From World Can’t Wait | Original Article

In an ominous escalation of fascism, the Trump/Pence regime sent federal agents from multiple agencies to storm the streets of Portland, Oregon and crush ongoing protests. Trump is now deploying them to positions across the country, targeting those who dare to defy this regime and Democratic-run cities with large populations of Black people.

In the United States the federal government now commands rapid deployment forces that can be sent to suppress protest or take over as “law enforcement” for any reason the regime deems necessary. They are deployed and commanded by a fascist lunatic, heading into an election. If now isn’t the time to be in the streets nonviolently demanding the immediate ouster of this regime, when is?  Read more at RefuseFascism.org on stopping this fascist move by the Trump’Pence regime.

An attorney referred to what’s happening in Portland as “Stop-and-Frisk Meets Guantanamo Bay.”  Protests continue at the Portland Federal Building after 60 straight days.  A friend of World Can’t Wait, the constantly active writer/photographer and former Army Medic who was sent to Vietnam, Mike Hastie, has been sharing his experiences in the protest.  Early Sunday morning, he was tear-gassed by paramilitary agents, while dressing them down for their actions.

Excerpts from Mike Hastie:
July 21: Battle In Portland

I’ve been to the Battle in Portland for the past four nights. I’m tired. It has been rather exhausting, because the intense demonstrations are beginning to run together. I have been tear-gassed multiple times. I am usually drenched with sweat and water down my chest from the medics flushing out my eyes. The CS gas is a choker to say the least. I run on adrenaline and caffeine, because a 75-year-old body needs some high octane mixture. It works, as I am able to run and dodge the tear gas, the flash-bangs, the rubber bullets and other non-lethal munitions that the Feds come up with. Thank God I quit smoking almost 40 years ago. My body has been good to me, because I also get so much energy from being around so many young people who are fighting these crimes of injustice across the U.S.A. Black Lives Matter has been an incredible awakening for so many people around the world.

Our confrontations with the federal police officers is an accumulation of so much that has happened since George Floyd was murdered on Memorial Day this year. For the past four nights in Portland, Oregon, we have been standing our ground against President Trump’s arrogance of power. The courage of resistance and dissent has been remarkable.

July 24: The Heart of Darkness in Portland

In a few more days it will be 60 straight nights of demonstrations and ear shattering protests in Portland, Oregon. There is a continuous drum corps that is beating hypnotic rhythms that gives thousands of Portlanders a reason to be alive.

The energy is electrifying, as people take turns chanting their built up frustrations of what they see as utter failure in the U.S. government. They are extremely angry at President Trump for sending in Federal police to make matters much worse. It is tear gas, pepper spray, flash-bang grenades, rubber bullets and cops hitting protesters with their batons…

The chant: “All Cops Are Bastards,” is becoming much louder since the Feds started kidnapping protesters off the street in unmarked vans, with police not identifying themselves. It has been swift and terrifying for those who have been arrested in this black ops fascist mentality. It is against the law, as people are being stolen without probable cause, which is a nice was of saying it is a crime being committed by people who took an oath not to do these kinds of things.

But, then again, when I was in Viet Nam, the U.S. government had absolutely no rules in warfare. Geneva Convention rules were for fools. In a way, this is the tragedy of what is happening in Portland and all over the country. What is happening domestically in this country, especially involving police who have been militarized, is we are seeing the accumulation of terror that the United States government commits all over the world. Since the end of World War II, the United States government has bombed 30 countries. The reason most people don’t believe what I just wrote is because, whenever the truth threatens one’s core belief system, there is an urgent need to deny its reality.

July 25: Hong Kong Comes To Portland

I was once again at the demonstration and rally last night in Portland. The energy and justifiable cause was absolutely electrifying. Once I got into the middle of it, I turned to someone I didn’t know and said, “God I love this city.” The solidarity hairs rose on my back and arms. There were two African-American men leading cheers and chants that hypnotically motivated what would eventually be three thousand Portlanders.

At one point, all those people took their cell phones out and turned their flash lights on. What a beautiful scene of togetherness. One of the first things I noticed when I got to the Mark Hatfield Courthouse was the steel chained fence was back up around the courthouse. A couple of nights before, this fence was ripped down by the protesters. This time the fence was back up and it was reinforced with steel plates at the top and bottom of each section. This is the fence that separates the Federal police officers from the throngs of protesters…

Who is running the ship, as the Titanic Captain was trying to break a speed record that was the great cover-up of that ship disaster? Kind of like Trump arrogantly not wanting to wear a face mask, causing millions of his voter base to follow suit and, of course, the virus spread like wildfire. The protesters constantly yell at the Feds to get the hell out of Portland and, as the cops launch more tear gas, middle fingers go up everywhere.

The other night a protester got injured by a projectile and while the medics were working on him, a cop fired a tear gas canister at them. More middle fingers went airborne! As the cops began dropping more tear gas canisters just over the fence to target the people up next to the fence, the protesters started using leaf blowers to move the gas back toward the cops. It works, and one of my photos shows the effectiveness of this tactic…

Everyone at these demonstrations is committed to standing up for monumental change, at any price. While this government preaches Democracy, that is the very thing the U.S. government steals from other countries when the U.S. military invades them. Domestically, the militarized police in the United States are doing the same thing. Being in Viet Nam woke this white boy up, and so much of that awareness came from Black soldiers who educated me on racism. The Viet Nam War was a racist war and those who resisted U.S. power were called, “Gooks.”  Power to the people!