Beginning tonight’s tour d’portland at the JC. perhaps with moms? What are moms up to? Where will the night take us? Who can say!

It looks like the police have given up on fencing lawnsdale and Chapman parks and riot ribs has an incredible amount of infrastructure set up

On the other hand Chad Wolff’s hope springs eternal as demonstrated by the fence once again around the federal courthouse

The art just keeps getting better. A constant weird blend of rainbow gathering and children-of-men style police state apocalypse at lownsdale.

Remember how lownsdale was founded as a men-only public misogyny park, and then it turned into a center of militant labor organizing and gay fuckin’? I think about that a lot.

St Johns event turned out to be a non-event, but!
We were talking phone journalism accessories and hanging with @DonovanFarley, and ran into @faithfaucet and the best iPhone case I have ever fucking seen.

Back at the justice center this is a large group for a Sunday

Mothers against police and federal brutality are back again

And they are ready tonight

Erika G. Is out tonight with her mom are out tonight. They came tonight for the first time after seeing the tear gas and federal force last night (7/18)

Some of these moms came out early on in the BLM protests when there was moms gave protesters the night off and held the line. Some are here for the first time protesting for Black lives and against police brutality

“Enough is enough!”

No major tampering with fence. A little cage rattling. Moms have drawn back to jc, and are chanting loud. Doors opened, closed, and the moms came back to the courthouse!

Human chain of moms snaking in front of fence, yelling “feds go home!” The whole crowd is now at the courthouse

A Black man encourages them “moms hold the line!”

The speaker

“Feds go home”

Feds have not closed their doors but have withdrawn into the doorways. Perhaps they realize that maybe they should not shoot at a wall of middle aged women?

Piggies abound at the courthouse

“I will not live in a fascist state” chants going through the crowd.

Moms got a kick line going!

I was today years old when I first saw a line of 100 moms in matching outfits locked arm in arm, dancing, while chant-singing “all cops are bastards”

Federal officers hiding in the doorway

“No justice no peace”

“Hey hey! Hoho! These racist cops have got to go”. At least here at the front the energy is high

So Portland’s got more than our fair share of righteous bike-moms and it really shows right now.

Flashbang? Outta nowhere inside the fence.

This demonstration is kinda like if everyone from your local dog park, rock gym, yoga studio, and bike path all decided that it was time to kick the federal government outta portland

Aaaand another flashbang. Are they rolling them outta the door? What if they hit the door frame and flashbanged themselves? Haha no but what if?

And no one moves. The crowd behind us is huge

Chanting game is *on point* I tell you what.

It’s interesting that this is basically the game we were playing over at the justice center Fence a month ago. Only now it’s screaming at the federal government. I think that was just a rendition of the “peaceful protest” chant, which I haven’t heard in a while.

Mom bloc has a whole system with a backup line of moms waiting to tap in and fill any holes if someone needs to leave

So there’s reports that the flashbangs were actually fireworks. If so, those fireworks suck. The Roman candles down on Main Street are way better.

Feds come out shooting pepper balls and spraying people firing flash bangs. They attack down the fence beyond the mom line. Did not see any instigating event

Moms are stretching the line out along the fence after this happened

For the people taking down the fence you realize it was also helping to keep them in and making it harder to fire munitions

Moms blocked the hole with their bodies

Two POC teens are sitting on the fence holding “back lives matter signs”.

So the feds came out and there has been live-streaming, but let me get up my videos and then wash the pepper powder off my arm because it is burning my sweat

Fence down

Thirst posting my pepper burn

We are out for the night

Lots of people got messed up tonight reporting and many are freelancers go here and help support them https://tinyurl.com/yaz3kdbl