Yarn as a Tool of Resistance
In a city known for its creativity and unconventional activism, a group of Portlanders found a new way to protest — with yarn. On Thursday, outside the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in South Portland, knitters and crocheters gathered to demonstrate peacefully, blending art, protest, and community into what they call “craftivism.”
“I’m just a self-proclaimed yarn punk,” said crocheter Vincent Green-Hite, as he set up a folding table covered in yarn and crochet hooks. “Crafting is one of the most punk things you can be doing right now.”
Green-Hite, who teaches fiber arts and has built a strong following on Instagram, offered free crochet lessons to anyone who wanted to learn. “Many generations have used crochet and knitting as tools for resistance,” he explained. “Crochet, knitting — all fiber arts are for anybody. And so is the city of Portland.”
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The Frog Brigade and Fiber Protesters
At the table, Green-Hite was crocheting a frog-themed scarf, inspired by the whimsical Portland Frog Brigade — a group of protesters known for wearing inflatable frog costumes during demonstrations.
“The frogs have done a great job showing the world that it’s just silly to call Portland a violent place,” he said. “It’s a weird city, a really creative one. We’re just out here displaying our First Amendment right to craft in peace.”
He wasn’t alone for long. By midmorning, a group of knitters joined him, setting up lawn chairs across from the ICE building. The scene quickly turned into a peaceful gathering of yarn, laughter, and quiet defiance.
A Long Tradition of Knitting for Change
Knitting has long been intertwined with protest movements. From the pink “pussy hats” of the 2017 Women’s March to Vietnam-era peace scarves, fiber art has served as both a statement and a unifying symbol.
Later this month, Common Cause Oregon will host a “Knitting In Protest” event from 10 a.m. to noon, Oct. 25, at the corner of Southwest Park Avenue and Mill Street during the Portland Farmers Market. The group is encouraging participants to bring their crafts — knitting, crochet, embroidery — to oppose the Trump administration’s plan to deploy federal troops in Portland.
Knitters Take a Stand
Earlier on Thursday, Michele Lee Bernstein, creator of the PDX Knitterati brand, joined eight fellow knitters outside the ICE facility. They brought folding chairs, projects, and a sign quoting Exodus: “And if you refuse to let them go, behold, I will send a plague of frogs.”
“My goal is to show that Portland isn’t burning to the ground or out of control,” Bernstein said. “We don’t need a federalized National Guard. Peaceful protest is a constitutional right — and that’s what we’re doing.”
Bernstein knitted from 9:30 a.m. to noon, chatting with curious passersby and tourists from New York, Florida, Nebraska, and Colorado who stopped to ask about the demonstration. “They were all supportive,” she said. “It’s amazing how something as simple as yarn can connect people.”
Creativity Meets Defiance
By late afternoon, Courtney Dowell arrived with four friends, all armed with knitting needles and determination. They stood across the street from the ICE facility, joining Green-Hite’s table of yarn and hooks. Dowell was knitting a hat emblazoned with the words “Knitters Against ICE.”
“We have such a big, lovely knitting community here,” she said. “This is how we show solidarity — by creating together. Also, I think it makes fascists look stupid.”
The knitters stayed until dusk, leaving around 6:30 p.m. as tensions at the site began to rise.
When Protest Meets Confrontation
After sunset, federal officers typically emerge to allow ICE vehicles in and out of the facility — moments when confrontations with protesters are more likely. Around 7 p.m., officers rushed into the crowd to detain an individual, accidentally knocking over Green-Hite’s crochet table in the process.
Yarn skeins tumbled into the dirt, hooks scattered, and half-finished scarves unraveled. But Green-Hite remained calm. “Art is political — always, inherently,” he said as fellow protesters helped him reassemble the table. “This is just another way to show it.”
He resumed crocheting amid the noise and flashing lights.
Stitching Solidarity
As night fell over South Portland, the image of knitters and crocheters sitting calmly outside a federal building — surrounded by yarn, laughter, and defiance — captured what many call the essence of Portland’s spirit.
“It’s creativity as protest,” said one participant. “It’s softness as strength.”
And for Green-Hite, that’s exactly the point. “I can’t wait to see how other people get creative with their resistance,” he said. “Because every stitch is an act of freedom.”
