July 25th: The Fence Falls and I Get Got

Restarting tonight's thread! Due to technical difficulties I'll be posting live updates on the Justice Center protest here, on my own account#PortlandMoms #blacklivesmatter  #protest #pdx #portland #oregon #blm #acab #PortlandProtest #PDXprotest #Feds #MOMTIFA #MomsAreHere

— Laura Jedeed is Kind of Back I Guess (@LauraJedeed) July 26, 2020

The District Courthouse is pissed tonight

In front of the building, protesters are packed in like sardines on the street. I cannot overstate how many people are here. The crush makes it impossible to move pic.twitter.com/NDEIAa8AUj

— Laura Jedeed is Kind of Back I Guess (@LauraJedeed) July 26, 2020

The moms are back and up front! You gotta hand it to them. I admit I wondered initially if the come back after their first taste of gas. The answer? Absolutely, and right up front#PortlandMoms #MOMTIFA #MomsAreHere

— Laura Jedeed is Kind of Back I Guess (@LauraJedeed) July 26, 2020

I literally do not understand what is going on. Fed line is here. Smoke deployed. Absolutely no provocation that I saw

Next to me, a trombone plays "America the Beautiful"

It really isn't right now

— Laura Jedeed is Kind of Back I Guess (@LauraJedeed) July 26, 2020

Someone shoots silly string over the fence and a moment later pepper balls retort

— Laura Jedeed is Kind of Back I Guess (@LauraJedeed) July 26, 2020

Overheard: "you thought it would be a nice easy life of kidnapping migrants, didn't you?! Well fuck you!!" pic.twitter.com/N14J5mU6Y6

— Laura Jedeed is Kind of Back I Guess (@LauraJedeed) July 26, 2020

A pepper ball just hit me in the foot. Probably ten feet away. It hurts like a bitch. A few centimeters over and j think it would be broken. As it is, I can feel it swelling up

As always I am wearing a yellow press vest, a press helmet and a press badge

— Laura Jedeed is Kind of Back I Guess (@LauraJedeed) July 26, 2020

There was a time when I worried I'd get hurt at these and now I just wonder how badly I'm gonna get hurt. Not a single night had gone by when I haven't been hit by something: usually small, occasionally large

— Laura Jedeed is Kind of Back I Guess (@LauraJedeed) July 26, 2020

First gassing at the intersection of 3rd and Main. Two fireworks retort. Another canister. The sound of leaf blowers

— Laura Jedeed is Kind of Back I Guess (@LauraJedeed) July 26, 2020

There's a strong wind tonight and the gas is everywhere

Retreating up the street

— Laura Jedeed is Kind of Back I Guess (@LauraJedeed) July 26, 2020

If the feds wanted the protesters to not fuck with their fence, they're doing it wrong. This crowd, which–and I cannot state this enough–was almost docile before they started their aggression, is pounding on the fence

— Laura Jedeed is Kind of Back I Guess (@LauraJedeed) July 26, 2020

The fed line has retreated for now. I'm sure they'll be back soon. Randomly. Whenever they decide to

— Laura Jedeed is Kind of Back I Guess (@LauraJedeed) July 26, 2020

O say does that start spangled banner yet wave

O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

No pic.twitter.com/sQrF2cJnFH

— Laura Jedeed is Kind of Back I Guess (@LauraJedeed) July 26, 2020

Someone throws a road flare, illuminating the courthouse with a highly-appropriate hellish glow

Pepper balls fired immediately pic.twitter.com/PHrvrP2Ga8

— Laura Jedeed is Kind of Back I Guess (@LauraJedeed) July 26, 2020

Another warning. Unlawful assembly. Yawn

A firework interrupts the speech. Cheers

— Laura Jedeed is Kind of Back I Guess (@LauraJedeed) July 26, 2020

I make my way to the intersection of 3rd and Salmon, where the crowd is enormous and cameras bristle. This is the only well-lit area of the entire street

The desire to be seen: not for clout but because the eyes of the world are our only real defense against these ghouls

— Laura Jedeed is Kind of Back I Guess (@LauraJedeed) July 26, 2020

A sign on a protester's backpack pic.twitter.com/8dUSi8EG4J

— Laura Jedeed is Kind of Back I Guess (@LauraJedeed) July 26, 2020

In the beginning we would have been chanting names. And I don't think it's that we've lost focus. It's that our focus has changed from conveying a message with our voices to asserting our rights with our bodies. Braced for the next fight. All our concentration there

— Laura Jedeed is Kind of Back I Guess (@LauraJedeed) July 26, 2020

It's wild that this crowd has barely thinned, if at all. 1AM and still thousands of people here

— Laura Jedeed is Kind of Back I Guess (@LauraJedeed) July 26, 2020

And just like that: gas. Without hesitation leaf blowers move in from all directions, converge on the cloud, and get to work

"Thank you leaf blowers!" someone shouts. The crowd applauds

— Laura Jedeed is Kind of Back I Guess (@LauraJedeed) July 26, 2020

A sign on the fence pic.twitter.com/57bawbZhpr

— Laura Jedeed is Kind of Back I Guess (@LauraJedeed) July 26, 2020

Protesters feed the fire with branches and empty pizza boxes. The crowd creates a wide birth around this gas magnet

— Laura Jedeed is Kind of Back I Guess (@LauraJedeed) July 26, 2020

Holy shit

They came out in force. I got about 4 minutes of great footage before I got lit up with about six pepper balls. My chest, my wrjstz and worst of all several in the face. I was completely incapacitated. Two medics saved my ass

— Laura Jedeed is Kind of Back I Guess (@LauraJedeed) July 26, 2020

They're advancing up Salmon. We're holding at 6th for now. Screams for a medic. Christ, this is a shitshow. First time I've been genuinely scared#PortlandMoms #blacklivesmatter  #protest #pdx #portland #oregon #blm #acab #PortlandProtest #PDXprotest #Feds #MOMTIFA #MomsAreHere

— Laura Jedeed is Kind of Back I Guess (@LauraJedeed) July 26, 2020

I'm afraid your girl is rocked. My wrist is swollen like twice the size it should be and I'm not actually 100% sure what is happening right now

I'm being told we're virtually surrounded by PPB and feds

Kettle?

— Laura Jedeed is Kind of Back I Guess (@LauraJedeed) July 26, 2020

These police were not going to let us continue west until they realized they were being livestreamed by someone. Then they let us go

Trying to find the main group

— Laura Jedeed is Kind of Back I Guess (@LauraJedeed) July 26, 2020

Battle of the Fence 3: from earlier#PortlandMoms #blacklivesmatter  #protest #pdx #portland #oregon #blm #acab #PortlandProtest #PDXprotest #Feds #MOMTIFA #MomsAreHere pic.twitter.com/aHJZzeNj4z

— Laura Jedeed is Kind of Back I Guess (@LauraJedeed) July 26, 2020

The PPB have retreated. A pause while the group tries to figure out what to do

Also me. I think I might be done…

— Laura Jedeed is Kind of Back I Guess (@LauraJedeed) July 26, 2020

I'm home, my wrist is on ice, holy shit

Solidarity to everyone still out there

— Laura Jedeed is Kind of Back I Guess (@LauraJedeed) July 26, 2020