Way to go, Portland!! From a esteemed comrade out there: Carol Landsman Write up from a friend Well, it was perhaps the most spirited town hall Ive ever been at! Wyden was introduced and just as he was beginning to explain how the afternoon was going to go, a group (40-50 people) from Dont Shoot, Portland entered chanting Hands Up, Dont Shoot and Black Lives Matter. Wyden and his staff didnt have a clue what to do as the Dont Shoot folks and their chants were soon supported by many in the audience who put hands up, joined in the chants and swelled the ranks of the Dont Shoot contingent. Wyden tried to take control of the situation saying that this is an important issue and that someone from Dont Shoot would be able to ask a question somewhere in the beginning of the Q&A session, and that his staff would arrange a meeting with some of the leaders of the group..... But as a leader of the group said, A number of our people were arrested on our way here. This town hall is not going to happen as planned. This will not be business as usual. Young Black men being gunned down by police is a huge issue and were going to address that. About a half hour into it, Wydens staff had totally lost control and announced that the town hall was cancelled. At that point, a Peoples Town Hall was spontaneously organized as Wyden and his staff left. The Peoples Town Hall included people speaking about No Fast Track (a disastrous trade policy), police brutality, Black Lives Matter, justice for the Palestinian people and an end to funding the Israeli military, and many people drew connections between these and other issues. For all of us who stayed, there was a feeling of exhilaration. A canned, charade of democracy - the town hall Wyden had envisioned - was stymied by courageous people who demanded that one of this countrys most serious issues be addressed and what followed was an informed, respectful and honest exchange of issues. Perhaps its going to be a good year!
Posted on: Sun, 04 Jan 2015 16:20:35 +0000