FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Gregory McKelvey

November 11, 2016

(503)459-1930
gregmckelvey@lclark.edu

Fundraiser to Repair Last Nights Damages

Last night, in the ongoing wake of Portlanders desperate attempts to understand
their new reality under a Trump regime, a movement was born - one that we hope
will help to elevate Portland as a bastion for peace, refuge, sustainability and social
innovation for years to come. The violent actions that occurred last night had
absolutely nothing to do with our group.
We would like to take a few moments to disavow the actions taken to destroy
property, to clarify the intentions and goals of our new efforts and to offer empathy
to all the stakeholders in last nights protests and those to come.
Our movement (Portlands Resistance) was born as a direct response to the
election of a racist, homophobic, misogynistic, egomaniacal and dangerously
reactive President, a congress hell bent on limiting a womans right to choose or a
Muslims right to live and a state that refuses to tax our richest corporations in
order to unburden those most taxed among us. It was our aim to channel the shared
frustration, fear and anger that is so alive among so many of us considering our
future prospects into a unified front for peaceful change. We outlined many goals
and demands for Portland at the beginning of the march, aimed at addressing our
citys most pressing needs and also with the confidence that Portland can truly
model the future that so many in our nation and world seek. In doing so we hoped
to help provide a constructive outlet for our shared energy. We made it very clear
that ours was a movement born out of love, infused by peace and inhospitable to
those that would put us all at risk in the name of actions that are inflammatory,
divisive and strategically ill-conceived. That remains our goal.
While our group does not support or condone violence or vandalism of any form,
we must consider the reasons for such destruction, the conditions that lead to
people feeling that destruction is their only voice. Martin Luther King once said
that, a riot is the language of the unheard. Those who engaged in destructive
actions feel unheard and it is vastly important to us to name why and, moreover,
how their voices may be heard constructively.

Portlands resistance aims to be a positive channel through which the voice of the
people can be heard. We will continue to strive towards that goal as we develop
our platform, recruit our support base and work diligently with the many
organizations in Portland who are already dedicated to building our city up, to
creating a municipal safer space. In support of our goal to have a safe Portland for
everyone, we are partnering with organizations such as Milenio (milenio-2016.org)
to raise money to repair the damages done to small and local businesses last night.
That campaign can be found here: https://www.gofundme.com/portlandsresistance-rebuild-fund
On Friday November 11th at 5 PM we will be meeting for a rally and heal-in at
Portland City Hall to talk about our demands to make our city a better place and
discuss our campaign to repair the damage that was done to our city last night. We
sincerely apologize to anyone whos property was damaged, even though it was
not done by our group, and we invite you to join us, to heal, and to consider the
conditions that enrage, enflame and divide us all. Together we can heal this divide.
Together we can change our world.