I want to talk briefly about what I saw last night in Portland. One, I’m glad I met up with @RedTRaccoon. He and I walked the area. Like most things, it was nuanced. Many of us see one thing depicted and maybe it’s only the violence.

What I saw was a large, and very peaceful gathering supporting #BLM. Many speakers passionately speaking on the steps of the federal building.

I saw Riot Ribs, tons of food being grilled and given for free. Many protesters interacting, engaging one another peacefully.

As the night wore on protesters grew more energetic and agitated at the fed presence. This drew a response in the form of gas. I was standing a good distance from the fence and two young men said they had just been pelted so for us to be careful.

Ultimately the feds began to deploy more gas to push the crowd back. I’ve been corrected by an anonymous LEO that they are not in fact “non lethal” projectiles but instead less than lethal, and they still have potential to kill.

At this point I observed people getting hit with rounds. The medic response was phenomenal. I will also say there was a brother/sisterhood out there on the street. I never felt unsafe amongst the protesters, not once.