PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — One of the leaders of Portland’s Resistance, a group organizing anti-Trump protests on Friday and Saturday, says he isn’t revealing a planned route for his group’s protest march to police because he wants to “keep them guessing.”
Greg McKelvey, a Portland activist, told KOIN 6 News he doesn’t intend to publish his group’s marching route or give it to authorities.
Some local business owners are antsy as protests against President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration start to get going. They remember the damage caused during anti-Trump riots in November 2016.
During the riots in November 2016, one car lot in Northeast Portland had 15 vehicles vandalized, totaling more than $100,000 of damage. That lot will have private security on Friday and Saturday.
A few businesses have put up peace signs in their windows, and others will have their own security the next couple days.
McKelvey said although the Portland’s Resistance rally is partially aimed at opposition to Trump’s policies, it’s also a wake-up call to Portland city leaders. The group wants them to work on issues like rent control.
Another reason he said the group isn’t publishing their march’s route is because they “don’t want a parade.”
“We don’t want a parade. We want a protest. If we put out a route, we’re going to have a police escort the whole way,” McKelvey said.
When KOIN 6 News’ Lisa Balick pointed out that officers will be monitoring the march anyway, the protest organizer said, “We want to keep them guessing.”
McKelvey said protests are “uncomfortable,” and that’s just going to be the case with this event, even for nervous local business owners.
“Protests are uncomfortable, and dismantling a broken system is going to be uncomfortable for a lot of people,” he said.
Despite not publishing a march route, McKelvey said he intends for the activities this weekend to be peaceful.
“I don’t think that because we are possibly expecting a few people to do acts of property destruction that we should throw away our First Amendment rights,” McKelvey said.
Portland’s Resistance said it’ll start marching at 5:30 p.m. from Pioneer Courthouse Square around downtown. The march is scheduled to wind down around 9 p.m.
After the November riots, Portland’s Resistance raised money to repair some of the local businesses damaged by vandals.
The group released the following statement in regards to protests this weekend:
“January 20th will be a historical moment not because Donald J. Trump was inaugurated but because it will be a singular rallying point that allows for a transformative solidarity to grow and progressive demands to be made. We will not go backwards.”
The group said organizations will attend Friday’s event and hand out literature. Although the main march is set for 5:30 p.m., representatives and speakers can appear at the square as early as 3:30 p.m.