PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Seth Todd was wearing an inflatable frog costume while protesting outside the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Building in Portland, Oregon, when a federal officer unleashed a torrent of chemical spray directly into the costume's air vent.
Video of the incident on Oct. 2 has spread, and puffed-out costumes — hippos in tutus, Mr. Potato Heads, dinosaurs — have quickly become a feature of protests against President Donald Trump’s administration, including the massive "No Kings" marches across the U.S. last weekend.
Todd, 24, said that while the attention has been overwhelming, he is nonetheless “honored to have inspired a movement like this.”
“It’s helping to … combat that specific narrative that we are violent and we are agitating,” he said.
Countering Trump, in costume
For protesters like Todd, the costumes are a way of fighting absurdity with absurdity: a playful counter to Trump’s portrayal of Portland as “war ravaged,” “burning down” and “like living in hell.”
The Trump administration’s efforts to deploy the National Guard there for the stated purpose of protecting federal property are still blocked by the courts for now.
Portland’s ICE building outside downtown has been the site of nightly protests that peaked in June when police declared one demonstration a riot. Smaller clashes have also occurred since then, and federal officers have fired tear gas to clear crowds, which at times have included counter-protesters and live-streamers.
Nighttime protesters, frequently numbering just a couple dozen in the weeks before Trump called up the Guard, have used bullhorns to shout obscenities. They have also sought to block vehicles from entering and leaving the facility. Federal officials argue that they have impeded law enforcement operations.
‘Keep Portland Weird’
The inflatable costumes are a testament to the city’s quirky protest culture — which also recently included a naked bike ride — and its unofficial motto, “Keep Portland Weird.”
“Portland has always prided itself on this spirit of protest,” said Marc Rodriguez, a Portland State University professor of history and expert in social justice movements.
The costumes also play well on social media, showing the protesters as nonviolent, he added.
Frogs and more trend beyond Portland
Some groups have started giving out the costumes to encourage more demonstrators to wear them. In Austin, Texas, college student Natalie McCabe got a free inflatable bald eagle costume. At the recent No Kings rally, she hung out with a unicorn and a frog.
“Seeing people happy and having a good time and doing something different, like a distraction, it’s just how it should be,” she said.
At the No Kings march in Chicago, Kristen Vandawalker dressed up as an inflatable “pegacorn” — part Pegasus, part unicorn — and posed for photos with the city’s Trump tower in the background, as bubbles from a bubble machine floated by.
“I think everybody just got the memo after Portland that this is something that we can do, and it’s something that the right doesn’t know what to make of,” said Vandawalker, the political action director for Indivisible Chicago Northwest. “Certainly, like the ICE agents don’t seem to know what to make of people in costumes. It’s hard to look threatening when there’s a fan blowing you up.”
The Department of Homeland Security and ICE did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment on the inflatable costumes at protests.
Operation Inflation
In recent weeks, Portland residents have launched groups such as the Portland Frog Brigade, whose members sport inflatable frog costumes, and Operation Inflation, which hands out inflatable costumes to protesters for free.
On Tuesday, Operation Inflation co-founders Brooks Brown and Jordy Lybeck dropped off about 10 costumes — among them a mushroom, Frankenstein and panda — outside Portland’s ICE building. They placed some on a costume rack and helped demonstrators put them on.
The group has seen donations pour in and plans to expand to other U.S. cities, Brown said.
“It feels really light-hearted and it feels that we’re showing these guys that we are not scared of them,” said protester Briana Nathanielsz, who opted for one of the Frankenstein costumes. “We’re going to keep having fun and keep Portland weird and safe.” ___
Mattise reported from Nashville, Tennessee.