Letter: PDX activists flood Clark County Council over anti-ICE resolution

Rob Anderson argues that organized Portland-based activist groups dominated public comment at a Clark County Council meeting to pressure councilors over an anti-ICE resolution.

Editor’s note: Opinions expressed in this letter to the editor are those of the author alone and may not reflect the editorial position of ClarkCountyToday.com

Last week’s County Council Time meeting was a circus. The so-called “immigration” resolution — better known as the anti-ICE resolution — was the main attraction that brought out all types of characters.

At first glance, it looked like an unusually packed house. On closer inspection, it was a parade that included radical Portland-based activists teamed up with Indivisible Greater Vancouver organizers, sprinkled with a few self-identified anarchists — all part of a coordinated production aimed at bullying Clark County into submission.

The speakers were clearly organized. They dominated public comment, disrupted proceedings, and applied maximum pressure to push the Council not only toward adopting an anti-ICE position, but toward outdoing the city of Vancouver. This was not a grassroots Clark County engagement. It was an imported political operation.

Clark County Today documented the scene clearly: shouting, intimidation, and activist theatrics designed to force compliance rather than encourage thoughtful policymaking. Flyers were distributed promoting Indivisible and other Portland-based activist causes. One speaker referenced an event commonly associated with anarchist organizing. These were not typical, homegrown Clark County voices.

If the public disengages, expect even more PDX activists to flood future meetings as this resolution moves toward final approval.

Episode 4 of ReformCast breaks down what happened at last week’s meeting, how these activist groups coordinated their efforts, and why this moment matters. It also covers new developments, including a recent resignation at Fort Vancouver Regional Libraries that raises additional accountability questions.

This is a watershed moment for Clark County politics. If outside activist groups succeed again without resistance, it will only embolden them — and Clark County will increasingly become a staging ground for Portland’s political battles.

Local residents still have a voice, but only if they use it. You are the catalyst for reform.

Rob Anderson
ReformCast host
Reform Clark County founder

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