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Robby Roadsteamer, who is a comedian, got arrested by ICE agents when he was at a protest in Portland, Oregon, performing a mocking song wearing a giraffe costume. The incident that Joy-Ann Reid of MSNBC spotlighted has ignited a fierce debate about the tension between freedom of expression and police powers and it was Roadsteamer who at last had to contend with a trespass case.
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Joy-Ann Reid remarked that the arrest of musical comedian Robby Roadsteamer is the case which has come to be ‘how wild it is’. The comedian who calls himself Rob Potylo was apprehended by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents while he was demonstrating outside an ICE facility in Portland. Robby shared a video of himself wearing a complete giraffe outfit, chanting a parody of Rod Stewart’s ‘Da Ya Think I’m Sexy?’ but with newly composed lyrics that went, ‘If you detest brown people and you are a Nazi.’ He appears to be positioned behind a ‘Do Not Cross’ blue line, but the video shows a team of ICE officers in military-style uniforms approaching, grabbing the performer, and leading him towards the building.
The arrest has attracted an immediate and fierce response from the public, most of whom interpret the detention as a flagrant breach of free speech rights. One observer labeled Roadsteamer ‘a hero of the resistance,’ and this was a dominant sentiment among the responses. The debate immediately moved from the particular arrest to the generalized curbing of freedom of speech and the abuse of power by federal agents. An individual claiming to be a veteran service member asked a thought-provoking question about the ICE officers’ Battle Dress Uniforms which is usually only for the army. The comments that followed speculated about the training and the mission of those officers, and one remarked, ‘The proud boys/Incompetent Commando Emulators get a whopping 2 weeks of training. And bonuses paid out for years so the gestapo is a long planned thing across America.’
The fear and frustration of the people were very much felt in their replies. ‘Worry, these people are not playing or following the law. And no one can stop them. We may never see that man again. Stay safe,’ one person wrote echoing the general concern. Another said, ‘ICE agents do not have rights to abduct protesters! This is not RUSSIA yet! He should sue DHS!’ The dictatorship reference implied a very wide political divide over the case. The argument about the legality of the arrest was concluded by one user who asked, ‘Since when is it wrong or illegal to talk shit to police???’, to which another answered rather forcefully, ‘Since Trump and his goons.’
One of the main sources of criticism was the perceived weakness of the officers who had been involved. The agents were mocked by the public for their handling of one comic impersonator who was in a costume. In one long post the following statement was made, ‘ICE are some of the thinnest-skinned pussies on earth. All that posturing to look tough, and they arrest a comedian in a giraffe costume because he hurt their wittle fee-fees…Every time they call liberals/leftists whiny crybabies is projection. Because the only reason you’d feel the need to dress up in tactical gear and two-against-one grab a guy in a costume for saying words you don’t like is because you’re a cowardly, limp-dicked, blubbering, snowflake pissbaby.’ This perspective that the arrest revealed the insecurity of the police rather than their strength got widespread backing. Simply another user remarked, ‘They seem pretty thinned skinned if you asked me.’
Amidst the anger, there were practical suggestions of actions. Besides posting the links to Roadsteamer’s website for helping with his legal fees, one person had the idea, ‘Can we sell downloads of his song to help with bail? Perfect tune for No Kings rallies too!’ Some questioned the local cops’ involvement with one comment being, ‘Where are the ACTUAL police? They should be on hand for times like this.’ The replies to this question led to the conclusion that the police were there but just standing by silently, with one saying that they were ‘Standing right there, wishing they had this same freedom from accountability.’
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The incident with Robby Roadsteamer has turned into a battleground and has, in a way, foreshadowed tentative arrest reports turning into a representation of the political atmosphere of the day. The spectacle of a giraffe-suited performer being escorted out by armed personnel has made an indelible and significant image for the critics of the government, one where ridicule is countered by violence and dissent is regarded as a danger. One commenter put it in a very blunt way: ‘This is a very dangerous situation with the destroying of free speech in this country.’ The Portland event echoes on, illustrating the bitter and unresolved struggle over the limits of protest and authority in America today.
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