More than smoke, or fire, or shattered glass, the streets of Portland on Monday were bathed in Pepsi.
The corporate soda giant, whose universally panned advertisement recently attempted to bridge the gap between police and protesters via a pretty model and a cold can of brown sugary liquid, was again the topic du jour that afternoon—and not for its peace-bringing abilities.
A handful of anarchists and other anti-capitalists hurled cans of the drink, along with a few glass bottles (which police may be calling Molotov cocktails) and smoke canisters toward cops keeping an eye on them from the rear of a large, permitted May Day march through downtown streets.
It was all the Portland Police Bureau (PPB)—on edge after repeated demonstrations in recent months—needed to see to shut down the rest of the march.