‘They were a lot more aggressive at the ICE agency in Portland than I have seen yet,’ he said. ‘They’re shooting pepper balls right at me.’
By Nick A. Zaino III Globe correspondent,Updated October 16, 2025, 6:39 p.m.
In a scene that has now gone viral thanks to videos posted to his social media accounts, Boston performance artist Robby Roadsteamer was detained Wednesday at a protest outside of an ICE facility in Portland, Ore.
Dressed as a giraffe and singing a parody of Rod Stewart’s “Do Ya Think I’m Sexy?,” Roadsteamer, whose real name is Rob Potylo, taunted ICE agents with the lyrics, “If you hate brown people and you are a Nazi, come on ICE, leave Portland.” One of the now-famous Portland frogs can be seen dancing to the music, along with people dressed as sharks, hippos, and dinosaurs.
The videos show three agents in camouflage uniforms, masks, and helmets approaching Potylo from inside the facility. Two of them can be seen taking hold of him and pushing him into the facility, while the third turns to the crowd and walks backward while holding a rifle.
Potylo was back home in Boston Thursday, though he notes he has to return to Portland at some point to fight a citation. He is a veteran of these types of absurdist political protests, but says this one felt different.
“They were a lot more aggressive at the ICE agency in Portland than I have seen yet,” he said. “At a certain point, they brought out three guys in camo fatigues who went on top of a rooftop. And you can watch the video. It’s very clear, and they’re shooting at me. They’re shooting pepper balls right at me.”
Shortly after that, Potylo said, “they pretty much just grabbed me in front of the crowd.”