Black Lives Matter - Portland, Or 2020

In the Day Light

In October 2020, I traveled to downtown Portland during the height of the BLM movement—a moment in history that shook the nation. The city, scarred by unrest, stood as both a battleground and a symbol of resistance against systemic racism—a fight that continues to this day.

As I walked the streets, the tension was undeniable. A deep cultural divide loomed over the city, and fear was tangible. I kept my distance when I encountered a group of Proud Boy supporters, their Blue Lives Matter and Trump flags waving, firearms openly displayed on their hips. The irony of their stance on law enforcement, especially after the events of January 6th, is not lost on me as I sit here to reflect at the start of 2025.

Portland, deserted in the height of the pandemic, has yet to recover. Five years later, downtown remains a ghost of its former self. Once-thriving businesses have left, skyscrapers sit empty, and the streets are now overrun by homelessness, a grim testament to the fentanyl crisis that continues to devastate a generation.