SOUND
SOUND LIKE IT'S INEVITABLE THAT SAID, WE'RE AT SUCH HIGH LEVELS
OF COMMUNITY TRANSMISSION
OF THIS MOMENT THAT
UNFORTUNATELY I'M NOT SURPRISED
TO SEE OUTBREAKS.
>> MAGGIE VOSPER, KGW NEWS
PROTESTER TACTICS.
PROTESTER TACTICS. ALL RIGHT.
ALL RIGHT. THEY HAVE CHANGED IN THE LAST
FEW MONTHS ON BOTH ENDS OF THE
SPECTRUM.
SPECTRUM.
SPECTRUM. >> SO INSTEAD OF MASSIVE
DEMONSTRATIONS, YOU KNOW, THE
ONES WE'VE SEEN OR OR CLASHES
OR THINGS THAT ARE KIND
OF CHOKING OFF THE STREETS IN
DOWNTOWN PORTLAND, WE'RE SEEING
MORE OF THIS.
SO THE OREGONIAN REPORTS ABOUT
50 PROTESTERS FROM THE RIGHT
WING GROUP PATRIOT PRAYER
DEMONSTRATED YESTERDAY AT A
SINGLE HOME IN SILVERTON.
THE PERSON WHO LIVED IN THAT
HOME IS AN OREGON WORKPLACE
SAFETY REGULAR REGULATOR AND
HAPPENED TO BE THE VERY SAME
PERSON WHO FIND A GYM NINETY
THOUSAND DOLLARS FROM VIOLATING
GOVERNOR BROWN'S TWO WEEK
FREEZE.
FREEZE.
FREEZE. THEN ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE
AISLE WE HAD THIS DEMONSTRATION
EARLIER THIS MONTH AT PORTLAND
COMMISSIONER DAN RYAN.
SO LEFT WING PROTESTERS, THEY
WEREN'T HAPPY THAT RYAN VOTED
AGAINST CUTTING MORE THE POLICE
BUDGET SO THE VANDALS AT HIS
HOUSE, THEY BROKE WINDOWS AT
HIS HOME.
HIS HOME.
HIS HOME. NOT TO MENTION ALL THE CASES
OF PROTESTS THAT WE'VE SEEN
KIND OF MOVING OUT OF THE
DOWNTOWN AREA AND INTO
NEIGHBORHOODS INTO RESIDENTIAL
PLACES WHERE FAMILIES LIVE.
IT GOT US WONDERING WHETHER
THESE KINDS OF TARGETED
PROTESTERS PROTESTS RATHER ARE
EFFECTIVE FOR THE CAUSE OR IF
THEY COULD EVENTUALLY BACKFIRE
.
.
. SO
. SO I
. SO I ASKED A GUY WHO LITERALLY
STUDIES THIS STUFF PSU
PROFESSOR DR. MARK RODRIGUEZ.
HERE'S SOME OF OUR CONVERSATION
.
.
. >>
. >> THAT'S A TRIED AND TRUE
TACTIC OF PROTESTERS GOING BACK
TO OPEN HOUSING PROTESTS IN THE
60S AND VOTES FOR WOMEN IN THE
EARLY 20TH CENTURY.
THEY OFTEN WENT TO THE HOUSES
OF THE PEOPLE THEY WANTED TO
CONVINCE TO DO SOMETHING RIGHT.
AND SO I THINK THAT'S THE KIND
OF THING THAT THAT HAS ALWAYS
BEEN A PART OF PROTEST CULTURE
.
.
. WHAT'S
. WHAT'S DIFFERENT IS WHEN
SOMEBODY SMASHES A WINDOW OR
DESTROYS PROPERTY ON THE SITE
AND THAT'S I THINK THE KIND
OF THING WE SAW AT MR. RYAN'S
HOUSE WHERE HE AND HIS PARTNER
WERE PRETTY SCARED.
NOW AT THAT POINT DR. ROBERT
RODRIGUEZ SAID THAT THAT IS
WHERE IT TURNS INTO SOMETHING
THAT'S NOT NORMAL THE VANDALISM
AND THE DAMAGE LIKE WE SAW TWO
WEEKS AGO WHEN PROTESTERS
SMASHED WINDOWS UP AND DOWN
SANDY IN HAWTHORNE IN PORTLAND.
>> BUT HE ALSO SAYS IT'S OFTEN
COUNTERPRODUCTIVE TO WHAT
ACTIVISTS ARE TRYING TO DO FOR
THE CAUSE AND HE THINKS IT SAYS
SOMETHING BIGGER ABOUT THE
STATE OF THESE PROTEST
MOVEMENTS WE'RE WITNESSING.
>> WELL, I THINK WHAT IT MIGHT
BE A SIGN OF IS THE UNRAVELING
OF THE MOVEMENT HERE IN
PORTLAND.
PORTLAND.
PORTLAND. IT DOESN'T SEEM TO HAVE THE
FOCUS THAT IT HAD DURING BLACK
LIVES MATTER.
LIVES MATTER. IT DOESN'T SEEM TO HAVE THE
FOCUS THAT IT HAD DURING SORT
OF WHAT I WOULD CALL ANTI TRUMP
PROTESTS NOW THAT TRUMP HAS
ALTHOUGH HE HASN'T CONCEDED
IT'S PRETTY CLEAR HE LOST THE
ELECTION.
ELECTION.
ELECTION. AND SO I THINK THAT THOSE KINDS
OF THINGS MEAN THAT ON THE I
WOULD SAY LEFT OR
SELF-DESCRIBED PROGRESSIVE SIDE
OF THINGS.
OF THINGS. THERE IS A LITTLE BIT OF A LACK
OF CLARITY.
OF CLARITY. IT'S UNCERTAIN WHAT THEY PLAN
TO DO.
TO DO.
TO DO. AND I THINK THAT MOST OF THE
ELECTED OFFICIALS HERE IN
PORTLAND SUPPORT POLICE REFORM.
SO IT SEEMS TO ME THAT THEY
HAVE PERHAPS ONE OF THE MOST
PROGRESSIVE GROUP OF ELECTED
OFFICIALS AND PROTESTS AGAINST
THEM IN THIS WAY THAT RESORTS
TO VIOLENCE AND THE DESTRUCTION
OF PROPERTY PROBABLY IS NOT
GOING TO HELP THEM VERY MUCH.
EXPLAIN TO ME WHY YOU THINK AND
I'M SURE IT'S BASED ON YOUR
YOUR VIEWINGS OF OTHER OTHER
PROTESTS IN THE PAST BUT WHY DO
YOU THINK THAT THOSE LITTLE
MARKERS INDICATE THAT THE
MOVEMENT COULD BE LOSING STEAM
HERE?
HERE?
HERE? >>
HERE? >> WELL, I THINK ONE OF THE
THINGS THAT I'VE ALWAYS
WONDERED ABOUT HERE IN PORTLAND
WAS THE DEGREE TO WHICH THESE
ARE AUTONOMOUS MOVEMENTS
WITHOUT REALLY CLEAR
LEADERSHIP.
LEADERSHIP. THERE ARE CERTAINLY LEADERS
THERE ARE PEOPLE THAT WILL
SPEAK TO YOU AS A LEADER BUT WE
DON'T HAVE THE KIND
OF COORDINATED EFFORT LIKE I
MENTIONED IN THE PAST.
WE DIDN'T HAVE AND WE DON'T
HAVE THE KIND OF SELF POLICING.
SO FOR EXAMPLE, WHEN AN ELECTED
OFFICIALS HOME IS PICKETED,
THERE'S NOBODY THERE THAT SEEMS
TO HAVE THE AUTHORITY TO TELL
PEOPLE PLEASE DON'T DAMAGE
PROPERTY.
PROPERTY.
PROPERTY. AND I THINK THAT WE'RE NOW
SEEING THAT IN THE SORT
OF SCATTERED PROTESTS THAT
DON'T SEEM TO BE PART OF A
SINGLE NARRATIVE FOR REFORM.
AND THAT'S YOU KNOW, TO ME I
THINK A RESULT OF THE FACT THAT
LEADERLESS MOVEMENTS ARE GREAT
AT CREATING FLASH MOBS.
THEY'RE LESS EFFECTIVE AT
CREATING SUSTAINED NARRATIVES
OF PROTEST OVER TIME.
>> AND DR. RODRIGUEZ EXPLAINS
IT PRETTY SIMPLY HOW THESE
VIOLENT PROTESTS CAN BACKFIRE
ON THE DEMONSTRATORS.
FOR EXAMPLE, IF PROTESTERS ARE
TARGETING MAYOR WHEELER BUT
THEY'RE ALSO DAMAGING HIS HOME
NEIGHBORS WHO MAY HAVE BEEN
ALLIES TO THE CAUSE MAY NOT
JUST BE