A devastatingly beautiful evening. Light fades from the sky. A cool breeze as I walk, once again, towards Floyd Light Park for another night of live-tweeting#DefendPDX #portlandprotests #pdxprotest #blacklivesmatter #police #acab #trumpsgestapo #momsarehere #portlandprotest
— Laura Jedeed is Kind of Back I Guess (@LauraJedeed) August 7, 2020
Not seeing any signs of marching yet. Someone offers people helmets. A group grilling in the parking lot
— Laura Jedeed is Kind of Back I Guess (@LauraJedeed) August 7, 2020
Lots of rumors flying around. People are on edge, but in a way that only people very accustomed to being on edge can be
An NLG volunteer goes around and makes sure everyone has the number
— Laura Jedeed is Kind of Back I Guess (@LauraJedeed) August 7, 2020
"It feels very peaceful right now," my protest comrade remarks. It really does. Soft music. I can smell the grill. Beautiful night
The future is an abstraction
"Be sure to chant the names of people who died here, not just in Minneapolis! Anarchy is great, but black lives fucking matter!"
— Laura Jedeed is Kind of Back I Guess (@LauraJedeed) August 7, 2020
Huge applause. The crowd chants: Black Lives Matter
The names start:
Aaron Campbell
Kendra James
TeTe Gully
Quanice Hayes
The thing is, I think they really do believe that
— Laura Jedeed is Kind of Back I Guess (@LauraJedeed) August 7, 2020
Or maybe it's just what they need to believe
I don't know
Chant: "Fuck Ted Wheeler!"
Now in front of the east precinct and I just didn't notice
— Laura Jedeed is Kind of Back I Guess (@LauraJedeed) August 7, 2020
A protester whacks the building with a lacrosse stick. Someone else bangs on the doors with their fists
I expect the building to collapse under the onslaught any second now
Unlawful assembly declared. We are ordered to move North
— Laura Jedeed is Kind of Back I Guess (@LauraJedeed) August 7, 2020
@45thabsurdist observes that the LRAD telling us to disperse North seems, in fact, to be North of us
— Laura Jedeed is Kind of Back I Guess (@LauraJedeed) August 7, 2020
Not a great sign. Impossible orders proceed the worst violence
Will this contained trash fire burn the brick precinct down somehow? I'm guessing Ted Wheeler will say yes tomorrow pic.twitter.com/94mX06n0UL
— Laura Jedeed is Kind of Back I Guess (@LauraJedeed) August 7, 2020
Probably 250 people here now. Keep in mind I'm very bad at estimating crowd size. Bigger than yesterday for sure
— Laura Jedeed is Kind of Back I Guess (@LauraJedeed) August 7, 2020
The trash fire still hasn't burned the precinct building down
"No Lives Matter Unless Black Lives Matter!"
— Laura Jedeed is Kind of Back I Guess (@LauraJedeed) August 7, 2020
Someone does a graffiti
East Precinct still not on fire pic.twitter.com/u0AN0u2duM
A guy with a large media camera followed by a dude with an American Flag mask
— Laura Jedeed is Kind of Back I Guess (@LauraJedeed) August 7, 2020
There is some concern
"He's my security guard," large camera guy says. They don't seem to be causing trouble
People decide to leave them alone
East precinct still not on fire
Sure enough they come up from the south
— Laura Jedeed is Kind of Back I Guess (@LauraJedeed) August 7, 2020
Here we go
Driven to Ventura Park. They yelled at the press to 'not interfere with the line' and then sprinted. Only a few manages to keep up. I caught up but not in time to film the violence I saw from a distance, which I'm sure was the idea
— Laura Jedeed is Kind of Back I Guess (@LauraJedeed) August 7, 2020
A small line forms immediately pic.twitter.com/yZSVeXYqdt
— Laura Jedeed is Kind of Back I Guess (@LauraJedeed) August 7, 2020
The line stands for a while. Screams for everyone to get the fuck out the street. I brace myself fora bullrush
— Laura Jedeed is Kind of Back I Guess (@LauraJedeed) August 7, 2020
Stupid in retrospect–not enough of them for that. They sprint to their riot van and jet down the road
The protest begins to move back down Stark, slowly and together
— Laura Jedeed is Kind of Back I Guess (@LauraJedeed) August 7, 2020
"How do you spell Nazi? PPB!"
Back at that Nazis house from. Last night
— Laura Jedeed is Kind of Back I Guess (@LauraJedeed) August 7, 2020
A protester breaks her window. No sign of life in there
"Let's go!" someone yells. Seems like a good plan pic.twitter.com/beAeFm3hqY
Protesters stopped at 108th and Washington, grooving to "Lockdown" by Anderson Paak (thank you Shazam). A few protesters jam to the sultry beat
— Laura Jedeed is Kind of Back I Guess (@LauraJedeed) August 7, 2020
"Shields up! Stay prepared and be ready! Should we move or should we stay? "
This is a profoundly weird place to stop. Fork in the road, already kind of confusing traffic-wise. It's a dark night and everyone's in black
— Laura Jedeed is Kind of Back I Guess (@LauraJedeed) August 7, 2020
Seems like we're staying here anyway for now
A small group of police appear to be semi-surrounded
— Laura Jedeed is Kind of Back I Guess (@LauraJedeed) August 7, 2020
It's a weird situation
An officer tells us to back up off the street (and stop filming) so we don't get run over by the truck coming to extract them. "It's fucking common sense"
Thank you for your professionalism OSP
The police beat a hasty retraat and the protesters are left at this weird-ass intersection, unsure of what to do
— Laura Jedeed is Kind of Back I Guess (@LauraJedeed) August 7, 2020
Getting reports from protesters as we go
— Laura Jedeed is Kind of Back I Guess (@LauraJedeed) August 7, 2020
My protest buddy was shoved to the ground while crossing the street as instructed
Another protester describes being shoved to the ground, then picked up by her pack. "Get home safe, miss!" the cop said to her
Bullrush part 2: even shakier cam. Sorry pic.twitter.com/1YtM5IWnus
— Laura Jedeed is Kind of Back I Guess (@LauraJedeed) August 7, 2020
Well that was weird. We just got bullrushed through a nightmare suburbia maze of big box stores parking lots. The kind that are all interconnected. I have more terrible footage to upload but there are more cops and more parking lot so to be continue
— Laura Jedeed is Kind of Back I Guess (@LauraJedeed) August 7, 2020
It seems like we might be a out to get kettled in a Target parking lot. Whatever will my parents say. Arrested in the lot of a half-dead suburban shopping center
— Laura Jedeed is Kind of Back I Guess (@LauraJedeed) August 7, 2020
It's beautiful in its own way
Anyway there are probably too many of us. I think they're just having fun herding us
The last time I was at The Venue I [REDACTED]. One of the weirdest nights of my life. Now I've just been accused of rioting in a Target parking lot. It's clear I should simply never come out this way
— Laura Jedeed is Kind of Back I Guess (@LauraJedeed) August 7, 2020
We've really been scattered at this point. The night might be over
And I'm out!
— Laura Jedeed is Kind of Back I Guess (@LauraJedeed) August 7, 2020
Solidarity to everyone still out there