PORTLAND, Oregon - It's a typical fall Sunday afternoon here, locals say. Dreary and wet. Temperatures hover in the low 50s, but the cold rain brings a chill to the core. Parents push their children in strollers during downpour breaks, walking and clinging to their coffee cups for warmth. Friends are holed up in bars near downtown, watching NFL games and sharing laughs over brunch plates.
Everytown, USA, some might say: football, friends and family.
But at the Oregon Convention Center Plaza, things look a bit different. A piece of Portland is in protest mode.
Hundreds of people gather to cruise the city on bikes.
In the cold rain.
While naked.
Bits and pieces everywhere.
Organizers of the World Naked Bike Ride scheduled an "emergency" ride on Sunday, Oct. 12, to bring global attention to President Donald Trump's plans to deploy National Guard troops to the city.
There were speeches from local organizers and activists, leading the crowd of young and old in chants. It was fascinating to watch as riders who were full-on naked mingled with those in clear ponchos, underwear - some topless, others bottomless. There was whimsy, of course. Costumes of cartoon characters and puffy pigs; leopard outfits; Halloween masks; and fuzzy hats.
If their naked bodies weren't message enough, their signs made quite clear the intent. And many riders wore their messages painted on their naked bodies.
- "End occupation. End deportation."
- "No one is illegal on stolen land."
- "Kick yourself out - you're an immigrant too."
- "We're cold, but not as cold as ICE."
- "Skin color is not probable cause."
Trump has a narrative about this place. Portland is filled with "antifa and the radical left anarchists," as he calls them. These criminals have created a war-torn environment where federal law enforcement officers are being attacked and the city is burning to the ground.
There have been clashes outside of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Portland in recent weeks. Residents at the rallies don't want ICE agents rounding up fellow Portlanders. They don't approve of the heavy-handed approach to deportation. They don't want to live in a militarized state of existence among National Guard troops.
And they rode out to the ICE facility on Sunday - nearly 4 miles - to continue their protests - naked and unafraid.
"The people are willing to be vulnerable and stand up for something they believe in," artist Tyler Wolters, 35, told me, while rocking a block-head yellow cartoonish costume that read: "I'm here to party."
Wolters was wearing one thing below the waist: flip flops.
"Protesting is peaceful and we are showcasing that by doing what we're doing," he said.
A federal judge has blocked Trump's efforts to deploy troops twice, writing on Oct. 4, "This country has a longstanding and foundational tradition of resistance to government overreach, especially in the form of military intrusion into civil affairs."
U.S. District Judge Karin Immergut, who was appointed during Trump's first term in office, wrote in the ruling, "This historical tradition boils down to a simple proposition: This is a nation of constitutional law, not martial law."
Even those who didn't participate in the bike ride came to bear witness. I noticed a woman fully clothed on the sidewalk watching as the throngs of riders made their way down Grand Avenue. She was smiling widely, yet emotional and near tears.
"Damn, this is a good place to live," Jennifer Frykman, 70, told me. "I know that this city has at its heart a very beating heart of love and compassion."
Her tears began to flow in earnest.
And just a few minutes later, the sun came out.