April 17, 2021

Portland protesters light fires, smash downtown windows; police declare riot

https://www.oregonlive.com/portland/2021/04/protesters-shatter-downtown-portland-windows-police-declare-riot.html

"A group of protesters in downtown Portland lit fires, smashed the windows of businesses, a church and the Oregon Historical Society, and caused other various damage during a destructive demonstration Friday night and early Saturday.

Someone also fired several gunshots from a car traveling a block away from the protest crowd early Saturday. No one was hurt.

Police declared the demonstration a riot late Friday, marking the third time in five days the bureau had made such an announcement. Officers arrested at least four people amid the melee that had drawn several hundred people, the Portland Police Bureau said in a statement just before 2 a.m. Saturday."

March 20, 2021

The Stooges meet Whammer Jammer.

March 6, 2021

March 6 is the annual sacred high holy day of Dudeism: The Day of the Dude.

So light one up if you got one and toss back some caucasians (white russians).


https://www.latimes.com/nation/la-sh-day-of-the-dude-how-much-do-we-say-dude-infographic-20140306-dto-htmlstory.html

"When "The Big Lebowski" was released 16 years ago, it received somewhat mixed reviews and was a box-office disappointment. But the comedy, written and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen, has risen in critics' estimation over the years and has developed a cult following.

March 6 is the anniversary of the 1998 film's release. Fans celebrate it as "The Day of the Dude," in honor of the easygoing philosophy of the movie's protagonist, played by Jeff Bridges. Jeff "The Dude" Lebowski is a single, unemployed slacker who likes weed, White Russians and bowling."

March 1, 2021

Portland- Photos: Windows smashed during demonstration in Pearl District

https://www.koin.com/news/photos-windows-smashed-during-demonstration-in-pearl-district/
"PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Portland police responded to a protest in the Pearl District Saturday night and arrested two people.

They say demonstrators spray painted buildings and smashed windows at a grocery store, restaurant, bank, shipping business, and multiple coffee shops.

Police say the protest lasted more than two hours. According to social media posts, demonstrators said they gathered in response to immigration policy under the Biden administration.

Investigators say anyone who believes they were a victim during the protest and who has not reported should contact police."

February 24, 2021

Oregon leads U.S. in armed militia interest, is breeding ground for 'FEMA concentration camps'

conspiracy theory: report

https://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-northwest-news/2021/02/oregon-leads-us-in-armed-militia-interest-is-breeding-ground-for-fema-concentration-camps-conspiracy-theory-report.html
"In the run-up to the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, Oregon led all states in per-capita internet searches for “armed groups” and conspiracy theories.

This data comes from Moonshot CVE, an anti-extremism tech company that, from September to December 2020, tracked internet disinformation and threats of violence that were linked to the U.S. presidential election.

The results don’t surprise University of Oregon political-science professor Joseph Lowndes, who studies populism, racial politics and far-right groups.

“Oregon has seen a convergence of strong QAnon support, an active paramilitary milieu and, in Portland, Patriot Prayer,” he says.

He points out that the state has been a longtime home to right-wing militia activity, spurred years ago by the reduction in federal timber payments as well as increasingly limited government services in some rural areas.

“Militias moved in to take up some of that work, to act as first responders,” he says"

February 14, 2021

Hollywood Vampires- Heroes

February 14, 2021

Lincoln Project Co-Founder Resigns From Board Amid a Deepening Crisis

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/12/us/politics/lincoln-project-steve-schmidt-resigns.html
"Steve Schmidt said he was stepping down from the board but remaining with the organization, and eight former workers said they wanted to share information about the handling of harassment allegations against another co-founder."

February 13, 2021

Thank you for the hearts kind DU'ers.

January 30, 2021

Majority of downtown Portland merchants say city core is unsafe

https://www.oregonlive.com/business/2021/01/majority-of-downtown-portland-merchants-say-city-core-is-unsafe.html
"The majority of downtown Portland businesses owners believe that the city’s core is no longer safe, according to a survey conducted by Downtown Portland Clean & Safe, a nonprofit and affiliate partner of the Portland Business Alliance.

In a survey conducted between Nov. 15 and Dec. 31, 2020, 62% of downtown businesses owners said that the central city was no longer safe, a nearly threefold increase from when the survey was last conducted in 2018.

The merchants surveyed also expressed increased concerns about vandalism and graffiti, a lack of cleanliness and rising homelessness in downtown.

While public safety was a big concern, though, 41% of the merchants surveyed said the coronavirus pandemic was the biggest issue impacting their businesses. That’s twice as many as cited homelessness, crime and protests combined.

Fifty-seven percent of downtown merchants reported a decline in revenue in 2020 amid the pandemic with 34% of those businesses saying it would take more than three years for their businesses to recover."

January 27, 2021

Capitol riot inquiry grows to 400 suspects; feds expect to bring sedition charges 'very soon'

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2021/01/26/capitol-riots-inquiry-grows-400-suspects-feds-eye-sedition-charges/4265825001/
"The far-reaching investigation into the deadly Jan. 6 Capitol siege continues to grow, as more than 400 suspects have been identified by federal authorities who expect to bring sedition charges against some of those linked to the insurrection.

"We are working on those (sedition) cases," said Michael Sherwin, the chief federal prosecutor overseeing the inquiry, adding that officials expected the investigations to "bear fruit very soon."

The charges, which carry a maximum punishment of 20 years, would be among the most serious for those in the armed attack to disrupt Congress' counting of President Joe Biden's state-certified electoral victory."
"Nearly three weeks after the assault, which left five dead, at least 138 people have been arrested, and Sherwin said the numbers are "growing by the hour."

"These cases are moving at a very rapid clip," the prosecutor said, referring to a flurry of 500 subpoenas and search warrants issued in support of the inquiry. "There is no manpower issue here ... Everyone is all-in on these cases."

The criminal inquiry has been playing out across the country, while the Senate is preparing to host the impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump, accused of inciting the rioters to storm the Capitol complex. The Senate trial is expected to open Feb. 9."