Portland protests enter a new (inflated) era

Portland’s reputation as a city that embraces protesting has spanned decades.

In 1990, staff members of former President George H.W. Bush famously nicknamed the city “Little Beirut” amid protests targeting Bush and his vice president, Dan Quayle.

After President Donald Trump was elected in 2016, thousands marched through city streets and shut down Interstate 5.

Following the murder of George Floyd in 2020, Portland made national news with intense nightly protests that involved clashes with federal officers, along with local police.

But the current protests in the Rose City targeted toward the Trump administration and federal immigration enforcement look entirely different from protests of Portland’s past — and people across the United States are taking notice.

Centered at the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement building in the otherwise quiet neighborhood of South Portland, a cartoonish scene has developed, starting with a couple of characters and expanding to a colorful menagerie of inflatable animals.

On Saturday, Sept. 27, Trump announced he would send National Guard troops to Portland to enforce his immigration policies and handle “domestic terrorists.” The president has made similar statements about other cities, including Chicago and San Francisco.

Prior to that announcement, OPB had reported on regular clashes outside the ICE building that led to numerous federal charges against protesters, mostly misdemeanor charges over relatively minor incidents.

Trump’s order to mobilize troops is currently on hold, but protests outside the ICE building have steadily grown since his initial order, becoming more colorful and inventive each day. The costumed crowds and scenes incongruous with typical protest images have drawn strong reactions — both positive and negative — from media outlets and politicians nationwide.

Related: US House Speaker calls naked bike protest at Portland ICE facility ‘threatening… ugly’

It seemed to start with a person in a bright-yellow chicken suit, who was a regular at the ICE building for months.

Then an inflatable frog joined in September. Now, there’s a frog colony, Stay Puft Marshmallow Man, sharks, squids, ducks and dinosaurs. There are also other whimsical participants and events in what has become the most unique protest scene in America.

Many evenings, the crowd participates in the “Cha-Cha Slide” or dances to Latin music booming from speakers.

Portland’s Unipiper (a well-known bagpiping unicyclist who wears a Darth Vader mask) has made an appearance. Hundreds of nude and partially clad bicyclists streamed past the ICE facility during an “emergency” naked bike ride protest on Oct. 12.

There was even a wedding between two inflatable characters — Southpark’s Kenny and a unicorn.

Some protesters are now organizing to purchase inflatables to help “deflate” tensions at protests.

Jordy and Lacy, two Portland protesters who declined to provide last names, said they recently started a donation site called Operation Inflation to raise money for costumes. So far, they say they’ve raised enough money to purchase about 700 inflatables.

“We saw the frog guy making the rounds and I just decided, you know what? These things are not super expensive. If we start a website and fund I’m sure people would love to help,” Jordy said.

Other cities, including Chicago, which Trump has also targeted with threats of National Guard troops, have copied Portland’s inflatable presence. Recent Associated Press photos from outside the ICE facility in a Chicago suburb showed an inflatable Cookie Monster, Winnie the Pooh, a penguin and a cow demonstrating.

Portland is entering its fourth week of larger protests following Trump’s directive to mobilize troops.

Nationwide “No Kings” protests on Saturday, Oct. 18, are expected to draw an even bigger crowd in Portland, including at the city’s waterfront and in front of the ICE building.

The future of federal efforts to mobilize troops in Portland, as well as the city’s future protest response, is unclear. But for now, the city has again put itself on the map for its ethos of “Keep Portland Weird.”