Inflatable Frog vs. Pepper Spray: Portland’s Protest Theater Gets Stranger
Portland is back in the headlines, and not just for protests. This week, President Trump announced that he was ordering Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to deploy troops to Portland to protect federal facilities, especially ICE buildings.
It sounds like a big security operation, but on the ground it often feels more like slapstick theater.
Troops March In
Trump says the city is overrun by “domestic terrorists” and “anarchists.” The Pentagon followed up by reactivating 200 Oregon National Guard members under federal control. That means they are no longer under the governor’s command and now answer directly to Washington, D.C.
At the same time, the White House is threatening to cut Portland’s federal funding if city officials refuse to cooperate. Nothing says “partnership” quite like: Nice city you’ve got there… would be a shame if something happened to your budget.
Frog vs. Pepper Spray
The most unforgettable scene this week was not from a White House briefing but on the streets of Portland, where a protester showed up in a giant inflatable frog suit.
Inflatable suits are basically plastic balloons with legs. They have one vent hole near the bottom of the back that’s used to pump air in to inflate the suit and then sealed to keep the air inside. Even so, aiming at that spot is absurdly cruel… in a funny way.
An officer decided to aim pepper spray directly at the vent. The result? Instant inflatable gas chamber. Imagine being zipped inside a plastic bag and then having someone pipe pepper spray into your only air source. That frog went from funny parade character to suffocating balloon animal in seconds.
Safe to say that frog will not be leaping to the front line again anytime soon.
The Arrest of Nick Sortor
On October 2, 2025, independent journalist Nick Sortor, a 27-year-old Washington, D.C.-based reporter, was arrested while filming protests near the ICE facility in South Portland. According to eyewitnesses and Sortor’s own account, he was documenting clashes between protesters and counter-protesters when a group of alleged Antifa militants pushed him into a flower bed and threw a punch. Sortor swung back, missed, and approached Portland Police Department (PPD) officers for assistance but was detained instead.
Videos show him wearing a distinctive jacket and holding a camera, clearly identifying him as press, though PPD did not acknowledge this during the arrest. His camera and equipment were temporarily seized during processing at the Multnomah County Detention Center.
Sortor was charged with disorderly conduct in the second degree (a misdemeanor under ORS 166.025), not failure to disperse as some initial reports suggested. He was released without bond early on October 3, with an arraignment set for October 6, 2025. The arrest took place on the edge of the protest zone, away from the main crowd blocking the ICE facility’s driveway.
The arrest sparked widespread criticism. Commentators like Tim Pool and Chaya Raichik accused PPD of targeting journalists while failing to address Antifa-linked disruptions. U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced a federal investigation into PPD on October 3, while DHS officials voiced concerns for Sortor’s safety in custody.
Federal data shows 128 arrests and 27 active FBI investigations tied to ICE facility protests since June 2025, including a surge in attacks on ICE officers. Critics also point to PPD’s reluctance to arrest certain protesters, including one who assaulted journalist Katie Daviscourt on October 1, citing supposed safety concerns.
The Legal Fight
Meanwhile, Oregon and the City of Portland are suing to block Trump’s order, arguing it is unconstitutional and an overreach of power. A federal judge is expected to rule soon on whether the troop deployment holds up in court.
Why It Matters
While lawsuits move through the courts, Portland remains a bizarre mix of serious unrest and absurd street theater. Federal forces are stepping in, local police are under investigation, and protesters are suiting up like cartoon mascots.
But the need for stronger accountability is obvious. Federal agents and Portland officials should be focusing on investigating and arresting Antifa militants driving this chaos, instead of detaining journalists who are trying to document it.
History books might not remember the legal filings, but they will remember that in October 2025, Portland was the place where a frog suit became a pepper spray chamber and a journalist became the latest casualty of confused policing.