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"Portland, Oregon, 1988. The brutal murder of Ethiopian immigrant Mulugeta Seraw by racist skinheads shocked the city. In response disparate groups quickly came together to organize against white nationalist violence and right wing organizing throughout the Rose City and the Pacific Northwest. It Did Happen Here compiles interviews with dozens of people who worked together during the waning decades of the 20th century to reveal an inspiring collaboration between groups of immigrants, civil rights activists, militant youth, and queer organizers. This oral history focuses on participants in three core groups: the Portland chapters of Anti Racist Action and Skinheads Against Racial Prejudice, and the Coalition for Human Dignity. Using a diversity of tactics-from out-and-out brawls on the streets and at punk shows, to behind-the-scenes intelligence gathering-brave antiracists unified on their home ground over and over, directly attacking right wing fascists and exposing white nationalist organizations and neo-Nazi skinheads. Embattled by police and unsupported by the city, these citizen activists eventually drove the boneheads out of the music scene and off the streets of Portland. This book shares their stories about what worked, what didn't, and ideas on how to continue the fight"--
List of contents
Foreword: Eric K. Ward
Introduction: Alec “Icky” Dunn
Map
Participants
Chapter 1: Broken Treaties to Brewpubs: Setting the Scene
Chapter 2: He Lived as a Peacemaker: The Murder of Mulugeta Seraw
Chapter 3: Building Community Defense: The Rise of the Coalition for Human Dignity
Chapter 4: From Uptown to the World: The Minneapolis Baldies, The Syndicate, and Anti Racist Action
Chapter 5: The Action Part: Portland ARA
Chapter 6—A Diversity of Tactics: The Big Tent of the CHD
Chapter 7– Sharper times: On the streets with the Skinheads Against Racial Prejudice
Chapter 8—This is My City: The Story of Jon Bair
Chapter 9—Less Booted More Suited: The End of the Coalition for Human Dignity
Chapter 10—Nothing is Final
Chapter 11—Together Against
Appendices
- A: Homophobic Violence Documentation Project
- B: The Holocaust Denier
- C: Berhanu v. Metzger
- D: The Producers
Notes on Interviews, Sources, and Research
Credits and Thank You List
Biographies
Index
About the author
Moe Bowstern is an @-zone alum, writer, laborer, Fisher Poet, and DIY social practice artist. Moe is the longtime editor of many publications, including the commercial fishing zine
Xtra Tuf. She was a writer on the podcast version of
It Did Happen Here and lives in Portland, OR.
Summary
Portland, Oregon, 1988: the brutal murder of Ethiopian immigrant Mulugeta Seraw by racist skinheads shocked the city.
In response disparate groups quickly came together to organize against white nationalist violence and right-wing organizing throughout the Rose City and the Pacific Northwest.
It Did Happen Here compiles interviews with dozens of people who worked together during the waning decades of the twentieth century to reveal an inspiring collaboration between groups of immigrants, civil rights activists, militant youth, and queer organizers. This oral history focuses on participants in three core groups: the Portland chapters of Anti-Racist Action and Skinheads Against Racial Prejudice, and the Coalition for Human Dignity.
Using a diversity of tactics—from out-and-out brawls on the streets and at punk shows, to behind-the-scenes intelligence gathering—brave antiracists unified on their home ground over and over, directly attacking right-wing fascists and exposing white nationalist organizations and neo-Nazi skinheads. Embattled by police and unsupported by the city, these citizen activists eventually drove the boneheads out of the music scene and off the streets of Portland. This book shares their stories about what worked, what didn’t, and ideas on how to continue the fight.
