The Battle for Old Town Chinatown, Masks On and Off
Morillo's Mob. Is this a local scoop? Portland media, get it together!
Last night I went to the Society Hotel in Old Town, had a few drinks, hung out with friends, made some new ones… and only slightly risked lynching by an antisemitic mob.
Very slightly, mom. Calm down.
So, why isn’t this all over the news? No clue. It’s got everything: Antifa! The Homeless Industrial Complex! Jews! Old Town Chinatown! The Portland City Council! Black Panthers! All served up on a platter.
Let’s eat.
Allan Classen over at the NW Examiner has been covering the story up to this point so he gets points, but where are the rest of you guys?
The Context
Councilor Angelita Morillo first brought the “Community Free Store” story to public attention with her now-infamous instagram post about “police harassment” where she dropped veiled threats about the police budget if the DSA (her political party) and her buddies at the Community Free Store weren’t left alone. I covered this in:
At the “harassment event,” Angelita’s comrade Alissa Azar got handcuffed, and that’s a big no-no in anarchist and communist circles. Alissa is even more protected than Olivia Katbi. You do not fuck with these women unless you want to be fucked with. (foreshadowing?)
From Azar’s Mastodon account:
“Yesterday at the community free store's Thursday distro, Portland Police arrived and began to harass community members both seeking and distributing resources. Around 6:00 PM, a group of about four officers approached as people were still setting up. They informed those present that the tables on the sidewalk needed to be removed or citations would be issued. Moments later, without any warning or explanation, an officer grabbed an individual by one of the tables, forced them to their knees, and restrained their hands behind their back. They were then dragged across the street, handcuffed, and placed in a squad car where they were held for 30 minutes before being released. When asked why they were being arrested, an officer said that they were just detaining people to get their identification.
In a matter of minutes, police went from supposedly being there because of the tables to detaining people they claimed were on the street. Soon after, the police presence intensified, with at least 11 squad cars present and over 20 officers on foot, filling an entire city block. Multiple people walking by asked if someone had been shot. It should be noted that PPB consistently complains about staff shortages but they have no issue sending out an insane amount of resources to harass and assault the houseless community and those helping them.
After the first arrest, I was standing on the sidewalk when two officers approached me, pulled me into the street, and restrained my hands behind my back. One officer repeatedly presented me with two options: accept a citation or go to jail.
Feeling angry and unjustly accused, I remained silent, refusing to comply with an unfair choice. When I didn't respond as he hoped, I was handcuffed and taken back to the sidewalk.
Eventually, I was released with a citation, which I believe was for impeding traffic, though the details are illegible.During this incident, 3 people total were detained and cited, others were also subjected to harassment and being assaulted by the police, and citations were issued to parked cars nearby.
The community free store has become an essential resource in Portland, flourishing over the past year. It provides hot food, water, snacks, seasonal clothing, hygiene and medical supplies, tents, blankets, and more-resources that can be lifesaving.
Since January 2nd, the police have increasingly targeted the community free store. Initially, they surveiled from their vehicles, but soon escalated to recording from a distance, questioning individuals in groups, and gathering intelligence. Yesterday marked a significant escalation of their tactics.
As in previous encounters, when PPB threatened to cite individuals, many who relied on these vital resources left empty-handed. This intimidation strategy effectively discourages vulnerable populations from seeking help. Which is of course intentional. The police's actions also aim to instill fear among those distributing resources and to deter future congregation and participation. Detaining and citing individuals also serves to identify them for further intelligence gathering on these communities.
Mutual aid efforts, the poor, and houseless communities have long faced repression and state-sanctioned violence. The autonomy and self-reliance fostered by these community initiatives challenge state authority and control over our lives. It is not uncommon for those involved in mutual aid to experience harassment, surveillance, physical violence, arrests, and citations. The state utilizes various repressive measures, criminalizing mutual aid activities and deploying law enforcement to disrupt gatherings. This situation highlights the ongoing tension between state power and community resilience, emphasizing the urgent need to protect mutual aid as a crucial form of organization that addresses systemic inequalities and promotes collective empowerment.”
Azar went through a criminal trial last year, where she was held accountable for planning a riot in 2021. Her good buddy John Hacker, aka “John the Lefty” featured recently in the NW Examiner, assaulted someone outside the courthouse and was then arrested. You can find video of that event linked in the trial article. I first mentioned Hacker back in December and he showed up at the first Future Portland candidate event last year, also at the Society Hotel. John has a long and colorful arrest history.
Azar is one of the only members of Portland’s network of Antifa groups that criminal charges occasionally stick to. Probably because, despite identifying as a journalist, she keeps getting caught coordinating and carrying out physical attacks. Back in 2021 it was against Proud Boys. For the last year or so, it’s been more targeted at “Zionists” and anyone she perceives to be a Zionist. Also the PSU Library because Zionists love books. (guilty)
So Councilor Morillo with the rest of her DSA goon squad, and Alissa Azar plus Antifa were aggrieved. They blamed Jessie Burke and the Society Hotel, even though it does seem to have been a lot of local businesses and residents complaining about the Free Store blocking streets and taking over parking lots.
Burke finally commented publicly via the NW Examiner, in “Portland leaders: It’s time to fix this.”
Law enforcement first went to talk to them in the fall of 2024, and determined the group was going to be aggressive with any sort of enforcement. Residents and the cultural institutions continued to complain about this group, and the lawlessness that continued to perpetuate in Old Town, even with organized groups, and so last week law enforcement attempted to address the issue of no permits. At one point, the masked mob latched onto one of the female officers, found her information online and doxxed her, even posting the names of her children and their school, writing "I hope they will be safe tomorrow."1
Very sane and reasonable. It really gives the impression that the Free Store’s primary interest is helping homeless Portlanders.
Also, since “the Fall of 2024?!” Morillo made this seem like Burke had called in a favor and the cops “descended” on these sweet charitable angels. This has been brewing for months.
Now, if you want to get back at Jessie, you’re unlikely to get a big mob together (post-2021) without a really sexy cause. So instead of focusing on poverty, NIMBYs, or something boring, they made it a Palestine demonstration:
Because Jessie’s family is Jewish. She even cried on October 7th, if you can believe it. She’s a fucking Zionist. I mean, she was Nathan Vasquez’s campaign manager and he prosecuted the kids who trashed the PSU Library. That’s the most anti-Palestinian thing I can imagine. It’s practically Islamophobic… if you’re an idiot starved for another reason to harass Jews.
What did Councilor Morillo say about this in the most recent Public Safety Meeting? What narrative did her supporters help promote?
Why, it’s Jessie Burke with her (((powerful connections))) oppressing poor people! No mention of Palestine. No mention of the protest. No mention of the fact that the Society Hotel is Jewish owned.2
Oh… wait. One person did mention it - District 4’s Councilor Eric Zimmerman. He’s not actually Jewish but he gets plenty of antisemitism with a last name like that.
“ I hope… if you all have some connections in that group, we can work through it because it hasn't been a positive experience and, um, we've gotta fix it. I hope it doesn't take 11 cops to fix something, but we've gotta fix something because it has been unwelcome and I know that this Thursday they're planning on another event, auxiliary groups that seems very targeted at a business based on some specific ethnicity issues that I think we've gotta get in front of because the stuff we all know, it… it cascades and in Old Town things cascade even faster.”
-Councilor Eric Zimmerman (Mensch)
Thursday March 17th
So what ended up happening? Did it “cascade?”
Of course it did.
The crowd started to form outside the hotel at 5:30pm. They hosted a few speakers along the side of the building, including Portland Black Panther Party co-founder Kent Ford.
They slammed on the windows and doors, trying to get in once they got bored with someone else speaking for longer than a TikTok post. Eventually, a hotel guest opened one of the doors to enter or exit and they rushed it. Patrons blocked them at the doorway, but they pinned the door open.
A small scuffle ensued in the doorway before security was able to get it closed. I was on the roof trying to get a view from above when this happened but one witness claims that Iklwa Burnam (who testified in that public safety committee) used pepper spray but underestimated the pressure difference with the hotel’s HVAC system. He ended up pepper-spraying more of his own side than the patrons. This went on for a few hours. There were arrests. Security, staff, and police were amazing. By 7:30 the crowd dispersed, and I went home a bit after 8pm.
To summarize: A local Jewish-owned business was targeted for harassment with exits monitored by masked activists (some of whom were visibly armed). Multiple minor assaults. Two arrests (so far). Pepper spray fired into a building (failed). All in the name of Palestine… or homeless people… or the end of capitalism? Messaging was decidedly muddy.
Confirmed attendees (there were maybe 40-50?):
Alissa Azar, John Hacker, Iklwa Burnam, Kent Ford, and a whole pack of National Lawyers Guild/ACLU legal observers to help them get away with assault avoid police brutality.
Remember that a few of these folks are actually dangerous. Most of them are LARPing… but some of them mean it, with all their hearts. Was our friend Isabel there? Well there was a… “stocky” black bloc militant who was armed to the teeth. Did Mac Smiff attend? He planned to but I didn’t spot him through all the masks and keffiyehs.
I saw more than a few 🔻s in the crowd. That shit is so violently fascist it’s now banned in parts of Germany along with other Nazi and antisemitic symbols. Might as well be a swastika in this context. It is an explicit threat.
Moral of the story: the neighbors showed up and won. The workers stayed safe and the hotel made a bit of money.
Mutual Aid and the Neighborhood
Finally, if this story seems a bit like the PPOP fight over NW Couch, on steroids… that’s because it is.
What my neighbors experienced dealing with PPOP3 fits the same pattern:
Leftist activists operating without permits or communication with the neighborhood, set up a mutual aid service, often involving illegal activity.
Problems develop due to lack of communication and… the illegal activity.
Neighbors approach to complain and are shut down and mocked.
City/Police are called.
Masked groups of activists respond by threatening/harassing the neighborhood.
More police are called, resulting in arrests or citations.
The leftists eventually get bounced from the area. Mutual aid over. People housed or helped into recovery? Unlikely ❌. Lives endangered, property destroyed, and trash generated? You betcha. ✅
“We are coming to your neighborhood and we are going to do what we like. If you have a problem… well…”
What these fools are beginning to learn is that’s a two way street. Last night my neighbors showed up for Portlanders, small business owners, and for Jews. For normal everyday people.
No one showed up to counter-protest against Palestine or free clothing for the homeless because this wasn’t about either of those things. This was about deciding if we are a city where you can just threaten and harass people who disagree with you. If you can target businesses and/or individuals. If you can pull off the obvious hypocrisy of targeting someone for their racial or religious identity while claiming to be… anti-racist?
Right now, I love this city. “We keep us safe” indeed. I set out for a peaceful evening last night and I reckon I got my wish. I plan on keeping things that way.
And if it doesn’t work? Well, I know a few Bear Jews.
Shabbat Shalom.
Shades of “Good night Michelle.” (see KPTV stories below)
None of the explicitly Asian-owned businesses were targeted. Jessie is also Asian but she’s the only one (to my knowledge) married to a Jew and raising Jewish children. Feels… familiar.
The loonies (some elected with 25-percent of the vote, something you should never ever forget) are running out of gas. Poor dears; when they get down to attacking a hotel, you know it's endgame. Revolutions that end in comedy are over.
Really been enjoying your posts.