The Portland Interfaith Clergy Resistance, lead by Rabbi Ariel Stone, has been downtown since the protests began 55 days ago, supporting the people on the street and providing a daily witness.
Religious News Service – July 2020
Amid the ongoing demonstrations in Portland, Oregon, where officers from various federal agencies have clashed nightly with protesters, several groups of observers can be spotted by their distinctive colors:
Members of the American Civil Liberties Union in blue.
Members of the National Lawyers Guild donning neon green hats.
The Wall of Moms, clad in yellow.
And a group of clergy walking around in purple vests.
Chief among them is Rabbi Ariel Stone, who has convened a group of 100 clergy, outraged by the use of force by the Portland police as well as the federal troops called in by President Donald Trump. On one occasion she also arrived with her shofar, or ram’s horn.
The group she’s convened, the Portland Interfaith Clergy Resistance, makes sure at least one of its members is downtown each night and able to report back on what he or she sees — whether it’s the use of tear gas, or the arrests of protesters pulled into unmarked SUVs.