Feb 1, 2022
Content Warning: Fascist violence
A group gathered in Portland planning to protest police brutality was forced to witness the murder of one of their members on Feburary 19th, 2022. This murder by an armed “homeowner” (as the police report refers to him) was performed by a fascist vigilante who started firing within 90 seconds of approaching the group. Five others were injured. Read more at the Portland Mercury or find first-hand accounts on Twitter. This vigilante murder comes only one hour after Portland Police Bureau murders a community member and releases no details. The police will always protect these murderers, because they are murderers themselves. While the City of Portland faced 90 recorded murders in 2021, the Portland Police reported causing four.
To mourn, process, and continue the fight against fascism, candlelit vigils were hosted in many cities including Eugene. Roughly 65 quiet participants showed up at the Owen Rose Garden. White sheets were hung and illuminated by the candlelight, reading: “EUGENE TO PDX, WE PROTECT US,” with the Three Arrows and anarchist circle. Another sheet reads: “LOVE FROM EUGENE, JFPK (Justice for Patrick Kimmons).” The community is grieving at our own mortality and our loved ones’. The threat of violence becomes ever more present; and the candlelight meant to symbolize hope keeps gusting out. Fascism is alive and well in Eugene— from truck drivers shouting “White Power” at rallies against gender violence toward Indigenous women, to the genocidal sweeps of homeless people. We can only prepare ourselves to face it. It’s time to get serious about self-defense. We all need to be carrying Individual First Aid Kits (IFAK) and learning how to use them. Look into a Stop the Bleed training and know where to buy body armor. After all, it’s the difference between life and death.