Downtown Rally in Support of Charlottsville Attracts Mostly Peaceful Crowd

Waterfront gathering moves east, blocks Hawthorne Bridge.

(Joe MIchael Riedl)

More than 800 people gathered Friday evening along the waterfront in downtown Portland to rally in solidarity with counterprotesters in Charlottesville, Virginia.

The mostly peaceful protest started at Salmon Street Springs where speakers denounced President Donald Trump's response to the violent white supremacist and neo-Nazi protest where a white nationalist drove his car into a crowd of counterprotesters, killing one woman and injuring 19 others.

Greg McKelvey, a member of Portland's Resistance which organized the "eclipse hate" rally, said activists on the left needed to band together and stop fighting over whether people are too radical or not radical enough.

(Daniel Stindt)

"The next Heather Heyer could be in your city," he said. "You should treat everyone standing up to facisim in your area as if they could be the next Heather Heyer."

(Daniel Stindt)
(Daniel Stindt)
(Joe MIchael Riedl)
(Daniel Stindt)

Another speaker read a list of names of people killed "because of white supremacy", including Michael Brown, Sitting Bull, Rickey Best, Heather Heyer, Malcom X, and Philando Castile.

The group started marching toward downtown around 7:30 p.m., marching down Morrison Ave, chanting “Black Lives Matter” and “Whose streets? Our streets.”

As the crowd rounded a corner, the protesters leading the march crossed the path of a TriMet bus. A masked Antifa protester stood in its path, forcing the vehicle to stop. As the march moved through downtown, it blocked traffic and stopped several busses in their paths.

(Joe MIchael Riedl)
(Sofie Murray)
(Sofie Murray)
(Sofie Murray)
(Joe MIchael Riedl)
(Joe MIchael Riedl)

Still, Portland police used a light touch, monitoring the protesters while staying mostly out of sight. Sgt. Christopher Burley, a spokesman for Portland police, said the bureau wanted to respect organizers' desire to keep the police presence to a minimum but officers would be nearby in case they needed to respond to any threats to peoples' safety or property.

(Daniel Stindt)
(Sofie Murray)

Two patrol officers stood about fifty yards from a group of Antifascist protesters wearing bandanas to hide their faces.

At one point early in the rally, a group of Antifa surrounded a man wearing a "Blue Lives Matter" band on his arm. They forced him to leave the park.

The man, who identified himself only as Sven, said he was at the rally to oppose the white supremacy and Nazi sentiments shown in Charlottesville and to mourn the woman who died in the attack on counter-protesters there.

He shook the hand of an Antifa member before leaving the waterfront.

(Joe MIchael Riedl)
(Joe MIchael Riedl)
(Joe MIchael Riedl)
(Daniel Stindt)
(Daniel Stindt)

Willamette Week’s reporting has concrete impacts that change laws, force action from civic leaders, and drive compromised politicians from public office. Support WW's journalism today.