How The Slow Spread Of Radicalism Made Portland Ungovernable
Portland, a smallish Pacific-Northwest city in a state once known for its moderate politicians, is now become an epicenter of radical activism.
Brian Knotts
By Brian Knotts
June 12, 2020
Some violent protests, starting in Minneapolis and rapidly expanding to cities all over North America and abroad, have challenged local governments’ ability to keep the peace over the past two weeks. It was unsurprising that chaos erupted in Portland, Oregon.
How did Portland, a smallish Pacific-Northwest city in a state that was once known for its moderate politicians, become an epicenter of radical activism and inadequate governance?
Starting with the Wobblies in the early 20th century, a thread of radicalism began in the city. John Reed, a journalist and activist who became the leader of the Communist Labor Party, was born in Portland. Speeches were hosted in Portland in the 1920s by such luminaries as “Mother†Bloor, a temperance advocate and socialist feminist, and Trotskyist James Cannon.
The situation we see today, however, began in earnest in the late 1990s and early 2000s, as Portland was transitioning from a late-stage timber town to a high-tech and professional services center. Frequent anti-capitalism protests in the downtown area that had previously been mostly small groups walking down sidewalks, only occasionally crossing against traffic signals, grew larger and more organized.
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https://thefederalist.com/2020/06/12/how-slow-spread-radicalism-turned-portland-ungovernable/
