Portland, Oregon – For over 100 straight nights, members of Antifa have dominated the area outside the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility, waving unusual flags.
As night fell on Tuesday, it was obvious they had the upper hand, overshadowing the small number of police present. Later, I found out that police had been instructed by their superiors to avoid engaging with masked demonstrators.
If you’ve never seen Antifa at night, it’s like stepping into a surreal scene from a dark movie. Seeing these figures in action is unsettling—it’s hard to believe they’re real.
When I arrived at the chaotic scene, a pickup truck pulled up, flying an American flag. I asked my driver, Shannon, what brought him there.
“Because it’s ridiculous,” he replied.
Shortly after, a crowd of masked Antifa members surrounded his vehicle, one even on an electric bike. They mocked him and encouraged him to respond with violence. Thankfully, he didn’t take the bait but made his presence known before driving away.
A little later, they turned their attention to a woman in a white sedan named Helena, who I later spoke to. Having lived in Portland her entire life, she expressed, “Our streets are falling apart. Just look around. There are homeless people everywhere, tons of trash, businesses are leaving. We’re not a thriving city anymore.”
Helena found herself completely encircled by masked protesters, including one dressed in a large frog costume. They laughed at her as they kicked her car repeatedly, while the handful of police nearby seemed unwilling to intervene.
In a state of panic, Helena exclaimed, “I want to leave, but they won’t let me.”
I turned to her and insisted, “She wants to leave, she wants to leave.” Surprisingly, it was the person in the frog costume who shouted, “Let her go,” helping her get her car to move without further confrontation.
As I approached one of the policemen, I couldn’t help but ask, “What’s going on here?” I was taken aback by the lack of police action. “They wouldn’t let her go, so I had to help,” I explained. His response? “It’s fine.”
What? Why weren’t the police acting on my behalf?
Moments later, I heard Antifa chanting “Run, Katie, Run,” and knew they were referring to Katie Davistour. I turned around just in time to see part of the crowd scatter, trying to block cameras. Davistour mentioned something about her backpack.
A journalist was seen getting struck in the face with a flagpole, leading to chaos as other journalists reported being assaulted too. It was evident that Antifa members were forming a shield around her.
Instead of stepping in right away, police told Davistour to walk a considerable distance to report the incident.
When we finally reached the cops, they remarked that they didn’t want to engage, claiming they wouldn’t escalate the situation. It felt like a disappointing capitulation right there.
It’s the same story with Antifa, as the authorities in Portland allow chaos to rule the city. Even when journalists face physical assaults, it seems the police are more concerned about not creating conflict. It’s truly becoming the “city of Antifa.”
Eventually, the ICE agents appeared and managed to break up the gathering, with some arrests occurring. But the local police? They felt like outdated caricatures of enforcement.
Rumors suggested the National Guard might mobilize the next day. Honestly, that news would be a relief for the community, which has suffered from ongoing harassment.
As I write this, dawn is breaking in Portland, the fog lifting. Is today the day the government begins to take back the city from Antifa? If it is, then it’s certainly overdue.
