Anyone paying an ounce of attention to President Donald Trump and his administration’s reactions to protests in Portland knows how confusing it has become .

Yet even people who know Trump is wrong when he calls the city a “war zone” that’s “burning to the ground” still have questions and -- remembering 2020 -- worry about protesters’ motivations.

Even people living a few blocks away from the ICE facility who support the idea of protests say it’s not exactly “nothing” that’s playing out nightly in their neighborhood .

And that’s true. Protests in South Portland are relatively calm and lack the persistent violence and vandalism we saw in 2020, yet they’re disruptive for local residents and businesses . Federal officers have used tear gas and pepper balls with seemingly

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