Not traversing into downtown much, or at all, during the still surreal Covid moment, I miss all signs of the frequent occasional melees — no free vegan milkshakes for me! — but evidently, as I see reported, the Fas and the Antifas were at it, playing their Spanish Civil War reenactments. This one becomes interesting enough in that we have more signs of obnoxious behaviour from those fas — enough that crooks and liars reports it with an identical line as we have seen from the conservative press except actors flipped — Why? Are? The Cops? Not? Interceding? Hereabouts? Naturally the comments sections of right wing sites floating about get an automatic “bad things happening in Portland” mention, no clarification from there. No footage from Andy Ngo to glom off to?

(When last we saw antifa of Portland, they were stealing food from a church picnic, a churchly group they deemed bad in their broad definition of whom it is they are fighting. This weekend sees the big pickup truck drivers of Vancouver based manly men shooting smoke at… whomever…)

The police response on this one is surreal. In the past we have had the antifas complain on their perfectly reasonable tactic of allowing the fas an escape route in opening the bridge after keeping the two parties separate for the afternoon, bridge closed. This one decided that the two could go at it if they must, while supplying a tone deaf counter programming … Friday…

Speaking at a “choose love” online event Friday, Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler and other metro area leaders broadly condemned the political violence that has become routine in Portland.

Asked if unchecked political violence is inevitable, Wheeler said there are discussions online suggesting people planned to come to Portland on Sunday specifically to get into fights.

Something about the rhetorical pitch drowns and washes away. No one is much interested. Something like responding to a wave of juvenile delinquency by plopping down a balloon dancing event. Though, it occurs to me, if not for civic restrictions, and the troubles of demographic matching with “Proud Boys” the mayor could try the Vortex event tactic. I guess it has to be two events due to the clash of cultures.

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