Crazy Commute Home: Portland Riots.

I left work today late, because I was painting one of our offices at work. I decided to not change out of my painting clothes and just head home. Things were pretty normal until I got to the Park Blocks, I heard sirens and looked over to my left and saw one police car after another racing after each other. I didn't chase them, but I was headed the same direction to go home. I pulled into a Plaid Pantry parking lot to get closer to see what was happening. I think it was the inner Goonie in me coming out! I followed people running with cameras toward a crowd. There was a couple hundred people and about 75 police officers in riot gear, on horses, on bicycles, on motor bikes and some standing. I had come to the head of a confrontation between police and Anarchists marching in protest of recent police shootings.

I crossed the street through the parked police cars to get a better view and pulled out my phone to take some videos.

I looked over and there was one of my customers, we said hello to each other and continued to watch what was happening! Just around then someone got arrested, I'm not sure what he did or what he would be charged with, but the crowd started shouting "Let Him Go!" The police didn't let him go, they took him in.

About 5 minutes later the protesters moved over to the next street. I had gone back to my car to head home, but I had become blocked blocked in by the traffic. I looked over and saw the protesters and police had met again across the parking lot from me. I went over to look, since I couldn't get out of the parking lot anyway. I noticed that I kept standing next to the guy from Channel 2 News. I think I felt safer with the News crews close by, but in my painting clothes I looked like I belonged with the protesters!

I followed the news crew to get a better view. More arrests happened, then the protesters moved out and so did the police. I looked over and saw the riot police standing in a line walking towards me. I got a little scared, because they were now between me and my car pushing me toward the crowd. One of the police officers told me to move and I asked politely if I could just go to my car. He grabbed my arm and pushed me saying "Move Out!" It was then I thought I might be next to be arrested! I ended up in the street and waited until the crowd disbursed and I was clear to head back to my car.

My personal favorite video from the evening!



Before I left I went into the Plaid Pantry and bought a diet soda and a snack. I had seen the guy working at the Plaid at the beginning of the riots. He had come outside to look at what was happening too. I thanked him for letting me park there and told him to have a good night and he told me to have safe travels home. I left the store and headed to my car and ran into a homeless kid before I got there. He asked to borrow my phone and jokingly asked for some of my snack. I gave him my phone for a minute and some of my sour patch kids I had just bought. He thanked me and returned my phone to me. I then finally got back into my car, but for a moment I felt apart of a bigger community. No longer was just driving by to get home, but I stood, watched, and participated in something bigger happening around us. It was a crazy commute, but worth the stop.