Editorial: As protest narrative shifts, Black lives must remain the focus – OregonLive

There was never any doubt that Portlanders would counter federal officers show of force with one of their own.

Angered by recent news reports detailing federal law enforcements brazen and arguably criminal tactics against protesters, Portlanders have come out in droves to defend First Amendment rights and resist the effort directed by President Donald Trump to quell the nightly protests. Behind a front line of moms in yellow shirts linking arms, a cast of thousands, including elected officials, youths, retirees, repeat protesters and first-timers have been amassing outside the federal courthouse downtown the past several nights, breathing new life into the protests that have persisted for more than eight weeks. The mostly peaceful group of everyday Oregonians carrying signs and chanting slogans stands in sharp contrast to the shocking videos of federal officers beating a veteran, shooting a man in the face with a less-lethal round and grabbing protesters off the streets and throwing them into vans.

This is a city protective of its rich culture of protest and resolute in its opposition to Trump policies and actions. But it is also a city that risks losing sight of what sparked these protests in the first place.

Like elsewhere across the country, Portlanders took to the streets after the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who was captured on video driving his knee into the back of Floyds neck. That a police officer, knowing he was being recorded, could act with such indifference to the pleas of a Black man struggling to breathe laid bare the racism in the criminal justice system. But while other deaths of Black Americans at the hands of police ignited similar anger including incidents in Portland Floyds killing seemed to launch a movement more determined than ever to change the institutional ways that America devalues the lives of Black people.

In Oregon, leaders, businesses and individuals embraced the statement that Black lives matter and pledged change. Legislators quickly passed laws curbing police powers in a special session called by the governor. The Portland City Council eliminated funding for three specialty police units and unanimously extended the existing police contract by a year to give officials time to get more public feedback in negotiating accountability changes.

But the aims of the protests are being overshadowed by a longstanding controversy regarding how law enforcement oversees such demonstrations. Critics have called out the bureaus use of tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse after-hours crowds, while police highlight incidents in which individuals have turned violent or destructive, setting fires and launching projectiles at officers. While these clashes typically take place after most protesters have left downtown, the argument of who did what to whom has taken center stage in these nightly protests.

Certainly, any excessive use of force by police must be investigated. The actions by federal officers that appear to violate constitutional rights and send a message of intimidation are downright alarming and have merited condemnation by elected officials. And the sight of Portlanders joining together to emphatically reject such incursions on basic rights is inspiring.

But the changing narrative of these protests should worry those seeking racial reforms. Because while policing of these protests has been heavy-handed and indiscriminately harsh, theres nothing indiscriminate about who has been targeted and disproportionately policed for decades.

The inequities dont end there. They are built into our educational, economic, political, judicial and social systems that have for decades sanctioned poor educational outcomes for Black students, denied Black residents the ability to own homes, ensured underrepresentation of Black constituents, delivered harsher charges and prison sentences for Black defendants and convinced the community at large that this is just the way things are, not a reflection of deficiencies built into our systems. While the federal officers tactics are true threats, these racist practices are entrenched realities that need our sustained attention.

In an op-ed for The Washington Post last week, the Rev. E.D. Mondain, who heads the Portland chapter of the NAACP, warned that Portlanders are taking the bait laid by Trump and allowing themselves to be distracted from confronting racial inequities. Rather, demonstrations, he said, have become a spectacle.

Vandalizing government buildings and hurling projectiles at law enforcement draw attention but how do these actions stop police from killing black people? he wrote. What are antifa and other leftist agitators achieving for the cause of black equality? The Wall of Moms, while perhaps well-intentioned, ends up redirecting attention away from the urgent issue of murdered black bodies. This might ease the consciences of white, affluent women who have previously been silent in the face of black oppression, but its fair to ask: Are they really furthering the cause of justice, or is this another example of white co-optation?

His criticism comes in addition to pleas from other Black leaders urging Oregonians to reject the destruction that some in the crowd are causing, fearing that it is overtaking what should be a pivotal moment in history for Black people. And last week, Gov. Kate Brown issued her own call to Oregonians. The property destruction and the arson need to stop, she said. She pointed to efforts underway to develop better training for law enforcement, urging the community to engage in those conversations rather than allow themselves to be distracted.

Opportunities exist for making real change and threats loom for deepening racial inequities. In addition to the training Brown mentioned, a group in Portland is working toward revitalizing the once thriving Black district in North Portland that was devastated by highway construction and urban renewal projects. Gaps in our educational system are likely to widen as school districts move to online teaching as opposed to in-person classes. The coronavirus pandemic is hitting communities of color far harder than white communities. These issues need and deserve all the resources and attention they can get a message that other elected officials, business owners and community leaders should amplify.

Instead, nightly protests are increasingly about Trump. While Americans will have the chance to solve for Trump in 100 days, the racist problems embedded in our systems will take a much longer timeline. Oregonians should heed the words of Mondain and many others and get to work.

-The Oregonian/OregonLive Editorial Board

Oregonian editorials

Editorials reflect the collective opinion of The Oregonian/OregonLive editorial board, which operates independently of the newsroom. Members of the editorial board are Therese Bottomly, Laura Gunderson, Helen Jung, John Maher and Amy Wang.

Members of the board meet regularly to determine our institutional stance on issues of the day. We publish editorials when we believe our unique perspective can lend clarity and influence an upcoming decision of great public interest. Editorials are opinion pieces and therefore different from news articles.

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Editorial: As protest narrative shifts, Black lives must remain the focus - OregonLive