I'm shocked! Occupy Portland gets fair treatment in the MSM

[Rabblevox]

(edited for content)

For those not familiar with Oregon, The Oregonian is the biggest paper in the state, and is pretty reliably the voice of corporations, police, and government. It loves to hate hippies, punks, and activists. You can count on the "O" to either under-report or be hostile towards just about any protest or direct action. The managing editor is a life-long republicon.

So imagine my surprise when I saw this coverage:

Asiyih Harrison holds her 2-year-old son in her arms among hundreds of protesters in downtown Portland and knows he might not remember the moment.

The young mother took part in day three of the Occupy Portland protests on Saturday, standing shoulder to shoulder with other people protesting what they see as economic and social injustices in the nation. A sign taped to the back of her toddler, Luca, read, "I am here to protect my future."

"I'm proud of this," said Harrison, a 24-year-old Beaverton resident. "We're out here because we're part of the vanishing middle class and we just wanted to do something to stop it."

Occupy Portland protesters plan to march Sunday at noon through downtown after agreeing to ensure the Portland Marathon runs without a hitch by vacating one of the downtown parks they have taken over. Protesters spent much of Saturday holding signs, chanting, dancing and encouraging passing drivers to honk in support.

Demonstrators voted Saturday morning to leave Lownsdale Square at Southwest Third Avenue and Main Street by 4 a.m. Sunday and gather at Portland State University in the South Park Blocks for the afternoon march. Late Saturday protesters said the office of Mayor Sam Adams invited them to march behind the runners at 2:30PM. in the vicinity of the Rose Quarter, eventually returning to the two squares between 4 and 5 p.m., after the marathon is expected to have finished. Details on how the demonstrators would get to the Rose Quarter were not available. Chapman Square, which has been filled with tents since Thursday, will remain a refuge for demonstrators.

“The Portland police and Portland Marathon organizers have been very good to us,” Ivy Knight, an organizer of Occupy Portland, said Saturday. “Portland is really lucky because there are occupy events in other cities that haven’t been as peaceful.”

Portland Marathon organizers have permits for both Chapman and Lownsdale squares through the weekend, but have allowed protesters to stay in Chapman in exchange for clearing Lownsdale and not disrupting the race. The 40th annual event starts at 7 a.m. on Sunday with about 15,000 runners and walkers are expected to fill downtown Portland streets.

“If you get right down to it, our messages are kind of similar,” said Portland Marathon course director Chris Hardman. “The spirit of both our events are about community and I think both have contributed to maintaining high spirits for everyone.”

More:
http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2011/10/occupy_portland_march_planned.html

My gods, accurate and sympathetic coverage from a fairly conservative major media? Will the sun still rise in the east this morning?

[Lizzie Poppet]

1. Mind-blowing, innit?

I think even the usually-clueless Oregonian realized, perhaps, that this isn't the same as past protests...that the Occupy movement is far, far more widespread (in terms of public support) than what they've seen in the past. Either some of the editorial board are sympathetic (stop laughing! It could happen!) or they're scared.