The 2020 Portland Protest Shooting meme stems from the intense civil unrest and clashes between political factions in Portland, Oregon, during the summer of 2020. Specifically, it captures the tension surrounding the confrontation between supporters of the Patriot Prayer group and counter-protesters. While rooted in a tragic real-world event, the image became a template on various internet forums to symbolize extreme escalations in arguments, the polarized nature of modern political discourse, or the feeling of being caught in a volatile situation. Users often apply the template to depict situations where a small disagreement rapidly transforms into a major conflict, using the high-stakes visual to emphasize the intensity of online or offline debates.