There is no doubt there have been a lot of bizarre, silly and downright weird stories that have come out of the riots in Portland.

But the creepiest moment may have happened last night.

The local police had cleared out the park across the street from the courthouse as part of the agreement that they had with the feds to keep the surrounding area clear of rioters. The park had worked as a staging area for the attacks every night, as I previously reported.

With the rioters’ staging area taken out, they were far more docile and likely had fewer weapons left, which only went to prove the point the feds had been making, that if the local police were allowed to do their jobs and keep the surrounding area clear and safe, then it would largely eliminate the problem.

Funny how when they don’t attack the courthouse, they don’t get tear gassed and have pepper balls shot at them, right? But they tried to spin that as “the evil feds are no longer attacking us.” And of course that excuse doesn’t explain why they were rioting for weeks before the extra feds showed up.

But while the action was a lot mellower at the federal courthouse, over at the Justice Center, they were having a truly gross moment.

They laid an American flag on the ground, put a pig’s head on the flag and put a cop’s hat on the pig’s head. Then they lit it on fire.

Last night was less violent then usual because people didn’t manage to throw explosives or tear down the fence. Federal law enforcement only respond to criminal behavior. There were fights though & people started fires, including burning a severed pig’s head in middle of street. https://t.co/t1mMn7B5p7

— Andy Ngô (@MrAndyNgo) July 31, 2020

Antifa protesters dumped a bloody severed pig's head on an American flag outside the Justice Center in downtown Portland. They put a cop's hat on it and set all of it on fire. #PortlandRiots #antifa pic.twitter.com/qfAOT4ItxP

— Andy Ngô (@MrAndyNgo) July 31, 2020

Last night was not the first time a severed pig’s head was used as a threat to law enforcement in Portland. In the early weeks of the riots, a burnt pig’s head was left at the base of the now-gone elk statue. This was long before federal agents showed up outside the courthouse. pic.twitter.com/uzgeOjo46X

— Andy Ngô (@MrAndyNgo) July 31, 2020

Some thought that a tad occultish. For others it reminded them of the fixation that they have on cops and their infamous chant, “pigs in a blanket, fry ’em like bacon.”

That chant became better known after a BLM supporter assassinated two NYPD officers, Wenjian Lu and Rafael Ramos.
As Legal Insurrection observes, his last Instagram post said, “I’m Putting Wings On Pigs Today. They Take 1 Of Ours…Let’s Take 2 of Theirs. This May Be My Final Post … I’m Putting Pigs In A Blanket.”

How did they share a message of “reformative justice” by burning a severed pig’s head on a defaced American flag? https://t.co/x00yzKp3GY

— Andy Ngô (@MrAndyNgo) August 1, 2020