"This was one of those eclectic, slightly hippie-ish coffee shops that used to be more common: colorful walls, mismatched armchairs, a big chalkboard advertising a local chess night and a knitting club. It was December 2024 and the national vibes, recall, were quite bad. Would things be any different here? A sleepy Portland coffee shop feels approximately one million miles away from the centers of power, but we live in a world where nothing is hidden and little is beyond reach."
"My fellow cafe patrons were as mismatched as the decor: there was an old guy with a wizard beard scribbling notes on a teetering pile of manuscript pages, a couple of posh moms in the back discussing the latest neighborhood intrigue, and as my cardamom latte arrived, a busker in a battered leather jacket jangled the door chime and started amiably hustling the barista for a bowl of soup."
"I was right to worry of course, for as much good as worrying ever does. In the year since that rainy afternoon, Portland suffered most of the indignities heaped on better known cities. We've enjoyed our own bespoke versions of the housing and affordability crisis. There's been ICE activity in every quadrant of the city and surrounding suburb. Military helicopters buzzed the South Waterfront, and court records indicate we were briefly occupied by the National Guard for the better part of an afternoon."
A rainy December afternoon found an eclectic Portland coffee shop with colorful walls, mismatched armchairs, a chalkboard advertising chess night and a knitting club. Patrons included a wizard-bearded scribbler, posh neighborhood moms, and a busker seeking soup. Concerns about national political and social malaise permeated the mood. Over the following year, Portland experienced housing and affordability strains, visible ICE activity across the city and suburbs, military helicopters over the South Waterfront, and a brief National Guard presence documented in court records. Local life continued amid cruelty, chaos, and everyday small interactions.
Read at Portland Mercury
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