by native Portlander Mollie Hunt

“You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy” —Obi Wan Kenobi of Mos Eisley (not Portland)

First there was a small group of local folks in front of the ICE building protesting the Trump administration’s immigration policies. Some wore costumes. There was a frog1 and a duck. Many were old like me. They held signs. Sometimes they got loud. This was a one-block area of the 145-square-mile city of Portland, Oregon.

Then, for some reason I cannot fathom, Trump proclaimed Portland a warzone. “Portland is burning to the ground,” he said. “It’s like living in hell.” He swore to send in the National Guard. Overnight the number of protesters grew, but now they were protesting the deployment of National Guard troops to the city for no reason other than DJT had seen an unverified clip on TV.

In a conversation with Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek, the governor tried to explain that the reality in Portland is far different from what’s being portrayed to him. Trump later asked, ‘Am I watching things on television that are different from what’s happening?’ Simple answer: yes. Complex answer: still yes.

Why don’t they come see for themselves? They can fly every single US military leader for a pep talk and hop to foreign cities (including Scotland to open a golf course). Why not just put someone on a plane to take a look IRL?

Portland is not burning. (At least, not much)

But if DJT pokes the bear hard enough, people will likely respond. For now, Portland is peaceful. Yes, the city has problems as all places with large populations do, but none them will be solved by sending in a military presence.

Portland has community.

Yesterday was the 53rd annual Portland Marathon when nearly 12,000 runners took to the streets. At the end of last month, thousands of volunteers and hundreds of businesses got together to do a sweeping cleanup of the downtown area.2 We’ve had many events recently including the St. Johns Music Festival, Best Day Ever Festival, PDX Pop Now! music festivals, the Oregon Science Festival, Art in the Pearl, Rose City Comic Con (which I attended), and the iconic Chapman Swift Watch (Swifts—which in this case are birds, not pop music fans—have unfortunately moved elsewhere for their migration so watchers enjoyed themselves in conversation and camaraderie instead.) We’ve had our usual sports events as well—football, baseball, and soccer. None of those events sparked violence.

Portland, “City of Roses”

Though people poke fun at Portland with their references to matcha coffee, kale, spooky doughnuts, and goat yoga, Portland’s reality is even better.  Known for a thriving food truck scene, craft breweries, vibrant arts and culture, and commitment to a sustainable, bike-friendly lifestyle, there is nowhere else like it. (Yes, that includes you, Seattle!) Portland has the world’s largest independent bookstore and a humane society with one of the highest “save rates” in the nation. The beautiful International Rose Test Garden, Portland Japanese Garden, Leach Botanical Garden, and Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden are just some of our world-acclaimed gardens. There are also extensive public parks and green space.

Trump has proclaimed in front of God and everyone that we should begin using American cities as “training grounds” to fight against what he called a “war from within.”3 Today it’s Portland. Tomorrow it may be your city. If that doesn’t scare you, what will?

Footnotes:

1A demonstrator wearing an inflatable frog costume was pepper-sprayed by a federal agent during a protest outside the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Portland, Oregon early this week. Videos of the incident, which quickly spread on social media, showed the agent aiming spray toward the costume’s air intake valve.

2We Believe in Portland Fall Cleanup: Held on Friday, September 19, 2025, this event focused on cleaning over 300 blocks in the Downtown Core and Inner-East Side. This is only one of many such events around Portland and Oregon.

3“We should use some of these dangerous cities as training grounds for our military, National Guard, but military…” —Donald Trump to a gathering of military leaders, September 30, 2025