Just tuning in?
Democrats, liberals, colleagues, voters: Pull up a chair. Portland friends: Grab a microbrew or kombucha or something. This is about to get awkward but there’s something you need to hear. Before you close this window or cancel me, please, listen with an open heart and mind.
I’m just your typical “radical-left” Portland resident and New York transplant (’02 baby!). I’m a registered Democrat, a white Jewish woman, an entrepreneur, a teacher, a partner, a mom, a yogi, an artist, and a writer. As a result of this combo, a decidedly pushy, liberal Oregonian.
I drink La Croix and jasmine tea. I like farmer’s markets; I went to PSU; I own a fixie. I am just like you…except I don’t sleep. Oh wait, you don’t sleep either?
Can I do math? Sure can. Am I a political expert? Nope. I am, however, driven (to a fault) to do the right thing.
We can only make it right when white people stop doing what’s comfortable, start conceding power…and start getting real! What?! I said I’m just like you: an MTV Gen X-er who watched as reality TV was born between actual music videos.
Trump’s delusions aside, he is not living on a reality show, a la the 24/7 Truman Burbank in “The Truman Show”.
What is real? He is, sadly, “only” America’s 45th President. Hopefully Trump’s “show” is about to get canceled. If we’re lucky, he will not have any reruns or royalties.
Here’s what else is real:
Sarah Iannarone is not going to save us. Neither is Joe Biden, (though Kamala might).
Voting alone will not end White Supremacy. It will not save us from the sexism that led 1 million women to leave the workforce in a month, or the disproportionate percentage of unemployed Black women. Voting cannot fix a broken political system whose main purpose was to disenfranchise women and people of color.
Oregon’s racism isn’t over post-election, even if we put Teargas Teddy out of his leading role. It’s evident in our daily election coverage and feeds. There are no white saviors, but there are decent allies.
Voting is one action. The work doesn’t stop with your ballot.
If we’re getting real: the work has barely begun.
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Everyone is Watching Us.
Portland is a radical city taken over by “anarchists” way out in the Wild West. Just listen to the PDX-obsessed “President” keeps saying “send in the troops” to “deal with” us. With his help, Portland continues to take center stage (and not only as the focal point of his campaign’s “war with the radical left”).
We continue to be the frontlines for fighting Trump’s would-be fascism.
If Trump is like Nixon, Portland would be the long-haired, flower clad, peace-sign-flashing hippie protester: seemingly powerless, but really the one to watch. Even George Bush, Sr. called us “Little Beirut” for protesting him in the ‘90s.
The Associated Press pointed to our power:
“In most election cycles, America wouldn’t pay attention to the Portland, Oregon, mayoral race — but this isn’t a normal year.”
We’re not “normal” either. Remember, Keep Portland Weird?
How have we managed to keep the “Battle of Portland” going all this time? The same reasons Trump hates our city so damn much…Because Portland liberals do not shut up. Because we’re relentless fighters for the earth, equality, democracy, and Black Lives. Because Earl Blumeneaur is besties with Trump’s other foe, AOC.
We are filled with legit change agents, despite being the whitest city in the nation. After all, we were the city that Occupied PDX right alongside Occupy Wall Street.
We are a Conservative Voter’s Achilles heel; just ask my mom.
And, we have a legacy to uphold.
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How we got here.
For about 150 days, I’ve been up nightly, till about 2 am, 7 months, and counting, watching live streams. Independent journalists have been targeted nightly, equipment damaged or taken, and arrested. This is our “Free Press”?
For half a year, a brave few citizens showed up, in rain or shine or smoke or tear gas. Beaten and shot at with rubber bullets. Feds came. A spy plane from Gitmo arrived. Phones were hacked. Medics were pushed aside, thrown to the ground, supplies purposefully destroyed.
Activists’ only paused their dance with authorities once, when Oregon was blanketed with smoke and wildfires. After 100 days the same community organizers, (following the lead of Don’t Shoot PDX founder Teressa Raiford), banded together to provide mutual aid to those stuck outside or displaced, struggling to breathe.
When skies “cleared” a few brave citizens went right back to protesting.
They shout through burning eyes and gas masks, “Black Lives Matter”. They face fascism, sexism, racism, physical and mental abuse, and jail for all of us.
Do you doubt why they are out there still? I don’t. They are committed to seeing justice served. And, they work as a collective. The guide for newbies: “Stay tight; stay together.”
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While We Have the Spotlight…
Portland can be a beacon for our country.
Portlanders, by and large, support Black Lives Matter; just look at social media profiles for proof. Joking, of course. Social media profiles don’t mean squat 🤪.
Despite strong support, most “progressives” stay in. Even the Times (who has a hardcore Portland crush) called us out.
With your ballot in hand, you have a chance to do what’s right. With one act, you can show allyship in action.
True allyship is not simply amplification; it’s passing the damn mic.
But how? you ask.
How do we magically make Trump’s orange head explode and prove this actually is a racial reckoning? We can do both simultaneously.
You know where I am going with this, don’t you?
Only electing a Black woman will move the needle towards reparations and justice. How else will PDX move forward from its racist past? This election could jumpstart our collective healing.
Our city is a mess; the evidence is on every sidewalk. How can we fix this city and help the ones hurting the most? We know re-electing Ted is NOT “it”. And unfortunately, Sarah’s not “it” either.
A Teressa Raiford-win shows that “teamwork makes the dream work”.
What would stick it to a White Supremacist painting Portland as the liberal-devil poster-child of American cities? Electing the most community-focused leader, that’s not even printed on the ballot, to be our next Mayor.
Raiford invests all her time into community organizing, not campaigning to win votes. Her website was created by volunteers and frontline organizers. The Feds, Wildfires, and nightly arrests delayed the launch. She did not manage it; she was working with the people. UBI and The Green New Deal, and feeding/housing the community is what she does, all day, every day.
Remember, Teressa Raiford is NOT a typical politician. Doing “The Work” is her job.
She has been recognized for her groundbreaking work, including the Obamas, The Library of Congress, and the Sanders campaign. She walks the walk. Go listen to her TED Talk here.
But, White liberal people in Portland are already doing “The Work”, you say?
True activism takes action over intentions. We take action when we elect new leadership. Real anti-racism work starts with doing the work to dismantle our own bias.
It’s Portland’s turn to show the world how it’s done. Our reputation as performative allies can become part of Portland’s “nearly a sundown town” history.
When we write-in Teressa Raiford, we instantaneously do “the work” by standing with our whole community.
We are not stuck under patriarchal White Supremacy, and a fixed process decided by endorsements or money…We are free to choose.
By voting for Raiford, we show America that elections can still work. By proxy, we strengthen the power of We the people, mail-in voting, and our democracy. It adds to the legitimacy of a mostly-mail-in victory for Biden.
Writing in Raiford, we give power to the people…and last I checked, WE ARE THE damn PEOPLE, aren’t we?
***
One question remains.
“In such a white city, how can white residents support Black rights without making themselves the story?” (The Guardian, July 2020)
When liberal “allies” start getting real.
Raiford is running one of “the most viable campaigns in history”. One month ago, the Willamette Week concurred, Teressa was “gaining traction” among voters. The best they could say about Sarah one month ago was “she’s not Ted”. We don’t need to be another model of voting for “the lesser of two mehs.”
As of Tuesday 1/3rd of Portland was still undecided, clearly questioning their main choices.
This is how we win the Battle of Portland. We make the media talk about our successful mail-in ballots. Trump will talk about our win every single day. The nation will listen to our “radical” Mayor-elect get real. Your vote for new leadership by a write-in vote in O-ree-gun would be heard coast-to-coast.
Bonus: One vote could piss off GOP-run Washington including Trump and the “originalists” like Amy B. Cohen, as a by-product. Lucky you! They’ll be shaking in their boots as if AOC entered the room.
Of course, this is not why we do it. We do it because it’s long overdue.
Portland has the rare opportunity to show America that we may be small, but we don’t fuck around. We mean it when we protest for our fire-scorched earth and for women’s bodies. We mean it when we shout “Black Lives Matter”.
Change is coming whether we take part in it or not. With your support, Portland can move the needle now. We can deliver the promise of America, one write-in ballot at a time. Write in Teressa Raiford.
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The Show’s Not Over November 3rd.
Worse, we could end up with Trump 2.0 in the Whitehouse. What then?
That’s the reality we will have to deal with. Truthfully, in many ways, it’s the same one we’ve dealt with for centuries.
This November is not “America’s Spring”, though there may be an uprising. Winter is coming, so bundle up. Get ready for November 4th, and the week after this election. Plan some self-care.
But more so, prepare for what comes next. The show must go on.
Restoring democracy through Biden (or Iannarone) is not the goal. America was not designed for ALL of us. Rebuilding our government to work for everyone comes next.
And until that happens, we have a lot more work to do.
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This post was previously published on Medium.com.
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Photo credit: “Venn Diagram” Art by Author
