Originally tweeted by Laura Jedeed (Misanthrophile) (@1misanthrophile) on September 9, 2020.
Hi there, coming at you from Elizabeth Caruthers park, where the air isn’t as bad as it was a couple hours ago and where protesters have gathered, once again, to protest police brutality
#BlackLivesMatter #PortlandProtest #JusticeForJacobBlake #JusticeForDanielPrude
Small gathering tonight: maybe 75 people here right now. Between the fires, the exhaustion, and the brutality last night, I'm not surprised
A chant of "Black Lives Matter" goes up just as I get here: a signal that the evening is about to begin
Looks like we're gonna hold off on marching for a little bit:
How do you forget your helmet on Day 104? My brain lately: not on top of things. All the more reason to protect what's left with a helmet
As I return helmeted I see the crowd has grown to maybe 120. @SoundBlocPDX is playing Les Chant de Partisans. People chat quietly
A speaker announces that this is the 49th anniversary of the Attica prison riot in response to subhuman conditions. They took over the prison for 4 days and issued a list of demands. They achieved all of them
33 people died for that change
The activist leads the crowd in a chant for Breonna Taylor
"We're gonna effect change, right?"
The crowd cheers
The activist introduces himself as BLM4EverG on Instagram. He says he's just returned from DC and that Portland was well-represented there. I believe he said he's been in Louisvie before that
The march arrives at ICE, where federal agents already await us, gas masks on
They announce something about moving away from the facility but I can't hear it over shouts of "Chinga La Migra!"
Definitely gas mask time
It's a small crowd, but it's a small line too. Not enough to do much on their own. They stand quietly while the crowd chants:
"Your momma raised a fascist!"
"No cops, no prisons! Total abolition!"
"No one is illegal on stolen land!" someone shouts
The activist with the megaphone tells the federal agents they're part of an agency that tears apart families. They've pledged allegiance to a bad structure
"There must be change. There WILL be a fucking change!"
New chant to me:
"Look to your left! Look to your right! One of these cops beats their wives!"
This refers to the statistic that 40% of cops beat their wives. It comes from a small mid-90s study. I'd prefer more research, but there hasn't been any
Wonder why that is?
I'm right up at the front and I can confidently say nothing has been thrown tonight
The activist states that there is no reason for the DHS to exist. "Y'all are just glorified security guards! That's it!"
"You're not wanted! You're not needed!"
Meanwhile, some protesters walk to the back of the ICE building to check out the reserve forces:
"You are locking babies in cages! You are separating immigrant families, just as you separated my family in the days of slavery!"
An activist notices one of the DHS personnel in the back using a GoPro to record the crowd. This is, to my understanding, illegal
When challenged, he holds it up so we can get a clear shot. Why not? What are we gonna do, call the cops?
Looks like they're wearing masks, which is a refreshing change of pace and also means I can take my gas mask off. Unexpected win!
The crowd parts to let's bus through. As the driver maneuvers drives past the crowd he honks his approval. Huge cheers
Standoff continues. No real change. 0 things thrown, 0 illegal activity of any sort
For now, DHS seem content to listen to the various taunts and creative obscenities hurled their way
Current vibe: "Where is the love?" by the Black Eyed Peas
Dance party!
One of the dancers just playfully dangled a pair of handcuffs to the cops, it was amazing
They're getting closer and closer. A game of chicken
Reinforcements arrive and the dancers melt back into the crowd
"Mask up!" someone shouts
Looks like it's sticks for now though. An ancient human tradition
Bafflingly, the Feds get on the loudspeaker to tell us not to light the ICE building on fire
No one has attempted this to my knowledge. I mean, there were some fire dance moves I guess but that's as far as it's gone
Cops recording shit again. It's been on and off all night
Say cheese
Bafflingly, the Feds get on the loudspeaker to tell us not to light the ICE building on fire
No one has attempted this to my knowledge. I mean, there were some fire dance moves I guess but that's as far as it's gone
Looks like the reinforcements have left. Back to the old standoff
Stick cops still here. If I was in full armor holding a beatin' stick facing down a bunch of dancing protesters with "I wanna dance with somebody" blasting, I would feel self-conscious
But I'm not a cop
As the last strain of Whitney Houston dies away the feds once again tell us not to light the building on fire
I think they want to use those sticks
FetLife is that way, boys. Go home
A new player emerges: blue jean cop
?!
You may have noticed the cops are carrying bags. The protesters have noticed too. "What's in the bag!!" people keep screaming
Theories so far:
-Cocaine
-Gwyneth Paltrow's head
-Paperwork (theory immediately dismissed, we know they don't do paperwork)
Things continuing much as before
Apparently the owners of the building across from ICE are not fans of the protest. I've heard of fighting fire with fire, but never of fighting graffiti with worse graffiti
It is certainly an aesthetic choice
Lot fewer reserves out back
Blinding flashlights because why not?
The people have spoken. There will be unbiased and objective dancing
(I never said it would be GOOD dancing)
The DHS line has thinned considerably and so has the protest. Could it be that tonight will end without violence or arrests?
The last of the DHS line just went inside
There are maybe 25 people left, many of whom are still demanding to know what's in the bag. We may never know
Sound on for the current situation
Folks, I'm heading out. Another night in the books, far less gas that I expected, and no new fires in Oregon. Gonna call this one a win
Solidarity with everyone still out here!
Originally tweeted by Laura Jedeed (Misanthrophile) (@1misanthrophile) on September 10, 2020.
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