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Last weekend, Portlanders sent President Donald Trump a message in the language he speaks most fluently: crowd size.
By official estimates, some 50,000 people packed into Tom McCall Waterfront Park for a “No Kings” rally June 14, most carrying signs decrying Trump’s expansion of executive power. (Or simply wishing him an unhappy birthday.) When the crowd moved onto Southwest Naito Parkway, the march stretched more than a dozen city blocks. People walking east on the Hawthorne Bridge could look down the Willamette River and see marchers in the same line crossing back west on the Morrison Bridge.
As they marched, Portlanders circled the federal building where U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents have arrested four asylum seekers this month.
Their message was clear: We won’t stand for this.
The display impressed people getting their first taste of Portland’s political fervor. “Way more people than our town, although our town is ultraliberal as well,” said Jan Chadwick, who was visiting from Santa Cruz, Calif. “This is just incredible.”
It was also impressive in the lack of violence or property damage. A few hundred protesters did trek to ICE headquarters on the South Waterfront, 2 miles away, where they were met with tear gas and flash-bang grenades. Police declared a riot and arrested three people. The scene was so frenzied that it threatened to overwhelm the images of peaceful solidarity from earlier in the day—especially on Fox News, the president’s favored information source. By June 14, Mayor Keith Wilson felt compelled to issue a statement telling Trump not to send in the National Guard, as he has done in Los Angeles.
While the unanimity of dislike for Trump and his tactics was abundantly clear, it was also apparent that the reasons were varied and manifold. Even in Waterfront Park, activists had set up informational booths, like at a county fair. The causes on display included protecting immigrants from deportation—but also trans rights, saving the civil service, climate action, the liberation of Gaza, and single-payer health care. A sign of a progressive movement that embraces overlapping causes? Or is it doing so sometimes at the cost of clarity?
For the past week, WW has asked protesters—both at the Saturday march and encamped outside ICE headquarters—as well as elected officials a single question:
On what issue is it most urgent that Oregon stand up to Donald Trump?
In the following pages, you’ll find their answers. Maybe their thoughts will help you decide, in a perilous moment for our city and our nation, where we must draw the line.
IN THE STREETS
Jane Huey
Marching on “No Kings Day”
“It’s maintaining our status as a sanctuary city. Because we should not be putting up with this kind of fascist behavior that they’re trying to pull.”
IN OFFICE
Elana Pirtle-Guiney
Portland City Council president
“The arrest of asylum seekers in our courthouses is unacceptable. It undermines trust, safety, and the rule of law. It is federal overreach meant to stoke our deepest fears by showing that even the processes and institutions meant to protect us are not safe.
“We are a city that shows up when our community members are being harmed and threatened. We stand up, speak out, and protect each other. If we don’t stand up now for the safety of our asylum seekers and our court systems, we will not be able to protect any of our community members.”
IN THE STREETS
Linda Nishi-Strattner
Marching on “No Kings Day”
“I am concerned about the systematic dismantling of our democracy, the eroding of the power of the Senate and the court, and the eroding of all the checks and balances. It’s very scary for me as a nonwhite person, and also it just feels as though he’s taking too many liberties. He’s seizing power.”
IN OFFICE
Tina Kotek
Oregon governor
“The sheer number of executive orders coming from the Trump administration—which exceeds that of all other presidents at six months in office—shows his goal is to sow chaos at every level of government and undermine our effectiveness at making a difference in people’s lives.
“Based on President Trump’s actions to this point, his focus is a constantly moving target. That means the most important thing we can collectively focus on is not getting knocked off our game in solving the problems that Oregonians need us to solve and holding the line on our values every single time they are under attack. I believe we need to keep delivering for people and not get distracted by the politics. I remain laser-focused on reducing homelessness, improving access to mental health and addiction care, and improving outcomes for Oregon students.”
IN THE STREETS
Briana Nathaniels
Protesting outside ICE headquarters
“Racial profiling. Do not home in on one community based off of assumption. I firmly believe that getting to know people who are different than us will help eliminate a lot of the bias that we’re seeing.”
IN OFFICE
Keith Wilson
Portland mayor
“As a proud sanctuary city in a sanctuary state, we are committed to protecting the rights and dignity of all Portlanders. Federal overreach is our most urgent challenge. ICE raids are tearing families apart and destabilizing the economic and social fabric of our community. Furthermore, the weaponization of federal funding, used to punish cities like Portland for putting people first, undermines our ability to maintain public safety, vital infrastructure, and essential services. We must stand united against policies that compromise our security and prosperity.”
IN THE STREETS
Ann Cunningham
Marching on “No Kings Day”
“Not allowing him to continue to get away with all of his executive actions. We need to keep up the lawsuits.”
IN THE STREETS
Ezgi Uyanik
Ann Cunningham’s granddaughter
“LGBTQ rights.”
IN OFFICE
Dan Rayfield
Oregon attorney general
“The law doesn’t bend just because someone has power or a platform. There’s a lot a president can do within the law—but they still have to follow it. What we’re seeing from the Trump administration isn’t just a difference in policy. It’s about pushing legal boundaries in ways that threaten the foundation of how our government works. Defending democracy means making sure the rules are followed, especially by those at the top. That’s how we protect democracy, and it’s what Oregonians expect me to do.”
IN THE STREETS
Diane Meisenhelter
Riding with the “World on Fire Department” for “No Kings Day”
“We are appalled at what is happening with the Trump administration’s attack on environmental protections, on public lands—like taking away the tribal monies for the salmon, taking away the restoration funds for the dams, selling off hundreds of thousands of acres of public lands, as well as all of the social justice things that are just insane.”
IN OFFICE
Tobias Read
Oregon secretary of state
“A lot of people are asking what they can do to stop the Trump administration from tearing families apart, tanking our economy, and cutting off every program that keeps Americans healthy and alive. Exercising your First Amendment rights is good. We can stop things in the courts, but the only real way to turn this around is by holding President Trump, or any politician you disagree with, accountable at the ballot box. Our Founders fought for the right to vote for a reason: It’s the best way to make the government respect the will of the people. President Trump knows this. That’s why he’s trying to illegally put up barriers between citizens and their right to vote and stripping away security for elections offices and workers. As Oregonians, we must stand by our hardworking local elections officials, protect our safe, fair system of voting from home, and VOTE.”
IN THE STREETS
Daniel Cox
Protesting outside ICE headquarters
“Immigration. Everybody’s an immigrant.”
IN OFFICE
Kayse Jama
State senator, District 24 (Southeast Portland)
“It’s essential to stand up to the Trump administration on due process and the rule of law. We know from history that when a government turns authoritarian against immigrants, they don’t stop there. Leaders who violate the rights of the most vulnerable will move on to threaten the rights of everyone else.”
IN THE STREETS
Deborah Brooks
Marching on “No Kings Day”
“Most important is that he is not above the law. No fascism. I think this show of military march is just reminiscent of pre-World War II. And that frightens me terribly.”
IN OFFICE
Jessica Vega Pederson
Multnomah County chair
“Trump is decimating the federal programs and gutting public health and safety net services like Medicaid, leaving Multnomah County to contemplate being the only provider of more and more critical services that are a lifeline for so many of our residents. This is a devastating disinvestment in the health and well-being of families and communities locally and throughout the country. Lives are on the line. It’s urgent that Oregon’s congressional delegation continue to push back on regressive actions that impact Oregonians and that the rest of Congress push back against policies that harm people in red and blue states alike.”
IN THE STREETS
Scotland
Marching on “No Kings Day”
“The loss of money to science is probably the biggest one for the Portland area with Oregon Health & Science University and all of the studies at threat. And just the offense against trans youth and trans rights. It’s been such a horrible thing that they use for leverage. I thought maybe once the election was over, they would back off of that one and concentrate on all their other horrible things. But no, they’re keeping that one in there. It’s worse every day.”
IN OFFICE
Julia Brim-Edwards
Multnomah County commissioner, District 3 (Southeast and Northeast Portland))
“There are so many issues coming from the Trump administration that are alarming. Distrust in government has grown, political violence has escalated, and disinformation is rampant.
“We are way past partisanship. What we are witnessing from the Trump administration is a sustained and dangerous campaign to undermine civil liberties and individual rights, attack the rule of law, and destroy faith in public institutions.
“Here in Oregon, it’s most urgent that we challenge the assaults on our individual and collective rights and that we fight against the defunding and dismantling of some of what truly makes America great, including science and research, public schools, services to veterans, public health, and equal projections under the law.”
IN THE STREETS
Jade Wolfe
Marching on “No Kings Day”
“I would say immigration as well. I come from a mom who’s an immigrant, so it’s very important to me, and what’s been happening is close to home.”
IN OFFICE
Shannon Singleton
Multnomah County commissioner, District 2 (North and Northeast Portland)
“I would say immigration and all of the accompanying policies around that, including the ICE raids, the deceptive tactics at immigration court, the deployment of National Guard and/or military, and the accompanying threats to funding for jurisdictions across policy areas for what the administration has defined as noncompliance.”
IN THE STREETS
Greg Rands
Marching on “No Kings Day”
“Our forest and the environment. All in all, without an environment, we’re all doomed. I think sooner or later human beings will work out our differences with money and color of skin, but more important than that is just saving our forests.”
IN OFFICE
Steve Novick
Portland city councilor, District 3 (Southeast and Northeast Portland)
“The images we’re seeing of ICE agents and other illegal police actions are horrifying. Even more horrifying is the use of the military in California to oppose dissent. We need to continue to uphold Portland’s sanctuary city policies—and support California’s lawsuit against the illegal and tyrannical use of the military.
“But I’m also thinking about other devastating actions of the Trump administration that we can’t take to the streets and use our bodies to stop. We need to attack the firings of Forest Service and Weather Service personnel that are key to preventing and fighting fires in Oregon. And we need to ensure that 2nd District Congressman Cliff Bentz’s constituents understand that this part of Trump’s agenda is especially deadly. I remember in 2020, when wildfires turned Oregon’s skies black and fires like the Almeda Fire destroyed entire towns. With fire risks rising fast this year, I’m deeply worried about what a gutted Weather Service and fewer firefighting resources will mean.”
IN THE STREETS
Jeri-Michael Lance
Marching on “No Kings Day”
“The reallocation of federal money away from programs that were just starting to be seen and were greatly needed. I think a push away from community policing more into federal policing also really scares me.”
IN OFFICE
Angelita Morillo
Portland city councilor, District 3 (Southeast and Northeast Portland)
“The most urgent issue Oregon must stand up to Donald Trump on is immigration: specifically, the federal government’s aggressive deportation tactics and the encroachment of ICE and other federal agents into local jurisdictions. People are being displaced and criminalized, and the U.S. continues to fund and support policies that drive global instability, only to punish those who seek refuge here.
“We cannot allow federal agents to terrorize our communities unchecked. We cannot be silent while families are separated, while children grow up in cages, and while Black and Brown immigrants are criminalized simply for existing.
“This is the moral fight of our time, and Oregon must be bold in choosing the side of justice.”
IN THE STREETS
Andy Siebe
Protesting outside ICE headquarters
“I mean, immigration is huge. This is a huge issue that affects every single person.
If you’re not an immigrant, you know an immigrant, or you work with an immigrant, or you shop with an immigrant. This is our community. And if we don’t stand up for one another, then who’s going to stand up for us? If we don’t stand up now, when? And if not us, then who?”