President Barack Obama landed in Portland today, and according to the reporter allowed to tag along, was ushered directly to an East Portland breakfast joint (the Gateway Breakfast House) where he mingled with the people and cracked a South Park joke:
He greeted one patron, Marvin Self, and said, “Here’s another Marvin,” and pointed to his personal aide, Marvin Nicholson. “He’s not starvin’, believe me,” said Obama of his aide after Marvin jokingly called himself “starvin’ Marvin” after a South Park bit. “You should see him eat,” the president added of his aide.
While that all is going on, a motley crowd of protesters was gathering outside the Convention Center, where Obama staging his $500-1000 per ticket fundraiser. Much of the crowd is pro-marijuana reform protesters and some awesome old ladies with Ceasefire Oregon, which is calling for a ban on sales of assault weapons (like the one that killed 12 people in Colorado last week).
I snapped photos of my favorite protesters in the crowd, starting with this guy:
- A "no coal" contingent was there protesting Oregon's planned new coal export facilities.
Protesters also dropped this large banner from a roof near the Convention Center.
