January 6th: Stuck in Salem while the Capital Falls

Originally tweeted by Laura Jedeed, Space Professional (@LauraJedeed) on January 6, 2021.

Hello, coming at you live and undercover from the Stop the Steal rally in Salem, Oregon, where maybe 150 people are standing in the cold damp listening to an audio livestream of Trump's speech

And that is how I learned that Trump is marching with the DC rally up Pennsylvania Avenue. Amazing

I'm sad I'm not out there and I don't think I'm the only one based on the tenor of the cheers

The speaker announces that some people will walk to the Capital building for prayer

Normie crowd so far. One rifle spotted but mostly regular folks

The march is a "Jericho March," which based on my recollection of the bible means marching 7 times around the capital until the walls come down and we take the promised land

"today we're gonna be peaceful. We're not gonna give them an excuse..we may be from different groups but we're all here for the same reason"

"Unfortunately a lot of our leaders went to DC so I'm what you got left"

FOMO fills the square like essential oil from an an MLM diffuser

Seeing that DC is a fucking battlefield, meanwhile we're wandering around a building sorta, kill me

Getting powerful religious at 10:30 in the goddamn morning:

The Jericho March is off at a snail's pace; meanwhile some dude is giving a speech about grassroots activism

I'm seeing more AR-15s but this is an exceedingly normie event so far, like, I cannot overstate it

If something interesting happens I'll let you know

Seeing more body armor and a lot of earpieces

I predict that if anything happens here it will be in a couple hour

Meanwhile, we're all watching a video stream of congressional proceedings

Everything is about the same out here. People silently marching around the capital building. People watching congressional objections to the election. Subdued murmuring. Dead energy

Crowd slowly growing. The main event starts at 12

I'm seeing more and more small groups of Proud Boys patrolling the perimeter, standing around with guns–you know, Proud Boy shit

Slowly but surely the normie to chud ratio is shifting

Someone announces that the DC protest has taken the capital and the crowd goes NUTS

A speaker starts talking about the Second Amendment Sanctuary law like the far right didn't just STORMTHE FUCKING CAPITAL

The speaker quickly realizes his mistake and pivots. "We just took the Capital!! And we need you out here for the 19th and 20th so we can take THIS capital!"

I am in shock honestly, I don't know why. A great deal of my misspent youth was spent reading about Nazis and I always wondered what moment like this would feel like and now I know

This guy is still talking about laws and ballots like that fucking matters anymore

A woman with a staff holding a potted plant gets on stage and starts screaming about pedophilia until someone gently escorts her away

"If they thought we had a violent year with Marxists in the street, wait till they see what happens when the Patriots hit the street!!"

Raucous cheers

We're in that weird place that sometimes happens where the world changed and people are still catching up

People giving the speeches they planned to give

A runner-up for governor–didn't catch his name–declares today "the death of the deep state"

He is talking about I literally do not know what while behind him a stream shows people fighting in the fucking capital

This motherfucker is talking about the SPACE FORCE while our capital is UNDER SEIGE surely this is some.kind of fever dream

Paul Romero if anyone cares, that's the guy saying nonsense, I am really having trouble keeping it together not gonna lie

"We are at war with the communists!" someone yells from the stage

He brags about serving in the National Guard 🙄 (sorry not sorry)

He's talking about a Biden America where churches are smashed while the House chamber door is being smashed in DC

Reports that the police are coming. A woman tells everyone to get off the street and stand their ground. Not to engage the police or the "Antifa press snooping around"

"Now we're gonna go back to the stream in DC, watch our Patriots do their thing"

On the DC stream a blonde woman delivers the Lord's Prayer while an announcer says there's gunfire in the House chamber

We say the Pledge of Allegiance and my eyes go to a Q banner

Dallas Heard attempting to give a speech. He sounds shaken

Maybe it's my imagination that there's a weird energy in the crowd. Maybe it's just me

But I have to imagine the cognitive dissonance between "we are protectors of democracy" and "we are actively storming the capital" is intense

Heard tells the crowd that they are doing this the right way. We are saving our flags. We are "not attacking anything the way the other side did"

Yes really

"This tyranny is not going away, folks. It's here for a while" Heard says and I fear he's right but not in the way he means

Update: maybe 300, 350 here

The speaker is comparing what's happening in DC today to the American Revolution

Still majority normies and kids here, a growing armed chud presence

This same guy is now telling us to call our congressmen what is life

Rain coming down. I'm seeing families starting to leave

A speaker is now talking about two capitals

He says it's gonna be a heavy lift. Veterans to the front. No movement to actually do it but they're gearing up for it, psyching themselves up

"The coup is in full effect! Pence just turned on Trump and I followed him on Twitter! The coup has been going on for four years!!"

Once again: dead.on accurate, not in the way they mean

A vet nicknamed Shotgun is up here talking about his tour. About being spat on when he came back. About nearly eating his gun

Now he's here ready to fight

"I swear to each and every one of you Oregonians I am ready to lay my life down for each and every one of you!!"

The woman's prayer group is definitely gone. In its place: loud and angry men talking about taking a stand

It's not gonna get real just yet but it is gonna get REAL

One good thing: it is raining and while the Patriots may be willing to die for their country but standing in the rain is a dicier proposition

Just heard from a Q supporter that what's happening in DC today is a movie and Trump and God won days ago

So there's some breaking news for you

Trump's announcement streamed to the crowd. A demand for peace. He says though the election was stolen "we have to have peace. So go home."

The crowd is silent

Once he's done speakers announce that we are NOT going home, but that we are playing a long game

Went to go take a quick break and encountered a large group of counterprotesters. Guess I'm going back

Passed these fine fellows on the way back and stupidly took a pic instead of video which means them thanking me and telling me to stay safe is lost to time

(I'll post this once they get to the protest)

"do not engage. Let the police do the dirty work"

A lot has happened and I can barely type in the rain. Counter protesters approached. Exchange of smoke grenades. A clash, and some fighting. Someone beaten with batons. police come out of Capitol building and separate the crowd

Unlawful assembly declared. They tell us to disperse immediately. People are not doing that

Meanwhile the speeches are continuing as though nothing is happening, they may not be able to hear the LRAD

The far right beats the shit out of someone with batons

Big MRAPS, tons of cops and feds.

Happening now: peoplee very upset about the cops not being on their side despite not being ANTIFA and being peaceful

"I've been in the Army for 35 years! These cops are here to protect us against Black Lives Matter!!"

"Then why are they facing us?!"

People with megaphones get people to get out of the street. Say the cops will leave if they do

People are.nor convinced but they clear the street anyway

Please forgive my typos it is POURING and I can barely type with the water on the screen

AND THE COPS FUCKING LEAVE

Some other footage from the kerfuffle:

Terrible footage but that woman I mentioned upthread who took the stage with her potted plant got fucked up and bear maced

I think it might have been counterprotesters and if so shame on you, she's clearly got some mental health stuff

Happening now: group returns to in front of the square to continue the rally. Lot of attrition: maybe 150 here

Someone just started a brief chant of of "Groyper"

Going though some footage from earlier now that we're in a lull

An exchange of smoke bombs kicked things off

The cops emerged shortly after the beating-people-with-batons moment. A firework greeted them

The event is dying down–maybe 50 people left. All the AR bois heading out

I too am gonna head out and dry off. Biggest shower everywhere

Solidarity to everyone, everywhere. This is just the beginning

These next few weeks are crucial

Originally tweeted by Laura Jedeed, Space Professional (@LauraJedeed) on January 6, 2021.