(PORTLAND) Veterans Day became a stand-in for the Portland ICE facility as Police Chief Bob Day ignored media requests.
That's right, soldiers who sacrificed their lives for our freedom fought for the same for detainees, while the head protector in the city says nothing.
Getting right to the point, OpGov.ai has followed the Portland ICE facility in both these stories, including No Arrests at Portland ICE facility and Oregon National Guard Waits for Orders.
To the media outlet's surprise, Veterans Day shed more light on the protested matter when finding The Oregonian report "Veterans rally near Portland facility to decry deportations, 'authoritarianism.'"
More than 200 people gathered at Elizabeth Caruthers Park, according to the report, to hear Veteran Joseph Funk's message.
“This is not what we fought for,” Funk said.
Then he asked a question to the crowd.
“I didn’t carry a weapon so it could be turned against my own community. Did you? Will you?”
The crowd screamed no, according to the report. The chaos surrounding the issue is evident everywhere, from social media to nightly national news. One local shared the pictures below with OpGov.ai last week, revealing the danger right outside the facility firsthand.
While a picture speaks a thousand words, social media posts confirm the same, with one resident getting very personal with his fears with what is probably a fictitious name due to his circumstances.
"I can't comment as a citizen, since I am not one," O'Donnell writes to OpGov.ai.
Nextdoor exchange between OpGov.ai reporter Rory Holbrook and Portland locals
While local "illegal" aliens live in fear, and "plain locals" do the same due to the surrounding danger, Police Chief Day does not respond to media requests for comment, as seen below. However, the bureau does have time to issue a template press release that it uses repeatedly, stating that no arrests were made as of today.
"On the evening of Tuesday, November 11, 2025, the Portland Police Bureau (PPB) activated an Incident Command Team (IMT), which is overseen by a Crowd Management Incident Commander (CMIC)," the release states. "The CMIC managed numerous resources that included the Rapid Response Team (RRT) and Dialogue Liaison Officers (DLOs). DLOs, wearing white uniform shirts, act as liaisons to demonstrators."
"To date, the total number of arrests related to nightly protests in the South Waterfront is 67," the report states, which is 14 more than OpGov.ai's last report on Oct. 21.
Email to Portland Police Chief Bob Day, which received no response
OpGov.ai can only hope that any reader who cares about the issue speaks out on Nextdoor in reference to this report. Maybe a thread of concern will get Chief Day's attention.
What makes the whole matter even more disheartening is that while America neglects its heroes, as acknowledged by the U.S. Chief Commander Officer in a White House proclamation, they still stand for freedom.
The Oregonian reports, "Portland didn't have a traditional Veterans Day Parade this year," citing a "lack of funding" as the reason.
So while nobody honored local veterans with a parade, they paraded down to the ICE facility to stand for freedom.
Ironic, no?
If you would like to share your thoughts on the issue, email me at rory.h@lead4earth.com.
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