Protesting in Portland, Oregon, has always been creative, sometimes taking shocking turns. This time, however, it hit a whole new level of bizarre. A swarm of unclad bikers rolled out to protest at the city’s ICE facility, leaving onlookers astonished and the internet buzzing. A 42-second video, which appeared to have been filmed from the top floor of a nearby building, was posted on Reddit, showcasing the madness as it played out.
In the clip, the person behind the camera kicked off things saying, “Look at the Whites! The Whites have activated!” while panning across the cluster of nude bikers under the drizzling rain. Explaining the sight they were recording, the person continued, “This is the emergency naked bike ride.” The local then quipped, “I’m trying not to zoom in and see no genitals y’all, but good lord, we are outside the ICE facility.”
Capturing the scene from left to right, the person let out a laugh before they joked about having the “chickens and the sharks” on either side. The local then emphasized that the bikers were white people before making a declaration to people of the African-American race. “To my Black people that’s listening to this, performance art, performative action,” they noted and then concluded, “Be blessed.”
The post attracted a lot of comments, ranging from humor and sarcasm to some criticizing the brazen display. “Looks like wet and slippery conditions out there, people.. stay safe,” a Redditor joked, referring to the rain-soaked protesters, while another praised the stunt, “Honestly. This is actually genius. The whole country should just start protesting like Portland. Shut this down.”
They continued by stating their certainty that the ICE agents would be too stunned to react, saying, “They won’t know how to respond. Like, what are they going to do? Start shooting Nemo and Big Bird?” Another netizen chimed in with, “Nothing will freak out Christian fundamentalist MAGA hogs more than damp naked flesh in public.” While another stated with dry sarcasm, “USA 2025. A comedy film in real life”.
One user agreed with the local’s commentry, “Performative action. It’s a beautiful thing, y’all!” they noted. While another found it downright hilarious, “This gave me a good chuckle. Who’s going to arrest the naked man? Last in seniority/lowest rank lmfao.”
Another user wrote, applauding the protest as genius, “If there’s one thing I’ve learned via Publicfreakout is that cops hate dealing with naked people.” However, not everyone was onboard with protest method. “Why do Americans do this when they have guns? Is it just to feel important?” this disappointed user asked.
Protesting in this way may seem unconventional, but sometimes change requires drastic actions.
