October 11th: The Far Right Brings Weapons, Once Again, to Downtown Portland

Originally tweeted by Laura Jedeed (Misanthrophile) (@1misanthrophile) on October 11, 2020.

Words cannot describe how excited I am not to be coming to you live from 3rd and Alder where perhaps 60 chuds are…well, I walked up and was immediately threatened by a man with an AR-15 so you could say things are tense

The whatever -the-fuck-this-is has moved back to Chapman Square

Is this just how Sundays are now? This is the Lord’s day, wonder how he feels about all this

A very heavily-armed crew. Multiple AR-15s, a ton of mace, I’ve seen sevwr paintball guns

Currently moving down Main St. Looks like they’re going home. Good. I don’t want to be here I want to be playing video games and feeling guilty about not writing

@suzettesmith is also here

There are maybe 15 counter-protesters. Seriously outnumbered

As the armed whatever walks down Main they turn their backs, hold their middle fingers almost, and chant George Floyd’s name

The chuds have stopped at 2nd and Main now that they no longer have the “chased out of Portland we are victims” narrative going on

If I seem more, um, colorful than usual it’s because I just got threatened with an AR-15 and I didn’t like it

A Black activist is talking about the bullshit the chuds apparently spewed on black-on-black crime. About the importance of fighting against the police state, housing as a right, sex worker rights, casual racism, institutional racism

Feeling better already

@suzettesmith reminds me that Jail Support is over in the direction the chuds headed. We sprint over

Confrontation on 2nd and Madison. Paintballs and mace deployed, something thrown from above

Not loving the trigger discipline by threatening asshole here

Cops have entered the situation: appear to be going into the parking garage on 2nd and Madison where the chuds are raining projectiles down on the small counterprotest. Things are not always one-sided but today? All aggression coming from the chud side since I got here

Cops entering the garage where some of the chuds are. I walk through a cloud of mace like an amateur

The chuds are leaving. A group of counter-protesters decide to enter the garage and capture plates as the cars leave. Many have plates obscured

They’re yelling at the cars. People in the cars are armed. Everyone’s tense and scared. Close quarters. This is not a good plan

Cops order all counter-protesters to leave or be arrested

The cops stand guard so that the far right can safely leave

It looks like the far-right portion of today is over, at least

I’m not a big selfie person: not my style. But I’m posting this one so you can see exactly what I looked like when I was threatened

I am not in bloc. I am wearing a press pass

Looks like things are over, thank God. A few people from the counterprotest are at Chapman trying to help the houseless people whose stuff got fucked with

I’m told someone has brought supplies and tents. I love this city sometimes

Gonna stick around for a few more minutes

(I want to make it clear that it’s not OK to threaten someone for filming no matter what they are wearing. Definitely did not mean to imply otherwise. I just wanted to make it real clear that in no way did I appear threatening)

Folks I’m heading out. I’m going to pet my dog and maybe have a nice glass of whiskey. Read something nice. Chill till 7

Solidarity with everyone still out here

Wow I am getting a lot of pushback on my trigger discipline comment

You’re all correct: his finger is not literally resting on the trigger. His discipline could be much worse

It could also, in my personal opinion, be better. Like, not resting directly over the guard

It is my personal belief that if you’re gonna carry a goddamn AR-15 in a tense urban environment full of civilians you should make it very clear to everyone that your finger is away from the trigger

It should rest either above the guard or, optimally, not be extended at all

What does my delicate feminine brain know about trigger discipline? I deployed twice to Afghanistan with the 82nd AIrborne Division and while I did not see combat I definitely know my way around a fucking M-4

thanks

Finger resting just below the guard, over but not on the upper part of the trigger. Magazine loaded

A few people have pointed out that the guy with the AR-15 who threatened me sure looks a lot like the guy I interviewed a week ago

I guess he didn’t like how that went for him

This pic below really hurt my feelings and I would hate it if all of the people who dislike me did the same thing, please do NOT cashapp me money for the opportunity to call me names I would absolutely hate it if this became a thing