MESSAGE SENT, FOLLOWED BY REGRET AND HOPE

The message sent about Portland Oregon is one of hope.

When the homeless set up camp, Portland hoped they were comfortable.

Protest marchers clashed with Portland police hoping for change.

Rival groups faced off. The message sent to them, to us, was there would be no police involvement.

I suppose the hope was they would work out their differences in the street.

Like grown-ups. Aren’t we all adults here?

Not so fast.

Police Chief Chuck Lovell said during a briefing on Friday that officers would not necessarily intervene to break up fights between the groups.

But he added that “just because arrests are not made at the scene when tensions are high, does not mean that people won’t be charged with crimes.”

What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you hear about rival groups gathering for a clash?

Is it the Sharks and Jets from Westside Story?

In sports it’s the Cowboys vs Eagles when both were good.

Locally, it’s the Ducks vs Huskies.

A good rivalry builds character. I got some during Bulldog vs Pirate contests as a kid. Tigard vs Tualatin was a focus as a dad.

Message Sent On A Wrestling Mat

A Tigard kid faced a Tualatin kid in the rival dual meet between the Tigers and Timberwolves.

The Tualatin kid looked good, so good he could have been a Lake Oswego kid.

The Tigard kid looked like a wrestler.

They squared off with the Tualatin kid slapping the Tiger aggressively. Slapping him in the face, but not as a set up because nothing happened. Just slap, slap, slap, and the ref let it go.

All the slapping got the Timberwolf fired up; the Tiger kept stalking and moving and circling, testing.

Since it was Senior Night, and at Tualatin, a big crowd showed up to cheer slappy on, and he ate it up. He looked like a world beater on his way to a big win.

Pro Tip: Don’t bask in the glory too soon.

The Tiger took the slap, the next slap, and the dozen slaps after, while pushing and pulling and leaning this way, then that way. He stepped in, stepped back, changing levels to see how slappy responded.

He responded with more slaps until the Tiger blocked and locked.

With uncommon grace and fluidity, he trapped the right arm with an over-hook, the left with an under-hook, bumped him and on the return push launched him into the air and gently onto his back.

No more slaps, no more cheering, then an unusual thing happened. The Tualatin kid started crying when Tigard kid got his arm raised on Senior Night.

The Moral Of The Message

Things are not always how they appear. A tough guy is also a cry baby? A soft looking kid also carries power?

A beautiful city can be trashed?

The skyline from Oaks Bottom in Sellwood shows Portland’s ambition and growth in between forest and clouds like a dream.

You can’t see boarded up businesses on SW 3rd, tents on sidewalks, mountains of trash under freeway overpasses.

Full ICU beds at Oregon Health and Science University on Pill Hill? Can’t see those, either, just like you can’t see the panic in an anti-vaxx anti-mask household when they come down with Covid-19 and can’t breath.

From the outside looking in, Portland is a shining jewel in the Northwest crown. It’s not paste, but for the respect shown by rival groups, it might as well be.

Clear communications need to instruct people about their personal responsibilities, public duties, and care.

Does that sound impossible? It’s not. Does it sound improbable? At this time, yes.

Portland has a mayor willing to bet Portland can survive rival groups clashing on public streets. Oregon has a governor willing to try and save people from the virus even if they won’t try and save themselves.

The rest of us live somewhere in between. Do your best not get your ass kicked by street gangs, policemen, and covid.

That’s the message sent. Do you read me? Over.