It Did Happen Here is an independently produced podcast and a collectively written book about
anti-fascist struggles that took place in Portland, OR following the 1988 murder of Ethiopian immigrant Mulugeta Seraw by racist skinheads.
It is the story of how disparate groups used a diversity of tactics to fight neo-nazi violence and right wing organizing in the Rose City in the ‘80s and ‘90s.
For the podcast, I was a co-producer, interviewer, and co-host alongside Portland hip-hop legend Mic Crenshaw. I also conducted research and transcribed interviews. The project was a collaborative effort, executive produced by Erin Yanke, with writing by Moe Bowstern, sound editing and design by Icky A, and image archiving by Julie Perini.
It Did Happen Here is the winner of a
2022 Oregon Heritage Excellence Award.
It Did Happen Here Podcast Trailer, Edited by Icky A
It Did Happen Here Book Trailer, Edited by Celina Flores
Late one night in November 1988 racist skinheads attacked a group of Ethiopian immigrants in the working class Kerns neighborhood of Southeast Portland.
28-year-old Mulugeta Seraw died from wounds inflicted by his three assailants. His attackers were all young men, ages 19, 23 and 24: a punk rocker, a homecoming king with substance use issues and a street kid; and all members of East Side White Pride, a racist neo-nazi crew.
In the late 1980s, Portland was a known haven for racist skinheads. They roamed the core of Portland unhindered. This episode is about Portland back then, in the before, when Portland was a skinhead stomping ground.
At the end of 1988 racist skinheads flexed power on the streets and in the show spaces of Portland. This episode is about Portlanders who came together in response to neo-nazi violence after the 1988 murder of Mulugeta Seraw and formed the Coalition for Human Dignity.
In this episode we return to the Rose City as Portland punks solidify an anti-fascist stance and square off. No more mingling with spiky-haired punks one night and racist skinheads the next; the chronic bypassing of casual racism becomes confrontational. We hear from punks China, Jason, Kelly and Jorin, activists Scot Nakagawa, M. Treloar, and Jonathan Mozzochi, and journalist Patrick Mazza about different tactics for organizing across different groups and the surprising effect it has on the scene.
In this episode, we join narrator Mic Crenshaw and his old friends Jason Nevilles aka Jay aka Gator, Marty, Nissa and Jibari - all midwestern anti racist skinheads. They were interviewed to talk about why they joined together, what motivated and influenced them, the politics and social pressures in which they operated and how they ultimately formed the national network known as Anti Racist Action that laid the foundations for today’s Antifa consciousness.
In Episode 6, members of the Coalition for Human Dignity (CHD) describe defense strategies. Working together with ARA, SHARP, individuals and families under threat from racist skinhead violence they co-developed the support strategy they called House Defense; they also trained themselves in security and offered basic support to local groups. The mutual aid that was established created a community-wide bond many still feel today.
In this episode, we offer another example of the Coalition for Human Dignity's dedication to using a diversity of tactics in the fight to drive white nationalists out of Portland. We learn the secrets of the surveillance wing of the Coalition for Human Dignity in a behind the scenes visit to the Shop, where activists carefully compiled and painstakingly processed information on local and regional white nationalist groups.
On December 31, 1992 SHARPs and neo-Nazis met up on icy streets with fatal results. Episode 9 tells the story of the New Year’s Eve that changed the life of one SHARP member and shifted the balance of the struggle to take Portland’s streets back from racist skinheads.
In this episode, we hear from the young anti-racist skinheads who physically confronted local racist boneheads, who took direct action to kick nazi scum out of the Rose City.
In this episode we look at the Coalition For Human Dignity’s move to Seattle, the merger with the Northwest Coalition Against Malicious Harassment and financial collapse. We hear reflections on the good, the bad and the ugly, with advice on moving forward today.
In the 11th episode of the podcast we hear about the end of Portland Anti Racist Action, the consequences of being a SHARP, and other reflections by the punks; we also hear words of wisdom offered in hindsight, with love from the now-middle aged activists.