Portland, Oregon, has always been one of my favorite cities to visit. The folks who live there are welcoming, proud of their town with a sense of strong community values. Recently, the worst thing that could happen is a neighbor reporting another for having a yard that was too messy. What in the world is happening there?
The “City of Roses” has become a battleground; each day, news and media outlets report a new level of violence and discontent. Protests have gone from peaceful to catastrophic. This type of unrest is something that long-time Portland residents can hardly imagine.
What’s going on? I saw a photo today of a protester’s truck heading to the activities in downtown Portland. At the rear of the truck, a Confederate Army battle flag was flying in the breeze; this is the flag that is often mistaken for the flag of the Confederate States of America. Here in the South we all know the significance and difference, did he? Was the driver of the truck motivated by a symbol of a defunct Southern movement; in Oregon, no less?
Every resident has the Constitutional right to protest; however, Portland, like several other cities, has incurred significant property damage and destruction. In one estimate, the damage and economic loss are estimated to be $23.3 million.
This works out to about $335,000 worth of damage on each of the 70 days of protests. Adding in similar damage and destruction from other cities that are suffering from demonstrations and other actions, the total amount far exceeds a billion dollars lost.
How in the world is this happening? How do we find meaningful solutions to avoid further damage across America in the next several weeks?
Are we there yet? 