Freedom Socialist • Vol. 26, No.1 • February-March 2005

Portland, January 8: turning out to defend a neighborhood from infiltration by the racist Tualatin Valley Skinheads.

On January 8, the Tualatin Valley Skinheads (TVS) planned to gather for a recruitment drive at Gabriel Park in Southwest Portland, Oregon. The neo-Nazis intended to wrap racist leaflets around rocks and then throw them onto the lawns of nearby homes.

It is no coincidence that TVS targeted their message of bigotry at a diverse neighborhood with strong Jewish and Muslim populations.

But the brownshirts were in for a surprise. When word of their plans got out, an anti-Nazi coalition formed swiftly and decided to organize a counter-action at the same park. On the scheduled day, a huge multiracial crowd filled Gabriel Park an hour before TVS was scheduled to arrive.

Picketers chanted "Racist, sexist, Nazi Klan, we will stop you, yes we can," as they paraded along one of the locations where TVS was supposed to meet. When a few bigots showed up to scope out the scene, they quickly fled.

The coalition's victory powerfully reaffirmed the effectiveness of united, direct confrontation against racist skinheads. Summarized neighborhood resident Marjie Sandoz, "People ready to take a stand for civil rights are the best antidote to displays of Hitlerism."

Whirlwind of organizing. The success of anti-Nazi forces was all the more impressive given that they had less than two weeks to mobilize.

Local authorities sat on the information about the TVS gathering, and then announced plans for a "unity rally" to be held at a community center a mile away from Gabriel Park. They viewed their rally as a safer alternative to confronting the white supremacists face-to-face.

But upon hearing this news, Radical Women (RW) and the Freedom Socialist Party (FSP) contacted other community activists to discuss the importance of not giving the neighborhood up to Nazis. The Ad Hoc Coalition to Protest the Tualatin Valley Skinheads was formed, and the group decided upon a visible, militant protest at Gabriel Park.

The coalition produced a leaflet motivating the rally, which asserted: "We need to take these would-be dictators seriously and respond to their rise with a counter-movement. It is the only way to stop them. Legislation can't stop them. Nor can the police."

The debate about whether to face down the bigots or hold a vigil somewhere else is not a new one. But past experience shows that a head-on response to Nazis can stop them from taking root.

During the 1990s, the United Front Against Fascism, initiated by RW and FSP in Seattle, stopped the Aryan Nations and other white supremacists from gaining ground in the Northwest. UFAF worked with other groups to hold counter-protests and pickets whenever the racists tried to organize or hold public meetings.

Support snowballs. Similarly, the coalition in Portland demonstrated that people are eager to challenge hatemongers like TVS if they are given an organized outlet.

Said Franklin High School student Mike DeBenedetti, "When I heard the Nazis were going to litter people's yards with their bigoted leaflets, I had to get involved."

Endorsements for the coalition started rolling in. Neighborhood residents, the Islamic Center of Portland, and CAUSA, an Oregon immigrant rights organization, were among the many groups and individuals who wanted their name on the coalition's leaflet.

Particularly impressive was backing from labor, including Portland Jobs with Justice, United Food and Commercial Workers Local 555, and Richard Beetle, Secretary/Treasurer of the Laborers International Union of North America Local 483. Noteworthy support also came from several small businesses in the Black community and many Portland State University student groups.

Coalition members handed out the leaflet far and wide, especially around Gabriel Park, to generate support for the rally.

Another key to coalition success was the application of united-front principles. Activists of various political shades — anarchists, socialists, civil rights and religious activists, and others — all agreed to set political differences aside for the common, immediate goal of defending a multi-ethnic neighborhood against Nazi bully tactics.

An especially important role was played by Portland Anti-Imperialists, who helped to break a press blackout by getting word of the rally to the community through the alternative Indymedia.

Objective met. In spite of gray, rainy skies and chilly temperatures, a diverse crowd of about 500 people showed up at the park ready to challenge the racist skinheads. Tight, well-organized security ensured that the event ran smoothly and kept protesters' focus on collective, rather than individual, confrontation with the Nazis.

Police, who earlier tried to discourage people from attending the rally, showed up with a heavy and, no doubt, expensive presence. Foot and horse patrols and cops in cars lined the park. But despite a general history of police harassment of anti-Nazi protesters, the cops did not intervene. The protest was peaceful and eloquent, getting its message out loudly and emphatically.

A victory to be proud of. At an open microphone following the picket, speakers lined up to convey how significant the day was, and what a positive experience it had been.

They included unionists, an NAACP officer, neighborhood residents, feminists, queers, a Native American radio activist, leftists, Jews, and Middle Eastern university students, among others.

Alton McDonald, an African American leader of the National Action Network, traveled from Washington state to be at the rally. He told the enthusiastic crowd, "Portland, I say to you, continue your quest for justice ... to stand up for what you believe in."

City officials willing to abandon Gabriel Park to the Nazi skinheads were taken to task by Jordana Sardo, who just completed a run for state representative as an FSP candidate. "The community needs to unite to confront Hitler-wanna-bes with our own leadership."

Said DeBenedetti of the protest, "As a high school student helping to coordinate it, I was really impressed by the vast number of youth who came out in force to show their unity and to speak out against hate."

With an unqualified victory under their belts, Portlanders are well positioned, should the TVS show its face again, to mobilize and send those skinheads scurrying right back under their rocks.

Brian Barnett, a participant in the Ad Hoc Coalition against the TVS, can be reached at babrev @ hotmail.com.