Hello, starting my live-tweeting evening at Laurelhust Park, where, like any summer evening, people are hanging out in the fresh grass. Just, a lot of them are wearing black tonight#portlandprotests #pdxprotest #blacklivesmatter #police #acab #portlandprotest #PortlandRiots
— Laura Jedeed is Kind of Back I Guess (@LauraJedeed) August 4, 2020
Maybe 100 people now. People starting to get up, get ready
— Laura Jedeed is Kind of Back I Guess (@LauraJedeed) August 4, 2020
The crowd moves off to a somber, beautiful rendition of "Bella Ciao": chanting and ready for whatever the night may have in store
— Laura Jedeed is Kind of Back I Guess (@LauraJedeed) August 4, 2020
And we're here! You probably already guessed: it's the MSCO again pic.twitter.com/jb7tPEnQsq
— Laura Jedeed is Kind of Back I Guess (@LauraJedeed) August 4, 2020
Cops at the other parking lot entrance as well pic.twitter.com/g3jThIUzOn
— Laura Jedeed is Kind of Back I Guess (@LauraJedeed) August 4, 2020
I wasn't here on Saturday, but there cops seem less inclined to immediately jump to brutality. Only a handful of them, they seem pretty impassive
— Laura Jedeed is Kind of Back I Guess (@LauraJedeed) August 4, 2020
Doesn't mean they're going to stay peaceful, obviously, but I don't think it's gonna pop off right away pic.twitter.com/2mgw1MV1to
Chant: "Every City, Every Town! Burn the Precinct to the Ground!"
— Laura Jedeed is Kind of Back I Guess (@LauraJedeed) August 4, 2020
An inflatable piggy on the road before a stone-faced riot cop pic.twitter.com/92TP2cJq9V
— Laura Jedeed is Kind of Back I Guess (@LauraJedeed) August 4, 2020
We've got the first LRAD announcement of the evening! Apparently SE Precinct is not open to the public, and if we trespass we could be subjected to the usual indignities
— Laura Jedeed is Kind of Back I Guess (@LauraJedeed) August 4, 2020
The INSTANT I loosen my gas mask, I might add
A protester at the front persistantly demands to know if individual officers killed Patrick Kimmons. Quanice Hayes. Keaton Otis
— Laura Jedeed is Kind of Back I Guess (@LauraJedeed) August 4, 2020
"All of you should say yes! All of you are responsible!"
A single water bottle sails over the crowd and lands at the officer's feet
The sound of Portland pic.twitter.com/Nicc2Qo3gM
— Laura Jedeed is Kind of Back I Guess (@LauraJedeed) August 4, 2020
A protester flees at top speed from the precinct. I'm told he tried to take the flag down. An officer pointed his crowd control weapon directly at him, and he fled
— Laura Jedeed is Kind of Back I Guess (@LauraJedeed) August 4, 2020
The officers preemptively remove the flag themselves
"Do you need a lighter?" someone asks pic.twitter.com/i63WOsMCRv
A protester moves forward and shines a flashlight–not a laser–at the cops. The cops move backwards and the crowd cheers. The protesters edges forward, towards the line separating the sidewalk from precinct property…then thinks better of it and melts back into the crowd pic.twitter.com/3og2lnX7j1
— Laura Jedeed is Kind of Back I Guess (@LauraJedeed) August 4, 2020
A mattress has appeared!
— Laura Jedeed is Kind of Back I Guess (@LauraJedeed) August 4, 2020
The @45thabsurdist have long observed a correlation between mattresses and riots being declared. No one knows why pic.twitter.com/PG35wrvVlU
They turn up the volume and tell the protesters to stay off precinct property or else crowd control munitions arrest etc
— Laura Jedeed is Kind of Back I Guess (@LauraJedeed) August 4, 2020
The LRAD is now down Burnside instead of within the precinct proper
They strike like vipers. No warning, no declarations n of unlawful assembly. An arrest by the precinct#portlandprotests #pdxprotest #blacklivesmatter #police #acab #trumpsgestapo #momsarehere #PortlandProtesters pic.twitter.com/i38Arvt0tn
— Laura Jedeed is Kind of Back I Guess (@LauraJedeed) August 4, 2020
Still can't upload clips, but they maced the moms. Haven't seen a lot of arrests, but lots of assaults
— Laura Jedeed is Kind of Back I Guess (@LauraJedeed) August 4, 2020
Currently, protesters are facing down the cops are 53rd and Burnside using picnic tables as barricades pic.twitter.com/1ma6M368r0
Bullrush, before unlawful assembly declared pic.twitter.com/hRPu8aWcIA
— Laura Jedeed is Kind of Back I Guess (@LauraJedeed) August 4, 2020
As we walked back, residents stood on balconies and sidewalks watching
— Laura Jedeed is Kind of Back I Guess (@LauraJedeed) August 4, 2020
Well, except for one couple who was extremely mad at the protesters for waking their children. As though the protesters wanted to sprint 7 blocks to their place while cops maced and beat them
Protesters brought the picnic tables with them
— Laura Jedeed is Kind of Back I Guess (@LauraJedeed) August 4, 2020
They chant Quanice Hayes' name
One of the moms tears the cops a new one for what they did to her earlier. I'm glad she's ok pic.twitter.com/BngIQplbLb
Meanwhile, back in the present: protesters and police continue to face off pic.twitter.com/5s9FvyQhkj
— Laura Jedeed is Kind of Back I Guess (@LauraJedeed) August 4, 2020
— Laura Jedeed is Kind of Back I Guess (@LauraJedeed) August 4, 2020
Sometimes it really hits me how much this sucks. I get so swept up in uploading shit, finding the right words. It's always easier to feel feelings later, or not at all
— Laura Jedeed is Kind of Back I Guess (@LauraJedeed) August 4, 2020
Maybe half the remaining protesters confront the policd pic.twitter.com/jpvRCIiWvZ
— Laura Jedeed is Kind of Back I Guess (@LauraJedeed) August 4, 2020
The numbers are in sustainable ad we need to run jail support for our photographer. I'm heading out
— Laura Jedeed is Kind of Back I Guess (@LauraJedeed) August 4, 2020
Solidarity to everyone still out here