During Black Friday in Portland, Oregon, the movement called "Don't Shoot Portland" organized a "#NotBlackFriday Not One Dime" event in Hollywood Transit with the aim of raising awareness regarding hunger issues in the area. In doing so, the protesters also posted thought provoking artwork. However, these works of art were torn down the very next day.
In a report by Koin 6 News, the protesters wanted to address the food insecurity issues of the poor communities in the area. They have stated on their "Black Lives Matter" Facebook page that the poor living conditions and lack of food and resources forces "systemic discrimination and oppression" within the communities. This is supposedly one of the main elements as to why the urban poor resort to committing petty crimes such as theft and robbery.
Among other issues that the protest group wanted to address was the right and freedom of free speech. "Don't Shoot Portland" is under the umbrella of the "Black Lives Matter" campaign, which has been surrounded by controversy since its public debut. The transport line TriMet agreed that the protesters express themselves as long as the event remain peaceful, as well as respecting the schedule of the transit itself.
However, according to Katu 2, the protesters posted artworks which depicted African Americans being killed by local police officials. These images were deemed to incite hate and were too graphic to be posted along a public transport such as the Hollywood Transit. Thus, the artwork was eventually taken down. Additionally, the protesters left their trash at the transit, which was inconvenient for the commuters and the general public.
Some people who had been subject to the artworks have been perturbed by the "anti-police" depiction of these images, which is a common reaction of those who are not in favor of the "Black Lives Matter" movement. Despite the trash and the graphic artwork, the movement was still able to do some good for the community — as they were able to provide food and clothing, free of charge.
