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Something that I think should be much more foregrounded than it currently is in discussions of recent events involving 'Antifa' in Portland (and the Pacific Northwest more broadly) is the Northwest Territorial Imperative. [a thread]
Since the 1970s, neo-Nazi groups have intentionally encouraged settling in the Pacific Northwest, with the intention of eventually establishing a white nationalist ethnostate.
Groups like Patriot Prayer must be read in this context.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northwest_Territorial_Imperative
Groups like Patriot Prayer must be read in this context.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northwest_Territorial_Imperative
A lot of people who have never lived in the PNW seem to have a misguided idea of who lives there. The whole reason there are so many antifascist groups is because, as this feature put it in 2015, the Northwest is home to "America's Worst Racists." https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2015/07/northwest-front-americas-worst-racists-119803
If you missed this thread, it provides great context on the far-right escalations that have been happening in Portland for the past few years.
Unfortunately, the "war" that Michael Reinoehl believed he was part of has been building for a long time. https://twitter.com/BritishPodcast/status/1300105289522270213
Unfortunately, the "war" that Michael Reinoehl believed he was part of has been building for a long time. https://twitter.com/BritishPodcast/status/1300105289522270213
The purpose of organized caravans of far-right gangs riding into Portland is to instigate violence.
The purpose of that violence is propagandistic.
The ultimate goal is a white nationalist homeland as spelled out in Northwest Territorial Imperative. https://twitter.com/carterforva/status/1299950936383787009
The purpose of that violence is propagandistic.
The ultimate goal is a white nationalist homeland as spelled out in Northwest Territorial Imperative. https://twitter.com/carterforva/status/1299950936383787009
While we're on the topic of Northwest racism, it's important to note that Oregon began as a "a racist white utopia."
The state's 1857 constitution banned Black people from even coming to, much less residing in the state. https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2016/07/racist-history-portland/492035/
The state's 1857 constitution banned Black people from even coming to, much less residing in the state. https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2016/07/racist-history-portland/492035/
Make no mistake: in the context of Oregon specifically, "MAGA" = a return to the state's (relatively recent) whites-only origins.
UPDATE: I wrote a thing about Oregon's racist history & the history of organizing in response to that racism as context for current events. https://medium.com/@emilypothast/why-portland-is-so-antifa-a635d1e50e70
