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To follow protests live, check me out on Twitter: @1misanthrophile
8:20 PM: Hi there, coming at you live from downtown Portland where, despite the pouring rain, an enormous crowd has gathered to protest the absolute fucking travesty of a grand jury decision in Louisville today
Only one hashtag tonight, folks: #JUSTICEFORBREONNATAYLOR
Crowds like the old days. Drumming, chanting. SAY HER NAME
8:30 PM: In case you somehow missed it: the Louisville Police obtained a knock warrant for Taylor’s apartment based on a lie about a postal worker’s nonexistent report suspicious packages
Then they didn’t knock
Taylor’s boyfriend exercised his right to self-defense. The cops opened fire.
Louisville police murdered Taylor in her bed. She surely died in terror.
At least one cop had a body camera but the police claim no footage.
Now, the Louisville grand jury has indicted one cop on charges of shooting into other apartments. Of endangering white people
This is a message and the nation has heard it loud and clear: no, black lives do not matter. No, we will not listen. No, we will not change
If you’re looking for dispassionate protest coverage, go somewhere else. I’m mad as hell and I’ll report all the facts as they happen but there’s gonna be a lot of color commentary tonight.
No justice?
No fucking peace
8:42 PM: So far, the protest remains in front of the Justice Center. The giant spotlights we all remember from July shine illuminate the empty street in front of the District Courthouse building
The crowd stands and chants:
BLACK LIVES MATTER
DEFUND THE POLICE
SAY HER NAME
An activist over the mic: “If you have social media, pull your phone out and tell everyone to get out here!!”
Chapman Square y’all
8:54 PM: An activist is yelling at the crowd for having fun. “Make something happen, use your voice! You’re all just standing there like fucking morons”
I don’t think anyone is having fun tonight
This is what grief and despair sounds like
It feels so hopeless tonight
“Aren’t you supposed to be wiser? Aren’t you supposed to know how to fix this? I’m seventeen! I dropped out of a private school to be here!!”
This activist is screaming at the crowd for not doing enough. For taking pictures of white people. For annoying black people by taking pictures of them. For not showing up. For not fixing this
That last thing is the real message. That last thing is the thing that matters
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Laura Jedeed (Misanthrophile)@1misanthrophile·So far, the protest remains in front of the Justice Center. The giant spotlights we all remember from July shine illuminate the empty street in front of the District Courthouse building The crowd stands and chants: BLACK LIVES MATTER DEFUND THE POLICE SAY HER NAME213103Laura Jedeed (Misanthrophile)@1misanthrophile·Candles in the rain3892Laura Jedeed (Misanthrophile)@1misanthrophile·“If you have social media, pull your phone out and tell everyone to get out here!!” Chapman Square y’all11573Laura Jedeed (Misanthrophile)@1misanthrophile·An activist is yelling at the crowd for having fun. “Make something happen, use your voice! You’re all just standing there like fucking morons” I don’t think anyone is having fun tonight This is what grief and despair sounds like It feels so hopeless tonight21498Laura Jedeed (Misanthrophile)@1misanthrophile·“Aren’t you supposed to be wiser? Aren’t you supposed to know how to fix this? I’m seventeen! I dropped out of a private school to be here!!”1559Laura Jedeed (Misanthrophile)@1misanthrophile·This activist is screaming at the crowd for not doing enough. For taking pictures of white people. For annoying black people by taking pictures of them. For not showing up For not fixing this That last thing is the real message. That last thing is the thing that matters3878Laura Jedeed (Misanthrophile)@1misanthrophile·
9:06 PM: “All these people know this!” a black activist shouts back
He’s right. But it’s the pain of the young. I don’t say this to be disparaging: there is no worse pain than realizing that every generation before you has fucked up and that there’s no easy way to fix it Another activist steps to the mic. She is 27. She is an EMT. Breonna Taylor was an EMT and she was 26 when she was murdered
“We aren’t crying today, because we don’t have any tears left”
An activist named Alisha steps forward. “I’m here so that my son knows how to stand up. Knows how to fight back. So he doesn’t have to fight this fight!”
She denounces people who come out to cause trouble. “November 3rd, we protest at the polls!” Scattered cheers
Now she’s leading the crowd in a chant of “if we don’t get it (justice), shut it down!” This is different from the usual “burn it down,” and seems to be indicative of the direction of tonight’s protest
It’s difficult for me, personally, to see how voting fixes this
9:16 PM: A different activist steps forward and talks about the difficulty of processing pain like this. About using this pain to fuel the fire of the movement. She discusses combatting the strain of the pandemic on families. The need to stand against forced evictions. The need for the community to pull together.
“the fact that there aren’t as many people here now as there were in may is sickening! Black people get killed in the rain! Black people get killed in snow!” This is another young activist, a senior in high school.
An activist urges everyone here to advocate for black lives to their white families.
9:53: I’ve wandered behind the Justice Center, where a slightly smaller crowd has gathered
Someone is yelling at the crowd to return to the front
Someone else with a megaphone is addressing the police inside the building
Not much else is happening back here.
9:56 PM: DJ LRAD HAS JUST DECLARED AN UNLAWFUL ASSEMBLY. Apparently a camera met an untimely end back here before I arrived and I guess that was enough.
This is incredible. Tonight showed every sign of remaining mellow. All they had to do was stay inside.
But that’s not what they want.
10:01 PM: The feds are watching from the IRS building
More protesters coming to the back
In the front, a speaker says that the people around back have disrespected black women by provoking the cops
This night could go a lot of different ways
10:09 PM: Without warning, the police charge and deploy tear gas:
I dunno if you can hear him say “throw it back, see what the fuck happens” in this next video, but I sure did. “That” is tear gas, by the way. Or, to be more exact, OC munitions, which act just like tear gas but aren’t banned by the injunction.
The police form up at 3rd and Main. The group listening to the speakers tightens around the speakers. The group from the back forms a small shield wall on Main
Someone throws a firework
The line fires a couple munitions, then retreats
10:16 PM: A small group returns to the back. Someone throws a lit firework. It must be a dud: no explosion this time.
A Black activist who was yelling at the police around back tells protesters to stop fucking around like this.
Police out of sight and quiet for now.
10:18 PM: Looks like the bulk of the protest is coming around back
All this rage: it’s no surprise this spark has changed the mood. These motherfuckers can’t even let us mourn. One damaged camera and they decided they’d rather have a lively night.
I think they’re gonna get one.
A small fire on the side of the Justice Center. It’s already out. “Relight that shit!!” someone screams
Try to come in my mentions and tell me this is disproportionate. I dare you.
10:21 PM: Riot declared. I’ve been to wilder house parties but we all know that word lost all meaning long ago.
The crowd waits for the inevitable push. Maybe 200 strong.
Chanting: SAY HER NAME
10:30 PM: More fire, breaking glass
Hey, they said they wanted a riot
The police rounded the corner and someone threw a fucking molotov cocktail
Holy shit
A charge, arrests.
Cops formed up at 3rd and Main.
10:35 PM: The police announce that downtown is closed from Naito Pkwy to Broadway Blvd, Columbia to Harvey Milk
Reinforcements just rolled up.
10:43 PM: Cops push up Main to Broadway I’m not saying in great shape but you know who else needs to work on their gas mask cardio?
Portland Police:
10:53 PM: Over on Broadway and Salmon, a guy on night shift emerged for his lunch break right into the police line. The police tackled him and destroyed his lunch.
The protesters surged across the streets in outrage. Then the police charged back.
The cops tried to stop @PhrenologyPhun from filming, then pushed her. Menaced press with mace.
She’s currently lying on the sidewalk. It looks like her ankle is broken
The cops go after small people. I see it every night.
There’s a reason they don’t do this shit to me. And the reason is that cops are fucking cowards. You heard it here first. Fresh hot journalism.
11:07 PM: While all this was happening, the bulk of the protest began to march back to the justice center. Cops intercepted him and pushed protesters back up Main.
Those dudes in the front sure don’t look like Portland Police to me. We’ve got feds doing fed shit where they aren’t supposed to:
11:13 PM: The police are threatening to use the LRAD crowd control weapon. Everyone runs: we remember what the LRAD-as-weapon is like. Unbearable.
Protest driven to Salmon and 14th. Chaos.
11:19 PM: This next video is from the push just now. It feels normal at this point. Normal push. Normal munitions. Weird uniforms though. Ugh, feds.
11:31 PM: A very surreal scene. The feds retreat backwards down Main, shooting occasional impact munitions, filling the streets with OC gas
Then they turn around and jog away:
Sound on for this one:
“You have to leave the area!”
“Shut the fuck up!”
WAP playing in the background. Super weird that this is a protest song now. 2 years from now someone’s gonna play this song at a party and I’m gonna full-on PTSD like WHERE IS THE TEAR GAS and everyone else is gonna be like YEAH TWERK IT
11:41 PM: Cops driving around seemingly at random on riot vans. Then they jump off and make a charge. Arrests. Seemingly random.
Sorry for the crap video, it’s a very challenging filming environment tonight.
11:43 PM: The protest is split real good. This tiny group is on 6th and Salmon. The LRAD echoes eerily over protest music. Flashing light. I’m soaked in sweat and the tear gas has mixed with it; the seal of my mask is starting to burn.
What is this world. What is this place.
11:51 PM: A metric shit ton of vans pull up and the cops push once more. More chaos.
Looks like we’re not the only ones confused. Dunno if you can hear it in this next video, but the cops try to figure out where their fellow officers are, then drive off without them.
11:56 PM: The cops are gone again. We’re scattered even worse now. I’m seeing people wandering vaguely towards the Justice center, but not very many.
12:06 AM: More and more trickling into Chapman across from the Justice Center. Maybe 100 people, more coming in all the time. Looks like the night isn’t over after all.
DJ LRAD rings out immediately. The usual warnings.
12:15 PM: An extremely anemic line of cops behind the JC:
12:44 AM: People are starting to leave. The night is definitely winding down.
Behind the JC, riot vans unload arrestees. Looks like there may have been a lot, based on how long they’ve been back here. Maybe 30 protesters heckling the cops back here
12:47 AM: Y’all the night grows old and I was already old so I’m gonna head out. Pretty sure the night is over.
Nothing has been solved. But there’s value in saying “No. We will not accept this. Fuck you.”
Solidarity to everyone still out here. We do this every night
Epilogue: @PhrenologyPhun‘s ankle injured but not broken!!
Want to get live updates on protests as they happen? Follow me on Twitter, where I do this (almost) every night: @1misanthrophile
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