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Portland has suffered fewer vandals than other major cities, but the central streets are ravaged by shops with forged windows. L. Misevičius, who runs an insurance business, likes to walk the streets and film what is happening right now. He also shared his stories with 15 minutes readers
VIDEO: Portland
Lithuanians are also armed
“There are significantly more ethnic minorities on the east coast than here, so the situation is different there and everything is more devastated.” However, windowless shops are also here, a lot is robbed, but not like in New York, which looks like after the war, ”said L. Misevičius.
The fact that the unrest is spreading across the United States worries Lithuanians living here.
“Many people are armed, including Lithuanians, because they fear that the riots will move from the center to the neighborhoods of private houses. The gun shops are swept away. Many of my acquaintances placed orders and bought weapons. Many Lithuanians believe that all this it was due to the fact that freedom of movement was restricted due to the pandemic, and many people felt tension, ”he said.
The windows are forged
Incidentally, L. Misevičius offers compatriots who fear for their safety to return to Lithuania at least for a time. “Quarantine is coming to an end in Lithuania, so I suggest everyone return. In Lithuania, people are united: when they shot a policeman, they all supported the police,” he reasoned.
Understand the objectives of the protesters.
Laurynas claims that Lithuanians in the United States can understand black arguments.
“As immigrants, we also feel some discrimination against the system. It is much more difficult for us to achieve something, so we psychologically support those who hurt, but when it turns into riots and vandalism, nobody can agree with that.
In addition, many were released from prison prematurely due to the threat of a pandemic. Therefore, some people are happy to break the windows, although they really don’t know why the demonstration is taking place, “said L. Misevičius.
The pandemic has affected the racial minority the most, where mortality is highest, and here many have blamed the government for the mistakes they have made, he says.
In the USA In the USA, the Lithuanians make no secret that the problem of racism, especially on the east coast, is great, and even migrants from Europe feel it.
Portland Street
“Institutional discrimination is really felt here, and you can see that opposition. I have always felt that negative black attitude myself, but I fully understand why they feel that way. The problem of racism is alive,” said L. Misevičius.
Associated with historical injustice
Lithuanian Lithuanians also link the protests to history, when 170 years ago the then President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln, promised free land to all black slaves, about four hectares each. “It just caught our eye then. Thus, from generation to generation the mistrust of whites and it remained that once their ancestors cheated. And now it was just an opportunity,” said the Portland Lithuanian.
On the other hand, there is stereotypical thinking in neighborhoods also dominated by whites. “If a black man comes to a store down the block, it is often thought that he will not steal something here.” It’s from that tension. Furthermore, current policies do not solve the problem: the situation has deteriorated since the time of Bill Clinton, “he said.
According to him, the followers of left and right politics are only becoming more radical, the country’s society is becoming increasingly fragmented. “It just caught our attention then. Left and ultra left. The farther, the less communication is, and both sides are only radicalizing,” said the Lithuanian.
The Hilton hotel in Portland is closed.
Please join the army
Part of the population, especially the rightists, demand the introduction of the army in the city, and Democratic voters, according to L. Misevičius, reject the option of military intervention. “But then anarchy is born, the glass is broken. There is a great lack of communication here,” said the Lithuanian.
Laurynas Misevičius on the move
Some Lithuanians participated in the march in Portland during the early days of the protests, thus supporting the fight against discrimination. “But none of the Lithuanians support vandalism and anarchy. By the way, some Lithuanians suffered vandals: in Los Angeles, a Lithuanian spa was completely destroyed and looted,” he said.
Speaking about the sudden expansion of the wave of protests against the murdered black man, L. Misevičius is guided by statistics. And this testifies to the fact that there are far more deaths of whites at the hands of police officers than of blacks.
Last year, 313 whites and 212 blacks were killed in the United States by police, the interlocutor notes. The Lithuanian says he does not justify the actions of the police officers when they arrested a black man, but according to him, not everything is known in this situation.
Lack of full video
Sometimes L. Misevičius has the impression that information is missing or silenced. “For example, yesterday during a demonstration, two black students were hit and their cars crashed. It was written by many, but few mentioned that they were also beaten by black police. Sometimes it doesn’t say everything to the end, “said R. Misevičius.
However, where L. Misevičius lives, the situation is calmer. “People are calmer here, closer to nature, perhaps more relaxed, so the tension is a little bit lower than in larger cities.” The first days were very hot here, but the further away, the calmer here. “Yesterday there were 10,000 people at the demonstration, but today it is less,” he said.
According to L. Misevičius, the state of Oregon has a population of approximately four million, of which more than three million are white, so this may be one of the reasons why this city, where Arvydas Sabonis once played basketball It is relatively quieter than other places. “Even Asians are more than black here, so the problems are less serious,” he said.
Commander hours are ignored
In Portland, as in other cities, there is a curfew, but of course not everyone adheres to it.
“Every night we receive messages on the phones that we have to be home from eight in the afternoon until six in the morning, but people still participate in the protests and do not follow the restrictions,” said Laurynas.
As long as there are no unrest and unbreakable showcases, the police forgives passersby who do not comply with the curfew. Some of them spend the night in tents, but no one touches them either.
“Our city is called the capital of the homeless, many people live here under bridges or simply on the streets in tents. This is how those who protest there, who only spend time in the streets, “said the interlocutor.
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