Our city has been threatened by the felon-in-charge (Trump was found guilty on 34 unlawful acts) who declared Portland “war-ravaged,” according to today’s New York Times.

Our governor simply said: “Let’s not take the bait.”

Tina Kotek—a rational and just human being—is right.

Don’t take the bait.

Portlanders have been posting photos of peaceful protests and bucolic scenes on social media for days, in anticipation of lies shared by the president and his public relations hacks.

One thing is clear: facts and reality have little purchase among America’s leaders intent on stripping cities, like Portland, of its constitutional right to self govern.

How to Respond?

My social media pals have responded with humor and good taste, showing viewers the reality of Portland’s neighborhoods.

I have given myself the task of making cards that can be shared, uploaded and mailed that set straight some of the lies.

One card takes aim at censorship from the felon-in-charge. It reads:

“Imagine living in a country where certain words and phrases are forbidden, and where censors remove concepts such as slavery, sexism and racism from government websites, mission statements, monuments and more.

“You will now find lists of forbidden words in the United States, where an unAmerican tyrannical order is gaining traction by reframing history and, most troubling, reality.

“One example is the Civil War-era photograph of an escaped slave called Gordon, who posed for images that show his mutilated skin scarred from a savage whipping.

“Copies of the photos—which were circulated widely in the public arena at the time—were meant to curry favor for the abolishment of slavery.

“The National Portrait Gallery, the National Gallery of Art and the Fort Pulaski National Monument have copies of the photos that have been on display at various times and are now under ideological scrutiny by government workers charged with removing artifacts deemed unAmerican: a term now re-fashioned so tyrants can rewrite history and quash free speech and press freedoms of truth-seekers. For more see Ritchie Calvin, 13 February 2025, The Medium.”

The image is in the public domain:

28-29 September 2025