thing y’all did last week: Painting over the sign for 13th Avenue with the words “James Ave.” Now that’s a good idea: City code says any individual or organization—even the black bloc, presumably—may apply to the city to rename a city street. City streets may only be renamed after a prominent person who has been dead for at least five years. Chasse died on September 17, 2006—so we’re on course for a rename to occur next September.
Prominence occurs as a result of a person’s “significant, positive contribution to the United States of America, and/or the local community.” Well, in Chasse’s case I would argue that his contribution to the local community has been made by dying at the hands of a broken mental health system, and highlighting just how broken that system has become.
“No crisis has focused my administration more than the death of James Chasse,” said former Multnomah County Chair Ted Wheeler in his address to City Club on February 12.
I rest my case. And since we still seem to be doing such a terrible job of addressing the root causes of Chasse’s death, I think the very least we can do is honor him by renaming a street until we can summon the political backbone to make funding mental health a priority.
Anyone can call the city auditor’s office to get this ball rolling: 503-823-6964. You’re welcome.
Blah, blah, blah, more critiques from someone that can’t and hasn’t done anything to change anything. Surely no one can critique your devastating assaults, I mean boring drivel, on the police.
Preach on matt someday someone will care what you think.
Matt, how quickly you have become immersed in Portland smugness! That first graf isn’t even witty, although, as you note, it’s still marginally wittier than the bloc-heads.
But to assume you know how James Chasse would view their efforts is the same kind of idiocy that the black bloc kids are spewing. It’s uninformed and makes no difference in the grand scheme.
We’re welcome for what? What exactly did you have to offer with this article? My understanding was that the protests (only cops call people walking in the middle of the street a riot, and I don’t think any of the black bloc participants planned to storm the Justice Center) took place to communicate the need for change, and the police actions on 3/29 further pointed this out to bystanders. Maybe the sensationalist media sees the culmination of these events to be one broken bank window (I’m sure it took the coordination of 200 people to do that), but the participants know its about doing your part to demonstrate the need for everyone to take action.
Sure none of this has stopped the police abuse, but have any of your articles done that? Has this half-assed column taken anyone to task to the extent that policy was changed? The “news” you contribute are the same quotes anyone would expect from these politicians. “Road Rage Redux” simply repeats the Oregonian article with the breaking news that Westerman will not resign (were you expecting accountability?) and Ms. Berg wouldnt return your calls. When you get one mildly interesting quote “Mark Weiner is a total assfucker” you run an entire feature about the quote and how important it is (“if it weren’t for the elephant-shaped ‘assfucker’ comment”).
Does the occupation of an intersection blow Portlanders’ minds? Not really. But compared to columns totally overshadowed by national tatoo convention and hypnosis ads, they are at least willing to stick their neck out. The protesters are atleast saying that police killings are just the tip of the iceberg in a fucked up system, and its going to take a lot of work to fix that. Your articles propound the solution of writing Saltzman, joining a facebook group, or calling some bureaucrat. These actions are the political equivalent of calling a sex hotline, sure you get off, but the underlying relationships remain undeveloped, and real democracy or real sex are nothing but fantasies. 50 people in the streets doesn’t do shit. 5,000 people on facebook also doesn’t do shit. 5,000 people in the streets or working in their communities, that might turn some heads.
Matt Davis how I pity you! Are you actually trying to come off as a conceited, egotistical, pompous douche? Your article was crap on so many levels it’s hard to know where to start.
First off so maybe you could give a sentence or two as to what you think the BLACK BLOC protesters are. Most of readers have little or no idea.
From reading your article I have to assume that you were not at any of the protests you are reporting on. Is BLACK BLOC the usual assortment of around a dozen high school kids who play dress up in black hoodies with boots and big shinny belts and some white guys with dread locks? Where there real protestors are there in much larger numbers? Is this the per usual where hack reporters ignore the real protestors, people who give a damn enough to show up to try to draw attention to issues that concern us, and focus on the few punks needy for attention? Do the few BLACK BLOC protesters even deserve mention? If so then try finding a reporter who has at least shown up to a protest, and may have seen or even have interviewed one.
I have to ask about how you started with the sentence “How I pity you.” Did you mistakenly think that one liner would make you come off as cool or witty? Are you actually trying to come off as a conceited, egotistical, pompous douche? People are going to get that idea if you keep writing that way. The rest of the article is convoluted and sloppy. If you are writing a blog for fun then the stream of consciousness thing or whatever might work, but as a column it’s garbage.
Take a look at the sentence that Chasse’s contribution to the local community was dying at the hands of a broken mental health system. So this is your attempt at being edgy. It makes no sense. Oregon’s mental health system is severely underfunded, and there is a lack of care and support available with people desperately need of services; however people in the programs are not dying from neglect or abuse. Of course most people know Chase was not in a mental health facility as he was beaten to death on the street by police. So Matt are you suggesting that our mental health system needs funding or are you just throwing out careless nonsense criticism?
After reading your column I agree with most of your points. BLACK BLOC and hoody anarchists are a liability and detriment to real protestors. Oregon’s mental health system needs funding. Renaming the street after Chasse could be a reminder of issues like homelessness, how our communities sometime fail to protect our most vulnerable citizens, police brutality, and community involvement. Adding the city auditor’s office number was a nice touch(sincerely- 503-823-6964.) Then again if you had ever gone to one of the protests you may have been able to meet some of the real organizers leading community efforts in a responsible direction instead of just printing hearsay about dressed up punks.
Finally after reading your atrocious article we are expected to thank you because you took the effort to looking up a phone number for your column, which likely consider that investigative journalism. I love how you end it with “You’re welcome.” Again are you actually trying to come off as a conceited, egotistical, pompous douche?