A Northeast Portland church was packed to standing room on Tuesday night as U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem toured the city and Portlanders waited to see whether an appeals court would continue to block President Donald Trump from deploying military troops to the city.

U.S. Rep Maxine Dexter and Portland City Council president Elana Pirtle-Guiney, both Democrats, took the pulpit to address hundreds of those worried constituents, many of whom grappled with deep political questions:

How should they fight back against a presidential administration that many Democrats believe is embracing authoritarianism?

Could they trust in the court system, when Trump’s critics argue he’s stacked the courts in his favor or outright ignored their orders?

Will peaceful protest and resp

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