Wall of Moms Rises Up to Meet Trump's Federal Occupiers
This is worse than Afghanistan,” Trump said Monday. “This is worse than anything anyone’s ever seen. All run by the same liberal Democrats. And you know what? If Biden got in, that would be true for the country. The whole country would go to hell. And we’re not going to let it go to hell.”
What started in Portland as a Federal overreaction to an ongoing protest that had all-but-run out of steam is now going nationwide. There are only two criteria for further deployment: a local government run by Democrats, and Fox News coverage of protests suggesting things are out of hand.
As the administration has amped up their threats, new groups of dissenters have appeared nationwide ready to push back against what is taking on the trappings of an occupying army, employed for the sole purpose of getting Donald Trump re elected.
The Department of Homeland Security has deployed agents from the Border Patrol Tactical Unit, known as BORTAC, essentially a Customs and Border Protection SWAT team trained in armed operations on protests in Portland that have been largely peaceful. They have been joined by additional agents from its Border Patrol Search, Trauma and Rescue and Special Response teams.
A United States Senator from Oregon weighs in:
https://twitter.com/RonWyden/status/1285606578700324865?s=20
Let’s start with Portland. There were ongoing demonstrations taking place within a four block area of downtown for 50 some odd days. They were rowdy and noisy and I have absolutely no doubt that laws were broken. But most of what was seen in the way of chaos was a lot of graffiti spray painted on buildings.
Here’s a description of what life is actually like in 99% of Portland, as opposed to what the President says, via Facebook user Daniel Picken-Jones:
- There is zero disruption to daily life stemming from the demonstrations. (And, to be clear, neither are moms with strollers at the farmer's market being snatched up by stasi-wannabees in Escalades all day long.)
- Until Friday, the demonstrations had dwindled to about 100 nightly die-hards, pretty much localized to the Justice Center, with occasional marches and rallies on or from the east side. People are now back out on the streets BECAUSE of the escalation of violence from the state: the secret police kidnappings, the introduction of new battlefield weapons, and the violent dawn raid of the encampment over the weekend.
- Portland looks and feels like any other American city in July 2020, right down to the crowds of unmasked idiots stuffing into downtown bars every night. I imagine a majority of Portlanders aren't even aware of what's happening—those of us who are have read about it in the news like everyone else. I don't know of anyone who has encountered newsworthy civic disruption without having diligently sought it out. For everyone else, it's a topic of conversation as you go for a picnic in the park or pick up your dry cleaning.
- There is no looting, and hasn't been since the very first weekend after George Floyd's murder. People like to post pictures of boarded-up windows downtown as evidence of rampant destruction, which is stupid on several levels. Most downtown businesses with large glass storefronts boarded up in April/May during the shutdown, and many remain closed. In almost all cases, corkboard or plywood fronts are protective measures for businesses that have been closed for weeks or months, NOT temporary coverings for shattered glass. Businesses that are open are uncovered and unmolested (see pictures).
- The small encampments and heavy graffiti, as well as the nighttime demonstrations, are limited to a tiny corner of downtown around the Justice Center and the adjoining squares. You can walk one block in any direction and not have ANY notion that anything unusual is going on—except, of course, after midnight, when the police either perform a sortie from the JC and push protesters out street by street, or quietly form a perimeter four or five blocks out and close in.
- As for the encampment—this outpost of crazed anarchists proffers such horrors as art workshops, medics, "protest buddy" signups and 24/7 free barbecue. I spent all of yesterday evening in and around Chapman and Lownsdale Square—walking, sitting, eating, drinking, taking photos and generally looking suspicious—with absolutely no sense of discomfort or lack of safety, despite the encampment being a magnet for all the bored, curious and hungry people in a one-mile radius. In fact, I was ignored entirely. I'm sure unpleasant stuff happens occasionally, but that's a downtown for you.
Here’s NBC News with a few details:
The standoff between law enforcement and protesters in the streets of downtown Portland has caused what some legal experts say could be a constitutional crisis. In the crosshairs are residents trying to assert more control over the city's police department while being somewhat ambivalent about the violence that erupts every night like clockwork.
"What's happening here is, we have dozens, if not hundreds of federal troops descending upon our city. And what they're doing is, they are sharply escalating the situation," Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler said over the weekend.
Since the protests started at the end of May, a small section of downtown Portland has been transformed into a kind of pop-up city surrounding the Justice Center and the federal courthouse. In a park across the street, tents have sprung up to house a makeshift pharmacy filled with emergency kits, a pantry where people can get free snacks and water, a secondhand clothing store and free outdoor catering now known as Riot Ribs.
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Here’s the Presidential side of the story:
“Portland was totally out of control,” the president said on Monday, blaming “liberal Democrats” for incidents of vandalism and clashes between protesters and law enforcement. “They were ripping down — for 51 days, ripping down that city, destroying the city, looting it.”
Senior DHS officials said they expect the unrest to escalate at least through the November election, and noted that the protection of federal buildings falls squarely within their remit. DHS can temporarily authorize officers and agents from its other components — including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) — to protect federal buildings...
Outside of elite units deployed to Portland, there are people in the DHS who realize what's happening is inappropriate:
The Trump administration and senior DHS officials have said the federal response in Portland — where officers from US Customs and Border Protection and ICE are deployed — is necessary to protect the federal courthouse from damage, and they have called some protesters violent criminals. The situation in Portland, they’ve added, is unique and requires a federal response due to local leaders’ apparent unwillingness to help protect federal property.
But conversations with 17 DHS employees, all of whom requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly on the matter, reveal that many at the agency disagree with the show of force. Some called for an investigation, while others said they feared the long-term consequences for the agency’s reputation.
“Despite working at DHS, I watch and learn about every day’s new descent into lawlessness and authoritarianism just like the rest of the world,” one employee said. “Being a part of this corrupt regime, even as I play no role in the decision-making process, leaves me disgusted by my employer and saddened for my country.”
Former federal prosecutor Tim Perry wrote an op-ed for the Union-Tribune warning of impending danger:
In Portland, Oregon last week, masked, camo-clad DHS agents were seen pulling suspects into unmarked SUVs — part of a newly aggressive “posture” that Acting Deputy Secretary Ken Cuccinelli vowed to spread “around the country.”
This should chill every American, and particularly residents of San Diego, home to more DHS law enforcement personnel than any other city.
Portland is weird, a unique city full of unique people. And as the Federal government has escalated its tactics in recent days, they’ve found creative ways to respond. Unfortunately, the DHS personnel only have one tool in their arsenal.
“Police officers in Portland, Oregon were caught off guard after being approached by a nude female demonstrator, who lay down in the street and began performing yoga. The cops were then filmed ‘withdrawing.’ A woman wearing nothing except a mask and a beanie approached a group of officers clearing out the downtown area in the early hours of Saturday. A line of police and federal agents were standing at an intersection when the naked woman seemingly appeared out of nowhere.”
‘Naked Athena appeared and the little boys didn’t know what to do,’ joked Donovan Farley, a reporter on the ground who documented the risque confrontation.”
One Navy vet decided to ask the camo wearing occupiers if they remembered the oath they’d taken when joining the government. He didn’t expect to become famous.
By 10:45 p.m., Mr. David was just about to leave to return home, he said, when some protesters began removing fencing around the courthouse and federal officers emerged. He made his way to a clutch of federal agents.
A video shot by Zane Sparling, a reporter with The Portland Tribune, captured what happened next. Officers in camouflage and gas masks beat Mr. David with batons and blasted pepper spray at his face. The shaky cellphone video shows him briefly shoving away the hand of the officer with the spray-can before turning around, walking away and defiantly throwing up the middle fingers of both hands. He turned and faced the officers again, raising his middle fingers even higher — though a strike from a baton had just shattered his dominant right hand.
Internet users quickly called him “Captain Portland” for barely flinching at the blows. Noting how at 6 feet 2 inches tall he towered over the officers, some people compared him to the “Game of Thrones” character known as the Mountain. On Twitter, he went from having a handful of followers before the encounter to more than 60,000 on Monday.
The Portland Wall of Moms --which have now morphed into nationwide clusters-- appeared on Sunday to protect demonstrators by standing between them and the officers.
Via Truthout:
Those individuals, known as the Wall of Moms for their way of interlocking arms as a means to protect protesters, were themselves attacked by officers with tear gas during their peaceful demonstrations. On Monday, several social media posts from the group known as “PDX Dad Pod” encouraged its members and others to appear with leaf blowers, even telling users who followed them on social media that it would be a great purchase to support local businesses.
Video from confrontations between demonstrators and officers on Monday night into Tuesday morning highlighted how protesters used hockey sticks to scoot tear gas canisters back toward those who fired them, and the leaf blowers as a means to dissipate clouds of chemicals away from protesters. Smaller leaf blowers were also used to help get chemicals off people’s bodies, video also showed.
https://twitter.com/beardedstoner/status/1285401396183957504?s=20
Wall of Moms clusters have sprang up in San Diego, Portland, New York City, St. Louis, Chicago, North Carolina, Denver, Detroit, Washington DC, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and North Carolina, to mention a few. Given the conditions created by COVID-19, all appear to be social media creations.
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Speaking of re election campaigns...
https://twitter.com/B52Malmet/status/1285982849720635393?s=20
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Lead photo credit: Josh Campbell via Twitter