WAR DAY IN PORTLANDPosted - 3/28/03 09:07 PM PST- 0 1 0 1 0 -
On the first day of the war in Iraq, demonstrators around the world took to the streets. Portland, never one to be left out of an international political upheaval, did it's best to keep up with the likes of Rome, which saw a turnout of 300,000 on the first day of fighting alone. In the months leading up the conflicts, two demonstrations orchestrated by various grass roots organizations brought out protestors numbering in the tens of thousand. With the exception of a confrontation on the Morrison Bridge during a protest on March 15th 2003, both were calm and peaceful, especially when placed alongside the WTO protests that rocked Seattle in November of 1999. All of this would change on March 20th. As shots were being fired on Iraq's borders, those heading downtown weren't in the mood for another family friendly, PG-rated, Snuggle Bear protest. For weeks local news outlets warned that swarms of anarchists would shut down the city if America made a move. The promise was kept. For six-hours on that Thursday, gridlock hell was unleashed on Stump Town. And where were was I? At work, much like many that had turned out for the city's previous demonstrations. And where was my camera? In a footlocker at home. Being a "responsible adult" is a pain in the ass. Fortunately, my workplace is a burgeoning media stronghold. The ratio of monitors and screens to employees is a good 10 - 1. Portland's bite-sized revolution was broadcasted live on KATU and, while I wouldn't make it down there until midnight, at least I got to watch as the crowd spray-painted local news crews, danced in the middle of a freeway and seized three bridges. Here's a play-by-play.
 Bored cops in riot gear: a common sight around downtown lately.
The largest protest, by far, is already underway in San Francisco. While thousands gathered in other areas of the city, three hundred protesters staged a "Vomit-In" by upchucking onto the sidewalks and plaza areas near the Federal Building. By 09:00, seven people are arrested. At the end of the day, more than five hundred protesters (some reports claim thousands) wound up in handcuffs. 14:00 - Hundreds of students at Portland-area high schools walk out of classes. Four hundred at Lewis and Clark College do the same. After a brief campus rally, most head downtown. Students from Reed College, Portland State University and the University of Portland join in the fray. For the past few days, fliers have been circulating around town. One reads: "We will stop business as usual by blockading key intersections. There will be space for everyone to express themselves."
16:00 - Things are still quiet but the Portland Police Department asks the Department of Transportation to close down the Morrison Bridge. On March 15th, it was closed for several hours after a protester used a BMW as a trampoline. The request is granted at 14:20. Soon later, a line of riot cops blocks the entrances to the bridge. 17:00 - Most of the crowd leaves the plaza in a sign waiving procession that snakes down 2nd Avenue towards Burnside Bridge. Yellow-jacketed bike cops attempt to keep the crowd on the sidewalk. Police cruisers and flares divert motorists to other streets.
17:25 - A counter-demonstration forms near the World Trade Center. Over a hundred people declare their support for military efforts overseas. No one seems to notice. 17:30 - Three hundred members of Critical Mass, an anti-motorist group, stage their own protest. A few drag scarecrow effigies of Bush behind their bikes and others spit on a SUV parked along the way. They make their way towards the Hawthorne Bridge and block streets along the way. Upon arrival, the group dismounts and raises their bikes over their heads. Triumph! They chant slogans at a growing line of blocked traffic. The Hawthorne has been seized.
I spend five minutes explaining to her that I don't work at KGW. She's still convinced that I'm the head of production. "Get down there quick. The police are going to use deadly force at any second!" I give up and play along. "No, they'll just break out the K9s and billy clubs." "Wrong," she corrects me. "If this goes on any longer, THE AIR FORCE WILL BLOW UP THE BRIDGE!" I try to change the subject and we discuss the ferocity of various breeds of attack dogs. "Have you ever been bitten by a pit bull," she asks. "They snap on and don't let go. The cops should use them." She works herself into a tangent and runs out of breath after ten minutes. Eventually, I have to hang up on her. KGW has been broadcasting live from downtown since 16:00. Maybe her TV is stuck on the Spice Network.
18:15 - Reinforcements arrive on the Steel Bridge. A MAX train waits while the police use pepper spray to herd the crowd towards an on-ramp. Sometime later, the bridge will be opened to traffic. ??? - Shauna Parsons of Fox News 12 is broadcasting live when a young woman moons the camera. Later in the evening, another protesters shoves a "Fuck corporate media" sign in her face. KATU employees armed guards to watch over their news vans. KGW sends their reporters into the field with bodyguards. Undaunted, demonstrators weasel past them and spray-paint the crew. Later, the will attempt to sell them camcorder footage of the attack. 18:50 - In an effort to coax the sit-in protesters, PPD opens the Burnside Bridge to traffic. Everyone on foot heads to the east side of the river. Everyone sitting stays put, despite the vehicles drifting past their heads.
19:02 - I'm pacing in my cubicle like a caged otter suffering from fish withdrawal. I'm missing out on the greatest demonstration this state will ever see. Two years ago I made the mistake of leaving Seattle 16-hours before the WTO melee began. I offer glares to coworkers who stare, bleary-eyed, at CNN. Some of them have family stationed overseas.
19:10 - Parts of 1-84 are now blocked as well. Protesters dance, sit and wave signs at stopped semi-trucks. 19:15 - A crowd of protesters stomps down MLK. An officer tries to stop a flag from hitting the pavement. He is quickly swarmed.
19:30 - Two protesters are caught on film breaking windows at the McDonald's on E. Broadway. One bum-rushes a TV camera recording the mini-spectacle. Another crowd a few blocks away knocks over advertisements at a Toyota dealership. A young man snatches a flag from a nearby Shell station. 19:50 - The east-side crowd is corralled onto the Broadway Bridge by a line of riot cops. They're ushered towards the sit-in demonstrators still encamped at the corner of 2nd and Burnside.
20:19 - Protesters are cleared off 1-405 and it reopens to traffic. 1-5 at the Interstate Bridge is cleared minutes later. Westbound Morrison is open and so is 1-84. The Burnside Bridge is still sectioned off. 20:25 - The demonstration has devolved into a street party. The crowd on Burnside passes around candles and dances to a nonexistent beat. A KGW reporter asks a lieutenant, "Why aren't you clearing these streets." "We were told not to be confrontational," he snaps back.
It's RoboTerminatorCop. Eeeep!
21:00 - The protests are now officially contained on Burnside. "The median age is 20 and the crowd munches on pizza that has just been delivered. They're not going anywhere. KGW cuts to a rerun of Dharma and Greg. A few minutes later, KATU returns to regular programming. 23:05 - The cops finally get the all-clear. They fire flash grenades and tear gas canisters into the lingering crowd a block away from the bridge in Old Town. A line of riot cops head in with batons flying. Everyone scatters into the Pearl District. Undaunted, the 100 sit-in protesters stay put.
00:10 - I finally get downtown. Most of the newspaper boxes on 4th Avenue are lying in the street. Around the corner from Dante's Cafe and Cocktail Lounge, a Tri-Met bus is parked in the street next to a line of dark squad cars. The bus will later be used to haul off members of the encampment. 00:15 - Around fifteen people are still sitting on the median. They're surrounded by tired cops. A small crowd of onlookers gawks on the sidewalk. Every few minutes, someone hoarsely screams, "We support our protesters." Another line of officers blocks us from crossing over to them. A few of the spectators attempt conversations. "Are you guys getting paid double time" is the most often asked question. Only one officer is responding, a middle aged woman. She chats with a girl in a brown hat. The girl offers her advice on spirituality and a possible career change. The officer nods and politely smiles. My digital camera is completely incapable of picking up anything but silhouettes. A Shell flag, attached to a light post, is flapping in the breeze. Every five minutes, two officers haul off another demonstrator. The crowd roars. Minutes later, they're silent. It's cold out here.
00:45 - No one's leaving. Another few protesters are hauled off. The crowd hisses. An overweight, bearded man is filming everything in sight. He jokes about the protesters. It begins to rain and I head back to my car. I find a large protest sign on my window. On it, melting red letters spell: "BOMBS!"
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