With Trump threatening to deploy more agents to other U.S. cities, we should be paying close attention to what's been happening in Portland.
Over the weekend I asked a friend up there, one who's been showing up for the protests regularly, what the scene is really like and if she knew what needed to be shared to a wider audience. The main message? Protesters are hoping people outside Portland understand that "this a fight for all of us." She also shared:
Having the FEDS here is super scary for the state of our democracy (and a sign that Trump is a bloody fascist). The local cops have also been gassing and beating up protesters here for weeks with no oversight and little provocation.
The clashes between protesters and police here on the ground is isolated to a small area and happens late at night — but the threat to our democracy is real and present. The cops — both local and Feds are brutalizing people, mostly young and dis-enfranchized folks like the houseless and mentally ill. They pepper spray and beat them every night. It is scary to see.
"There is a nationwide call now for solidarity marches on July 25 -- one in most major cities including Oakland," she also wrote.
She offered press collective @45thabsurdist as a "real-deal" trusted source, "they're the ones out every night getting gassed." Here's a tweet from them, dated June 26:
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A record number of women are running on the Democratic ticket for Congressional office, over 200 in fact. This scarf depicts each and every one of these sheroes in hand-drawn illustrations by artist Alexandra Posen. The Herwave silk wrap is available for $125 at Resistance By Design. 100% of its profits will go to organizations supporting Democratic women in government.
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#HERWAVE2018 @notoriousrbyd
A post shared by Alexandra Posen (@alexoposen) on Oct 12, 2018 at 3:13pm PDT
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thrilling to see first print strike-offs of the HERWAVE2018 project I’ve been working on. Needed strength and hope after such dark days. #herwave2018 #electwomen #thefutureisfemale #voteblue
A post shared by Alexandra Posen (@alexoposen) on Sep 29, 2018 at 11:25am PDT
(swissmiss) Read the rest
A street art collective known as ArtBitch, currently operating as VoteBitch, has been droplifting humorous pro-voting signs up in a bunch of public Bay Area locations.
Each sign shows a figure holding up a dog poop bag in one hand and a leash attached to the United States in the other, with the word "VOTE" and the hashtag #itactuallymatters underneath it.
The group has made the sign's art a free download on their site.
You pick up your mess – why should the neighbors sit home watching football while you rock the whole civic duty thing? Tell folks to get with the program with this chipper yet irony-laden “Vote” sign.
Vote! It does actually matter.
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Pick it up! Want a free PDF of this? Print your own dang sign by emailing me thru the website (link in profile). #vote #itactuallymatters #streetart #culturejamming #adbusters #art #Election #elections #elections2018 #election2018 #registertovote #register #bluewave #blacklivesmatter #politics #TheFutureIsVoting #BeAVoter #CivicMinded #Civilrights #2018Election #rockthevote #bluewave #rememberinnovember #moveon #democracy #democracynow #leagueofwomenvoters #feminist #feminism #activism
A post shared by VoteBitch (@votebitch2020) on Oct 13, 2018 at 12:27pm PDT
photo by Rusty Blazenhoff (VoteBitch tipped me off on a few of the locations so I could photograph the signs. The lead image was captured at the bus stop on Webster Street near the corner of Atlantic Avenue in Alameda.) Read the rest
Writer and comedian Demi Adejuyigbe (The Good Place, The Late Late Show) explains how and why folks should vote in this cute PSA video.
Vote. It's not a test. It's ok to look at your phone, or bring a cheat sheet, or just leave stuff blank... After all, it's a free country... for now.
[Pssst... Register to vote.]
(Daring Fireball) Read the rest
