Ever wonder who finds the chum that helps fuel the anti-Occupy feeding frenzies by right-wing-media sharks like Victoria Taft and Lars Larson, etc.?
Say hello to one such outfit: “AntiOccupyPortland.” Using hidden cameras, some careful stage managing, and a liberal (ha!) dose of exaggeration, AntiOccupy has helped spread some of the worst rumors surrounding our local Occupy. It’s sneaky, and but it’s become a staple of the conservative playbook. Just this Monday, for example, the group’s concerned citizens fanned the flames of a reported lice outbreak so high they managed to warm the ample backsides of national pundits like Rush Limbaugh. How true was the rumor? If this tells you anything, none of the local TV stations—which live for stories like this—picked it up. Zero.
So who are the folks behind AntiOccupyPortland? Why are they out there? I emailed and asked them to elaborate. And they obliged with a long response back—which I respect. Still, based on what happened with the lice claims, you might want to, you know, take this all with grain of salt.
And remember: It’s important to note that some foes of Occupy—but not all—aren’t always willing to play nice, or necessarily even fair. (If one group can justify spreading hazy rumors on hidden camera, what other acts of provocation might some other agitated opponents manage to justify?)
We will not go on camera, however we can answer your questions via email. If we go on camera it would completely compromise what we are doing as far as undercover filming of the illegal, unsafe, and unhealthy activity going on when the police and media are not present. We are a team of 5 concerned Portland citizens who are against the way these Occupy Portland campers have destroyed both Lownsdale, and Chapman parks, are heavily engaged in drug use (cocaine, heroine, marijuana, meth, etc).
The rest picks up after the jump.
Portland Police have said there was a drug overdose, and other protestors within the Occupy Portland group have also admitted this. We even have footage posted on our YouTube Channel of an older gentleman who is apart of Occupy Portland admitting most of the actual Occupy Portland safety, and other organizer staff members are using cocaine, and other serious drugs at night and during the day, along with a majority of the rest of the camp.
Today we were told by an Occupy Portland mother of a young child that girls/women in the encampment are having sex in return for protection and feeling safe within the encampment. (We are uploading that video to our YouTube channel right now). This is truly disgusting, and shines a very dim light on Portland. We are against the corruption in politics, however we along with many citizens of this amazing city, are disgusted at the illegal, destructive, and poor behavior these Occupy Portland protestors are unleashing on this city. Shoving a Police officer into an on coming Trimet bus, breaking windows to banks in the city, smearing fake blood on a bank window, disrupting the peace within businesses downtown, having knife fights among each other (last night reported by KOIN), high level of theft within the encampment, and out in the local area surrounding the parks, “parents” allowing their kids to be exposed to the drugs, body and head lice, scabies, TB, and other diseases and violent acts within the camp environment. We want to show Portland and the rest of the country that WE are not represented by those camping out downtown. When you see the marches taking place there are more Portlanders present because the march is a good way for the upstanding citizens to voice his or her anger and discontent, however the march last week was a giant joke in regards that the organizers of this march were very disorganized, and broke city laws, not to mention made everyone out there (including regular citizens) look bad and further proved this Occupy Portland movement should be ended.
All of this could have been avoided had the Mayor of Portland, Sam Adams, not marched the very first day this kicked off because by doing so he compromised his authority over the city, and more importantly he has tied every Portland Police officers’ hands behind their backs with that single act. You and the rest of the city are starting to see the beginning of tension rise between the police and the protestors (protestors defacing police vehicles, and other hostile acts toward police), all because the Mayor basically has surrendered his power to Occupy Portland.
AntiOccupyPortland represents the actual Portland citizens (who are hard working people who are not doing heavy drugs, breaking laws, or instigating negative situations with Portland Police and DHS Federal police) who are against the greed, and corruption within politics and the actions of the juvenile behavior and acts by the Occupy Portland group. The “Real Occupy Portland” is just a mask to try to make the group look good after they proved they cannot even manage their own donation accounts or their people for that matter.
We are also angry about how much damage has been caused by this group (parks damages, police vehicle damage) in addition to the amount of tax payer money is being used up by the very protestors who are demanding the politicians and local/state/ and federal governments keep “wasting”. They fail to see they are the 1% they despise for putting the cost of the heavy bill on US the TAX PAYERS!
It’s not only a matter of time before we see “The Real Anti-Occupy Portland.”
Wait, there’s cocaine? That’s a 1% drug!
Man, I was ready to read some poorly-written gibberish, and then found myself mostly sympathetic to this e-mail and its aims, at least until they got to the predictable mayoral fixation.
@ Denis, I haven’t bothered you for a while about casting poorly-couched aspersions because you’ve been really good at saying exactly what you mean, but: “what other acts of provocation might some other agitated opponents manage to justify?”
This sounds like you clearly have something in mind (I think most obviously the molotov cocktail at WTC that camp radicals disavowed), why don’t you just come out and make the accusation or at least ask Anti-Occupy about it? They obviously wouldn’t admit anything, but they might give a screwy answer that “raises more troubling questions,” in soft-accusationspeak.
Oh hey, I know EXACTLY who these five people are. They are the same five people that protested the Sam Adams support rally (back during the scandal stink) and the same five people that were out there holding signs all week. They are NOT Portland citizens, they live in fucking Tigard and Vancouver and Lake Oswego and they have had sticks up their asses about Sam Adams ever since that thing way back when that nobody cares about anymore. Notice how they managed to make even #OP about Sam Adams. Although I have to admit, their passion is impressive, especially considering that he is not even running for re-election.
“heroine” abuse? Seriously? The jokes write themselves …
Why hasn’t anybody offered me any of that sweet yeyo?
I’ve watched those videos and there’s no “stage managing” involved. They just wait around until something happens and then post it on YouTube. The videos are hardly even edited, which is why they’re so much longer than necessary.
Let’s be real: Occupy Portland is just the same usual Leftists and aggressive panhandlers that turn into black block anarchists every May Day. And our police, like those in San Diego and elsewhere, have been remarkable in their restraint, in the face of obnoxious behavior and worse. But the fact that now $4,000 worth of knives have been stolen threatens to turn this annoying situation into a truly dangerous one.
So enough already. Clear out the encampment, direct campers to Dignity Village, and let us clean up our park.
You believe the lice thing was a rumor? Now who’s being disingenuous?
“AntiOccupyPortland represents the actual Portland citizens (who are hard working people who are not doing heavy drugs, breaking laws, or instigating negative situations with Portland Police and DHS Federal police) who are against the greed, and corruption within politics… “
It would be super if these folks would stop sneaking around with hidden cameras and actually get involved. Support the peace keepers, medics, nurses, counselors, social workers, media people and activists who are working for real change amongst the problems (mental health, AOD addiction, crime) that have always been here largely caused by “greed and corruption.”
Brainwashed idiots. And I would bet serious money they do not actually live in Portland.
We are a team of 5 concerned Portland citizens….. STFU you piece of shit…. also bye bye
Actions speak louder than words. While the Occupy movement is attempting to draw attention to corruption in politics, this group of yahoos would prefer to distract attention away from it, thus insuring that the corruption continues.
Whether the lice story is true or not is absolutely irrelevant. Our political system has been hijacked. THAT should be the real story. Not this distracting nonsense about lice.
“Our political system has been hijacked. THAT should be the real story.”
Your absolutely right. But by insisting on camping out in a park downtown, Occupy has assured that the hijacking of the American political system WILL NOT be the real story.
“But by insisting on camping out in a park downtown, Occupy has assured that the hijacking of the American political system WILL NOT be the real story…”
I have to respectfully disagree. Before people started occupying the parks, no one was able to successfully draw attention to the corruption in our political and economic system for any length of time. Before people started occupying the parks, we were constantly being distracted by silly and irrelevant things. But now? That’s the conversation. The occupation helps us keep our eye on the ball.
Yes, it’s annoying. Yes, encampments can get dirty. But they are like a cultural bookmark. As long as they are there, we will NOT ignore the deep problems that are destroying our culture. That’s why the powers-that-be so desperately want them gone. Because they keep reminding us of the problems the powers-that-be are causing us.
….like a bookmark does.
Is it possible that while Occupying was a good way to start, that doesn’t necessarily mean it needs to continue to do so in order for the movement to resonate and grow?
“Is it possible that while Occupying was a good way to start, that doesn’t necessarily mean it needs to continue to do so in order for the movement to resonate and grow?”
It is possible, but *I* don’t know what it should morph into. Think of it this way: none of the old ways have worked. The establishment knows how to counter “regular” opposition – they are masters of it. That’s why they keep wanting to know the list of demands, and who the leaders are, and so on. Because they have developed ways of countering groups organized along those lines.
So, whatever comes next, it has to be new. It can’t be what people have been doing previously, because that doesn’t work. Obviously. Because if it did, we wouldn’t be having this conversation.
In the meantime, I think the occupations have to continue. Because when they stop, if there’s nothing there to take their place, they will just fade away. And we will remain thoroughly screwed.