Experiences and observations from yesterday's protest at the Portland Justice Center and Federal Courthouse: 1/?

#PortlandProtest #blacklivesmatter

Is Portland Safe?

On my short bike to #PortlandProtest I passed folks laughing in parks, bemasked & walking dogs, etc. Everything felt safe & pandemic-normal. We are not a city living in fear, esp. not of "rioting" protesters. 2/?

#blacklivesmatter
" #PortlandRiots "

We approached the waterfront park and awestruck at hundreds of Moms in bright yellow, and then looked back to see that chanting, marching Moms stretched the entire length of the Hawthorne Bridge. 3/?

#portlandprotest
#BlackLivesMatter

One of the Wall of Moms organizers: "We are here to support Black leaders and protesters. This is not our event. This is not our anger or pain. Be calm." (my paraphrase). 4/?

#PortlandProtests
#blacklivesmatter

The Mayor was drowned out by shouts of "Tear Gas Ted". Black leaders: "He came to us, let the man speak!" and, "I'm standing next to him and can't hear him. Please let him speak." Many of the loud chants were started by angry white dudes. 5/?

#PortlandProtests
#blacklivesmatter

I biked into a cloud of dissipating tear gas. Aftereffects I noticed on bystanders were awful--retching, uncontrollable coughing, a sense of panic. Even diffuse, that stuff was nasty. I rinsed my eyes with saline drops before moving on.

6/?

#PortlandProtests
#blacklivesmatter

Two buildings, about two blocks are the focus of most nightly protests. BLM & Moms mostly seemed to stay in front of the County Justice/Police Bureau building. The group in front of the Fed/Court launched fireworks and lit small fires.

7/?

#PortlandProtests
#blacklivesmatter

Flash back to Sunday's protest: one Black speaker said if we were on the Federal building side, we weren't there to help Blacks, that maybe we were endangering them. I didn't understand it then but I think I understand better now.

8/?

#PortlandProtests
#blacklivesmatter

Protests are not monolithic. The right wants to label us violent anarchists but we overwhelmingly consist of nonviolent protesters trying hard to follow the lead of righteously angry but peacefully protesting Black leaders & BLM leaders.

9/?

#PortlandProtests
#blacklivesmatter

One BLM leader said about talking to Ted Wheeler that he didn't agree with him but this is the hard work we need to do, the hard work that saves Black lives. I may have been the only one who clapped & shouted "yes to hard work!"

10/?

#PortlandProtests
#blacklivesmatter

But I believe deeply in this--the real sustainable change that will improve the lives of Blacks and all Americans will require a lot of hard work, messy work, and sometimes working with people who not always our allies on every issue.

11/?

#PortlandProtests
#blacklivesmatter

We need to take on the presence of Feds that are endangering us & escalating things, but we also need to keep following BLM leaders, that we keep returning to the central message that #BlackLivesMatter , that police should be held accountable & defunded.

12/12

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