Leaders of the black community in Portland hope to shift the focus of the protests in the city to the Black Lives Matter movement rather than what they say has become largely a “white show.”
In an opinion piece for the Washington Post, the chairman of the Portland branch of the NAACP Rev. ED Mondainé said that the last few nights of violence have been distracted from the original intentions of the protests and that there must be a “refocusing” righ now.
The Portland protests were supposed to be about black lives. Now, they are a white show, ” says the headline in the Post.
‘Unfortunately, the’ show ‘is now the best way to describe the Portland protests. Vandalizing government buildings and firing projectiles at law enforcement attract attention, but how do these actions prevent the police from killing blacks? Mondainé asked. “What are antifa and other left-wing agitators achieving for the cause of black equality?”
The president of the NAACP’s Portland branch, the Rev. ED Mondainé, said he fears that the original cause of the protests in the city will be lost and become a spectacle.
‘I am not suggesting withdrawal. Instead, I propose that we bring the Black Lives Matter cause to those places where tear gas and rubber bullets and federal agents cannot find us, and where there is less risk that the show will distract our true goals.
“ In the boardrooms, in the schools, in the town halls, in the corridors of justice, in the smoking back rooms of a duplicate government, that’s where we will finally dismantle the gears of the brutal and racist machine that has terrorized black Americans and draining the moral character of this nation from its inception. “
The protests, which began in late May after George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis, began as a series of protests against racism and police brutality.
‘The protests that have been going on for weeks in Portland and across the country had a very specific origin. The murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis caused a reckoning across the country with the original and savage crime of slavery that our country committed against African Americans.
‘This crime has been resonating in every generation in this country, black and white, for 401 years. That monstrous crime has finally caught up with us as a nation. I don’t think it’s a show time, ‘Mondainé wrote.
The NAACP held a rally in an effort to ‘refocus’ the cause of the protests against the BLM movement
In an op-ed for the Washington Post, Mondainé called for a ‘refocus’ to occur
After 58 nights of protests, discussions have erupted over the presence of federal officials on the streets, distracting from the original message it says.
‘I see something else: a beneficiary of the white privilege dancing in vain on a stage that was originally created to raise the voice of my oppressed brothers and sisters … As the protests continue every night in Portland, many people have their own agendas. co-opting and diverting attention from what should be our main concern: the Black Lives Matter movement. ‘
The Portland NAACP has denounced the actions of the federal forces in the city, but has also criticized “mostly white anarchists” for inciting the violence that breaks out every night and that finally becomes a game of cat and mouse between protesters and police.
‘There is more at stake here than who appears most frequently on late-night television broadcasts. All who seek to advance justice in Portland face great danger. Right now, there are unnamed and unnamed federal forces kidnapping our citizens off the streets without justification or authority. The Mayor of Portland and the Governor of Oregon have asked them to leave, without success. We know this is a violation of our Constitution, but with President Trump promising only more occupations in more cities, we ignore this risk at our own risk, ” says Mondainé.
Portland has been rocked by protests for two months, but tensions have increased since federal agents entered the city. The protests are shown here on Friday night.
In Portland, blacks make up just 6 percent of the population, and many of those who have come to protest in the past two months come from outside the city center.
Tensions continued to escalate on Friday night when a new ‘Veterinarian Wall’ joined the Wall of Moms and the Wall of Dads to ‘protect’ Black Lives Matter protesters from federal agents who have broken deployed in the city under the orders of the President.
About 4,000 people gathered in federal court and at the Justice Center singing “the feds are going home” and “the lives of blacks matter.”
Later, chaos erupted when protesters fired fireworks and federal agents fired tear gas into the crowd.
The group ‘Wall of Vets’ appeared at the rally for the first time, along with the yellow-clad ‘Wall of Moms’ who have met every night this week.
The fireworks were launched at night with some protesters pushed against the fence that protected the courthouse shortly after 11 p.m. local time, while federal agents attacked the crowd with tear gas.
Black Lives Matter protesters rally demanding an end to racism and police brutality
The Wall of Moms re-entered into force on Friday night joining the arms with their yellow shirts.
Mondainé says he is grateful for the support “of our white brothers and sisters in this fight,” but he wants participants to wonder if his actions “will advance the cause of justice” or “are just for show.” Is this another example of white cooptation? he asks.
‘The actions of the Trump administration in Portland are a hoax. The federal government’s response is not a sign of strength; rather, it is deliberate coverage of Trump’s weakness … They need to distract the country by engaging our movement in empty battles where they have the advantage.
“What is happening in Portland is the fuse for a huge racist backlash that the Trump administration is tricking us into light.” We cannot fall for their deception. We cannot settle for shows that endanger us all. This is a time for serious action: once again retaking the mantle of the civil rights era by calling forth the same conviction and determination as our ancestors. ”
A group of women calling themselves the Wall of Moms has garnered national attention, dressed in bicycle helmets and glasses. Weapons unite to form a protective barrier between police and Black Lives Matter protesters
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