Inflatable frogs, dinos and unicorns have been demonstrating against Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Portland as protesters seek to counter the grim narrative that President Donald Trump has pushed of the city.
“It’s the most Portland thing I’ve ever seen next to the naked bike ride,” says Jordy, a 30-year-old Portland resident who helped organize the distribution of costumes under an effort dubbed “Operation Inflation,” and who declined to share a last name for privacy reasons. “Right in the face of ICE and DHS and this Trump narrative.”
As the name suggests, the operation involves demonstrators wearing a range of inflatable animal outfits as they attend protests in a bid to highlight both community and hope in the face of a surge of federal agents in the city.
The costumes push back on Trump’s depiction of Portland, which he’s called “war ravaged” Jordy says, and have helped de-escalate tensions at times.
“It really quickly, in like a matter of minutes, just changed the entire vibe for everybody and de-escalated tensions and even some of these right-wing provocateurs, they couldn’t help but laugh,” Jordy told HuffPost.
