Good morning, it is entirely too early to be alive never mind awake and I am undercover in Salem, Oregon, where a bunch of far right activists have gathered to protest the state government's decision to close their legislative session to the public today.

And holy shit things got real IMMEDIATELY

They just tried to force their way into the building. Fights with cops. A great deal of mace. Footage incoming

The cops have retreated inside the building and closed an internal door. The hallway is full of mace. The right wingers are gearing up to go in. It's spicy as fuck in there. They keep going in and then back out

How it started

Having trouble uploading long clips, oh boy do I have a lot but shit is moving too fast

Happening now: gentleman with AR-15s standing at the entrance

Someone saw "a Chinese person" in the window earlier. The claim now is that the Chinese are inside the building, which is why they don't want us inside

One of the senators just called someone out here and promised to address the crowd. We'll see

ThrbSenator from Roseburg is here. He says we have every right to be in that building, and that refusing to allow the crowd in is treason. It is against God and country

"Anyone who says otherwise is an elitist and a tyrant!"

"Than let us in!" Someone yells

Someone suggests we arrest everyone inside. The senator tells the people to vote the Dems out

Telling people who believe the election was rigged to vote is certainly an interesting choice

It's going over about as well as you'd expect

Chandler Pappas takes the megaphone as the senator disappears somewhere. "This is America! No one tells us what we can and cannot do!"

"Get a rope!!" Someone shouts

The senator is back. "This won't change things!" He says

"Easy to say that when we pay your salary!!"

"Hey, he's on our side!!"

"No he isn't!"

Chandler Pappas: "Are you here to listen to this guy talk or to make a difference?!"

Cheers

"Lets go in!!!"

The crowd evades the hallway, which has finally reached a tolerable level of spiciness

We've been in here for a hot second. Luckily for the troopers they are protected by the one thing the far right loves more than anything: glass windows

Massive numbers of troopers behind the door. Pappas waa kicking the doors earlier but things have calmed down slightly

Someone yells that we need to burn the Back the Blue flags. Others call the cops Nazis and Brownshirts

Confused about what rally I'm at

Door opened a crack and some kind of conversation ensued. People now pounding the walls and chanting "Let us in!!"

Someone is yelling about how they have no money and no jobs and look when they're right they're right
Shit is intolerable right now. Everyone is suffering. This is what happens when a government abandons the people

Talk turning to revolution. Abolishing a government that no longer serve the people. Door still cracked. A call for everyone with gas masks to go to the front

"Consider this a warning. Next time we aren't gonna be so nice and we ain't playing" Pappas says

"we are all Americans! We all deserve freedom!" Joey Gibson yells repeatedly

"We aren't all the same now, Joey!"

Someone calls for Kate Brown to stop human trafficking. Someone else decries the government's focus on curbside pickup of liquor rather than catching pedophiles

They are now singing the National Anthem

As soon as the anthem finished the crowd starts chanting USA and swarms the door. Pappas finally pries it open and the police immediately respond with pepper balls. The wimpy ones that smell like baby powder. I don't even feel the need to leave

Always interesting to see who runs and who says when the munitions come out

It's a standoff now. Chand: "enemies of the state!"

"We went to Back the Blue Rallies for 8 months and this is what we get!?"

Someone is learning that the police are tools of the state

The crowd hates the cops as much as any leftist right now

"you're heaving birthday parties while you shut us down!"

It's important to understand that they rage is real, and that some of it is extremely legit. There's desperation and fear here because people have no way to survive

Chant: "Arrest Kate Brown!!"

Door still open. Cops in a mini line just inside, several rows deep

They sure are showing a lot of restraint. Could easily fill the corridor with mace right now. Of course they aren't

Someone is changing "this is what democracy looks like," I can't get away from my least favorite chant no matter where I go

I've said it before: protests are what it looks like when democracy fails

The police are fine with the current state of affairs. Everyone shouting at them. Shouting is fine. They can stand there and get shouted at all day. As long as no one charges, they get to chill and collect their checks

The fire alarm is now going off and people flee en masse for reasons that confuse me

People drifting back now. I guess the revolution won't be deferred by a loud and startling noise after all

The hallway is packed again. The police are threatening to declare this an unlawful assembly, which, can you imagine the police politely telling a leftist that?

Shit

Anyway, not declared yet

The cops said someone would address the crowd if it went back outside and the crowd very sensibly pointed out they could address us right here

There is a guy with a fucking bullwhip hand to God, I will post pics later

Kinky

Someone just pointed out that the police don't have bodycams. "That means they can do whatever the fuck they want!

We've been trying to tell you assholes that for years

They've found a ladder and placed jr longways on front of the door

Still not an unlawful assembly. Obviously

They're reciting the pledge of allegiance now

The far right protesters keep saying this is how Nazi Germany started and they're right but not in the way they mean

There's a service dog in here doing his best and I wish he wasn't here

A call to take a knee and pray. The crowd is...reluctant

It doesn't happen

Just noticed the cops are wearing gas masks. It's been a while, let's do this

Joey Gibson comes in from outside--interesting that he was one of the people who fled

He tells us an unlawful assembly has been declared and if we stay inside we are likely to be arrested

He says we have to make a choice

He tells us to resist peacefully

Then he leaves again

I swear to God if I get arrested for the first time at a far right protest I'm gonna lose my fucking MIND

Chandler Pappas has also decided not to get arrested. No one with an AR-15 has stayed

I leave it to you to decide what this signifies about the bravery level of these people

The 10 people who stayed look like regular folks with one exception

Bullwhip guy is back...ope, no he's leaving again

Fuck it I'm back outside too. I'm not getting arrested for a cause that, to put it lightly, is not my own

It's kinda boring out here tbh

Ooh! DJ LRAD!!

"THIS IS THE OREGON STATE POLICE. THIS HAS BEEM DECLARED AN UNLAWFUL ASSEMBLY. LEAVE RHE CAPITAL GROUNDS NOW!"

Can't wait to see how the cops deal with a far right unlawful assembly, this is amazing

Capitalism at the unlawful assembly

While I'm just chilling here waiting for what I'm guessing will be both jack and shit from the cops, let's talk about the themes I'm hearing from the chatter

I'm hearing lots about how Kate Brown is being paid while the economy is shut down

Hearing a lot about how the Chinese are involved directly with the proceedings

Ok, I was slightly wrong. Obviously there was no bullrush, but the cops came and gently ejected the few protesters who remained inside. Then they gently pushed back and made a perimeter around the door

People scream that the police are commies now. Like, many. Multiple

Someone screams that a side door is open and part of the crowd runs over there

"I'm giving you one chance!" Pappas yells dramatically at the cops just inside the door. "Join us!!"

The dialogue is just terrible in this movie

Someone says they'd never do this to us if we were Antifa and once again they're right, but not in the way they think

"I don't even care. They destroyed my business! How many kids are hungry because of them?! I'm done!"

-Pappas

He says it's more the cop's fault than Kate Brown, which is quite a turn

Meanwhile, back at the original entrance, maybe 30 far right demonstrated yell at the cops while the Oregon LRAD serenades us

Someone peeks out from upstairs and receives many middle fingers. "Scum!!!" one man screams again and again

Someone is asking around about what to do if they're arrested. "I'm shaking right now," someone else says

I'm just hanging out on a lawn in the sunlight not getting maced or beaten

Cops charge like 5 feet out the door and the crowd runs backwards. A couple flash bangs and impact munitions. A scuffle. A blue smoke bomb, then back inside

I'll upload footage when it's safe and people forget who stayed to film

People now screaming at the people in the window, throwing stuff. Window is too high for them to hit

Lot of big talk about standing up but very few people at the door anymore

The LRAD keeps saying "all subjects must leave immediately" and oh boy the word "subjects" is not going over at ALL with these 1776 fans

In the interest of fairness: I am seeing a couple of people with scrapes and bruises from altercations with the cops

"This is not an unlawful assembly! This is a peaceful protest!!"

I'm sorry if this is getting repetitive; I'll stop quoting them saying stuff like this when it stops being totally surreal to hear them saying what we've been saying about the cops for months

A bald eagle just flew overhead and the crowd lost their SHIT

It was pretty cool, I admit

The speaker is talking about how many people are watching live streams of this, how important this is for getting the message out

Say what you want about the far right, they have ALWAYS understood optics

I feel like this kiosk is not selling a ton of Blue Lives Matter flags today

No word on sales numbers for the confederate Gadsden though

"you are here and I am here!! And I'm going to fight like I have nothing to fucking lose!! FREEDOM!!!!"

The crowd goes wild

Worth noting that the speaker was NOT inside earlier and that the crowd has abandoned the door entirely

Words are very inspiring though I'm sure

I just realized I haven't mentioned numbers. Somewhere between 100 and 150 at this point

More speechifying while the LRAD chimes in from time to time. Extremely goddamm mellow right now

"Those people in there are literally laughing at us!! Literally! They ain't missed a paycheck!! Laughing!!"

A speaker says we accomplished two things today

"One: we put the fear of God in the senate today...they know we aren't messing around anymore

"Two: we shamed the cowardly law enforcement who would not let us info our house...they made their choice. What happens next is on them"

The speaker urges people watching on the streams to come to Oregon next time

"Come to Oregon and help us stand, and we will come to your state and help us stand!"

"DC, January 6th!!" someone shouts

Someone moves a section of construction fence from around the courthouse steps

"Come on in!! It's the Patriot Occupied Zone!!"

"Looks like we've got a fence of our own!"

They hate us cuz they ain't us

This is a construction zone and the statues that flank the steps have been covered in blue tarps, presumably to protect them

Someone is claiming Antifa damaged the statues. I dunno

The Patriots get to work liberating the statues. "These are our statues! We paid for them!!"

Both statues are liberated. It is my judgement that, aesthetically, it was not worth it

It does not seem to be damaged by Antifa

Someone has suggested hanging a flag over one of the statues so they are moving a large dumpster into position to climb up

Very weird that no one has thought to light it on fire, is this even a protest?

Not trying to brag but I just caught a glimpse of my reflection and did not recognize myself

I took a bit of an excursion and apparently whole I was gone someone got arrested from the occupied construction zone

I dunno, people seem pretty calm

Meanwhile, at the perimeter, the police line consists of maybe ten cops but also these bad boys

That's a fucking MRAP and I used one in Afghanistan

Also this guy is here with the cops, not sure what agency but I smell a fed

DJ LRAD regales us with the first warning in about half an hour. It may have something to do with the mother and three small children banging on the main doors. Or maybe they're just bored. Who can say?

I've been listening to speeches

Got a guy who told us that all lives don't matter: GOOD PEOPLE'S lives matter

I appreciate the mask off on that

He is now saying police bring food and water to Antifa and I literally cannot

Overheard a surreal conversation about how a "bootlicker" came up while a group of dudes was yelling at cops and thanked the cops for being there

"What the hell is she talking about?! They're literally in TANKS!"

Yep

Once I'm out I'm gonna do a whole other thread for the footage I can't post without outing myself. There is SO MUCH, I'm dying of impatience

Timber Unity truck

Seems like shit is winding down. Maybe 75 people here, very scattered

Socially distanced, even. So that's good!

None of this is stopping DJ LRAD, who, as usual, could just shut the fuck up and let this rally die. They are so bad at their jobs

"this is a peaceful protest" people keep yelling and I'm like, welcome to our fucking world bros

"Antifa can light fires and destroy buildings and THEY'RE peaceful!!" Lol my dude if this was Antifa everything would be mace and batons you don't even know

There isn't even a police line

The speaker says more people are coming and maybe but also it's real boring around here with nothing but the same Mel Gibson dramatic patriotism speech over and over

The only saving grace is DJ LRAD telling everyone they're guilty of disorderly conduct so people can yell

"do you feel that wind in your face?! That is the wind of freedom! This is America!"

This shit, for hours. That's what right wing rallies are

OMG DJ LRAD just asked people to "please leave now. Thank you"

Ooooooh omfg!!!!!! A woman wants to burn a Blue Lives Matter flag. The owner of the flag in question is furious. It's amazing

Someone intervenes. "We are not Antifa! We do not fight each other!!"

Oof, it hurts

"we still back the blue!!" someone yells over a megaphone and the woman abandons her flag-burning quest

In the military MRAP s have turrets and turret gunners

In the police force, however, it's exactly the same thing except with gas masks because chemical weapons are banned in warfare

Four cop cars have moved up. The MRAPs have moved slightly back towards them to form a small line

A cry to fall back. "They're going to mortar us!"

Lol ok

More cries to fall back. Maybe 20 people are like "wtf no"

"[The cops] moved back because we held the line!! Why would we move back!"

"See?! Peaceful! Did we attack that cop car like Antifa?! No!! So what's the disorderly conduct!"

These are the same people who were all "liberty or death" like ten minutes ago

The last stragglers return dejected to the group

I predict the people on the bullhorns are about to learn what happens when you ignominiously retreat; a severe dip in morale

"we back the blue!"
"No we don't!"

Schisms

"here those bells?! That's freedom ringing!!"

Everything is freedom. That's what I've learned today

What the bells actually are is a clock striking noon, which means I have to take off to go to a doctor's appointment I had to wait a month to get

I think it's winding down anyway. Famous last words, I know

End thread for now. Video thread coming in a couple hours

Absolutely no pressure or obligation at ALL, but if you found this thread helpful and wanted to buy me a hot spiked mug of cider, I would never say no!

Cash app, Venmo: $misanthrophile

Paypal: [email protected]

I'm seeing that news outlets are citing my tweets. I got a great deal of footage from this event that I have not posted; if you're interested in purchasing any of it my DMs are open

EPILOGUE: the promised video thread is in progress! https://twitter.com/LauraJedeed/status/1341236540211511297?s=19