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Good Morning, News: Black Youth March, Joe Biden Delivers, and Portlanders Protest ICE
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Good morning, Portland! If you’ve grown sour or ambivalent about the ongoing protests in our town, I present to you this interview with 16-year-old Oria, courtesy of independent journalist Catalina Gaitán:
Interview with Oria, a 16-year-old leader of PDX Black Youth Movement:
“I want people to take away from tonight that Black lives still matter and we’re still angry. We’re still out here in these streets showing people what it feels like to be a Black person. (1/2) pic.twitter.com/zGiZlY0V43
— Cata Gaitán (@catalinagaitan_) August 21, 2020
That video is from a PDX Black Youth Movement march for police abolition in North Portland yesterday. Marchers started at Kenton Park and walked to the Portland Police Association, before ending the protest peacefully.
Here are the rest of the headlines!
• Another protest happened last night in front of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) building in Southwest Portland. That demonstration brought out both federal officers and Portland police, and resulted in several arrests. Journalists on the scene observed Portland and federal officers working in tandem to disperse the crowd together.
• The real stars of this week’s virtual Democratic National Convention were all the “normal people” who got a moment in the spotlight, including a very cool kid named Brayden Harrington who spoke last night about how Joe Biden helped him feel less insecure about his stutter. But Biden also delivered a comfortingly strong, capable speech that didn’t mince words about how important this election is. If you missed the speech, you can watch it here:
• Meanwhile, the Republican National Convention is next week, and Donald Trump is planning to deliver his speech from the White House—which is probably illegal, because it’s using government resources for a campaign event.
• Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, who is responsible for rat-fucking the United States Postal Service (including right here in Portland!), is testifying before the US Senate this morning, as I type this. He said, “There has been no changes in any policies with regard to the election mail for the 2020 election.” Well, an assurance of no wrongdoing from a Trump appointee certain eases my concerns!
• The Trailblazers lost a reportedly important basketball game to the Lakers last night, but they’ll have a chance to redeem themselves on Saturday.
• Healthy democracy, healthy tech company:
NEW: Facebook is preparing for post-election scenarios in which Trump tries to delegitimze the vote
That includes a plan for a “kill switch” to turn off political advertising after Election Day — an attempt to quash disinfo around results
w/ @sheeraf https://t.co/cYTAaQq7wT
— rat king (@MikeIsaac) August 21, 2020
• Loretta Smith recently lost a runoff election for Portland City Council to Dan Ryan—but she wants a recount. Smith’s campaign says there are some suspicious signs of “voting irregularities,” but Multnomah County Election Division Director Tim Scott thinks otherwise.
• On a personal note:
I know several people in CA who have had to evacuate because of the wildfire. Students at my university have nowhere to go but the beach. I hope Biden gets elected—and Dems flip the Senate—so we have, like, a sliver of a chance to curb climate change. 🙃https://t.co/OgrC1yEePo
— Blair Stenvick (@BlairStenvick) August 21, 2020
• Looking for something to do this weekend? Our excellent calendar editor Bobby Roberts put together the definitive list of what to watch—and how to watch it all—this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.