How anarchists captured Portland – UnHerd

On the face of it, Petunia s bakery in Portland epitomises everything progressive about the city. Its pies and pastries are wheat-free, look pretty on Instagram and, more importantly, taste delicious.

But take a moment to read the sign on the shop s window as you enter, and it soon becomes clear that Petunia s has been drawn into a far darker chapter of the Portland story; one that tells of a city in free fall due to an almost accidental anarchist takeover, where residents have as much to fear staying home as going out and even the most harmless of shops is liable to have its windows smashed in.

The sign is Petunia s special take on a Portlandian phenomenon that my wife Heather has come to call a don t-hurt-me wall a now-widespread attempt by local business owners to make anarchists think twice before vandalising their shop or café.

via unherd.com