I was at the May Day march. I volunteer with one of numerous organizations that were present, permitted and peaceful. Our goal was to promote protection and solidarity between all people who call the United States home and to peacefully draw attention to the problems that immigrants face here. Our right to peacefully assemble was disrespected when the anarchists and police turned it into their own personal battlefield.
All I saw from the anarchists was cowardice and selfishness. They cover their faces to avoid identification; they shield themselves in a large group of peaceful demonstrators. They wreak destruction and the police chase them; downtown Portland becomes an obstacle course for a game of cat-and-mouse. I wonder if it occurred to any of these "anarchists" that their destructive actions give the police free rein to arrest anyone associated with the protest—including someone to whom an arrest could be especially detrimental, like an undocumented immigrant.
And all I saw from the police was indiscriminate authoritarianism. Although the permitted demonstrators remained peaceful, Portland Police revoked our permit to peacefully assemble as punishment for the anarchists being in the same vicinity.
The current presidential administration seeks to revoke the rights of millions of immigrants in this country. On May Day, the Portland Police Bureau and the anarchists did a great job of following suit. As usual, the ones who suffer are the ones who are doing nothing more than peacefully exercising their rights, and our message is diluted as the media sensationalizes the chaos.
Brynn Macaulay, Southeast Portland
