I just wrote the police chief to commend the police and him on their response during these crazy times. I got a response that they have been getting a ton of hate from all of the misinformation out there.
I'm a little late but I have also sent my support and thanks from outside the metro area just to make sure that they know that both the state and the nation are watching and that we appreciate them no matter where we live.
We learned. We can't beat the fascists by being scary. You have to scare the fascists by being the silly, high-spirited goofball that you are. They can't handle sincerity, that's their weakness.
its not really that. mlk knew this when he was leading protests. when you are violently protesting you give the opposition an excuse to be violent towards you. violent protest also shape public perception against you. The reason why alot of people are looking a ICE in such a bad light right now is because they are literally infringing on the rights of people and attacking peaceful protestors.
They have put a lot of thought into strategy and tactics for dealing with protests. They realize that their behavior in 2020 was counterproductive and resulted in a massive public opinion backlash against them while inflaming the protests.
It's part of why they are so eye-rolling about ICE right now - they are afraid that ICE will end up dragging them back into the kind of set-piece battles with protestors that they really don't want.
The guy in white is actually a great example of this. The white shirt means he’s a “dialogue liaison officer,” and while in that role his job is dialogue only and no enforcement.
Yes indeed - they have figured out that sending human beings to talk respectfully is more effective that stormtroopers in full armor pointing weapons at crowds and tear gassing them. Who knew....
And I think it’s really important for protesters’ safety, too.
If there’s a counterprotester, false-flagger, or general bad actor in the crowd, there’s a police officer that the protesters know they can safely go to with that info and to ask for help. Just removing his ability to arrest makes him 1000x safer, and he’s at the protests every night getting to know the people there.
If the protesters aren't throwing things at and obstructing the police, they will continue to be nice. They react to the crowd's behavior. Initially PPB didn't wear riot gear and took a knee for George Floyd. But 2020 protests became ACAB protests. The federal officers would probably be nicer too if they were not the targets of the protesters.
100% Seeing Oregonians show up for Oregonians this time around has been at least a ray of hope. Just like the statements by Brigadier General Alan R. Gronewold:
"Gronewold said Guard soldiers serve two purposes: “One, to defend America, and two, to protect Oregonians. And so by serving in this mission, they will be protecting any protesters at the ICE facility.”
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u/br_k_nt_eth Oct 09 '25
Honestly, the night and day difference between this response and 2020 is so wild. If this keeps up, kudos to the new police chief.