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Workers in Portland, Oregon, responded forcefully against the announcement by US President Donald Trump on Saturday that he will deploy troops to the city.
Many were frustrated with the inaction of the Democratic Party and expressed support for mobilizing the working class independently of the Democrats and trade unions.
A Portland service worker recounted an interview with Oregon Congresswoman Janelle Bynum where she claimed that “Trump is basically operating like a child with no plan.” The worker rejected this. “Saying that he doesn’t have a plan is basically saying that the troops might magically just go away.
“I think it’s really damaging to view these things which are in fact coordinated as uncoordinated, because if we view these things as uncoordinated, there’s no basis to coordinate resistance to that.”
She connected the fight against Trump with the struggles of the working class. “County employees are really understaffed, and just somebody retiring or going on vacation can delay the sale of a home. I’ve seen it happen for six-plus weeks, and that’s not intentional in any way. I genuinely think county employees have a lot of leverage. What would happen if they go on strike?
“I never have more than a paycheck’s worth of savings. I think that’s true for most people. And I think the most viable way forward is if the working class just stops and doesn’t participate in making rich people richer because that’s who the Democrats and Republicans really serve.
“I think people are much more open to the idea of socialism than they were a year ago, much less five or 10 years ago. People are very disillusioned with traditional unions, especially since they’ve let all this happen. We are going to need to organize ourselves. Workers need to be empowered and be given the information needed and to be encouraged that it’s possible.
“When we view things as not coordinated, we then don’t have any basis for resistance. So I think if we’re divorcing ourselves of material reality as the source of what is actually happening in the world, we don’t have a basis of truly understanding where we are in history. If we don’t understand where we are and what’s happening, we don’t have a predictable ability to anticipate what’s coming next and anticipate what actually needs to be done.”
Another Portland local said, “I find it infuriating that no one ever wants to stand up for us. Not just Portland in general, but the working class who are trying to improve the lives of their community. I get frustrated that the [Democratic National Committee] basically has the stance of ‘well, if you [would have] voted for us, this wouldn’t have happened,’ when they’re actively doing nothing ever since they lost. They’ve gone silent, our mayor is bending over backwards to screw us over and plummet his ratings as fast as possible, and now more lives are at risk.”
Another worker commented on the situation facing immigrant workers. “My initial thoughts to waking up to all of this is fear for my coworkers. We’ve already implemented a plan for if ICE shows up to our work, but it’s still scary that this is the reality that we’re in. But regarding the Democratic Party, I’m not surprised it doesn’t feel like they do much or really fight for much against this administration.”
Another worker added, “I think the biggest issue is we have no oppositional party. The Democratic leadership capitulates to the current administration and disregards the cries for help from their constituents. [Senate Minority Leader Chuck] Schumer still believes he can meet Trump ‘at the table’ to discuss compromises and find a middle ground. Kamala Harris might not be a representative right now, but she was the biggest name in Democratic politics a few short months ago and now all her efforts are on promoting her new book.”
He added, “I used to hold a little bit of faith, maybe 5 percent, that in the face of true oppressors, they would at least put up a fight to uphold democracy. It is clear now, they are more willing to accept fascism than ally with those willing to fight back.
“As for Portland, I believe in the people. We suffer under the same Democratic leadership that the rest of the county does, but the people are smarter and braver. We will be safe, but we will also make our voices heard and our oppositional presence be known.”
A home care worker also expressed frustration at the impotence of the Democratic Party. “I feel like the Democrats have sat back and let Trump come in like a bull in a china shop and destroy everything we have worked hard for. I still cannot fathom how DEI and being ‘woke’ is a ‘bad thing.’”
She continued, “If Trump isn’t thrown out, the days of democracy are over. All the working class from both sides have to join together and fight the true enemy.”