Thread by @LauraJedeed, Hello, it's that time again: live-tweeting from Floyd Light City Park! Or, [...]

Hello, it's that time again: live-tweeting from Floyd Light City Park! Or, well, nearby. Let's see what tonight's protest brings

#DefendPDX #portlandprotests #pdxprotest #blacklivesmatter

#police #acab #trumpsgestapo #momsarehere #portlandprotest

We have arrived at the East Portland Community Policing Center. Good crowd, maybe 250 people? A wall of yellow-shirted moms at the front leads the crowd in a chant of "Fuck the Police!" Enterprising protesters are at work disabling cameras

I think I'm gonna get my riot gear on

LRAD rolls up. Announces there's criminal activity in the crowd, and encourages peaceful protesters to leave now

The criminal activity: one graffiti and some camera sabotage

Sorry, I'm seeing several graffitis now. I've mentioned it before, but paint washes off and buildings are incapable of experiencing pain

I think the LRAD pulled back after its warning. I'm sure it'll be back

Sometimes it strikes me how grim these things have become. Few if any cute signs. Everyone in gas masks. Carrying shields and umbrellas, all black, standing with the tense looseness of people prepared to react quickly to physical violence

Chant: "we're here to fuck shit up!"

Protesters have begun to pry the boards off the glass front of the building. They did NOT do a good job of nailing those boards on

A couple protesters are using a 2x4 as a battering ram against the doors, which are tougher than they look

I don't know what's going through anyone's head. But I suspect it might be: if we know from experience that there's going to be a riot declared regardless, why not actually break something?

A couple cops spotted inside the building, just beyond the unbreaking doors

Chant of "stay together, stay tight!"

Everybody knows what's coming. From where and when is the only question

I am receiving reports that a protester has smeared a whole-ass burrito on the precinct doors

They have also barred the doors with a 2x4

Some half-hearted attempts to break the glass but I think the doors are pretty safe

A protester is now throwing a large chunk of concrete at the door

"If you are filming, you are complicit in state oppression!" someone shouts.

Chant: "what did I see? Didn't see shit!"

A protester is now using a hammer to break the glass. The windows are not safe, I was wrong

Chant: "Every City! Every Town! Burn the precinct to the ground!"

Let it be known that the person with the hammer appears to be BIPOC

Correction: it's a wrench

LRAD commands protesters to move to the North

Riot declared. Failure to move North may subject us to use of etc

Destruction

Boards rearranged; also a contained trash fire

An older woman tries to force her way through. "Stop it!" She screams.

"It's not safe!" The protesters block her

One of the protesters tells the woman that this is how people got results in Minnesota

Another exclaims: "this is the hell world you left us!"

A protester uses a leaf blower to fan the flames

The boards are beginning to catch fire

Riot cops rolling up. Here we go

Cops drive protesters up two blocks with you immediate tear gas and bullrush. Currently a pause at Washington and 106th

The cop line retreats

Protesters start after the cops and the cops decide not to retreat after all

This crowd is smaller than I initially thought or there's been a lot of atrition. Maybe 100 people, that might be high

Backup has arrived down Washington

Impact weapons raised

Officers move forward and brutally arrest at least two protesters

They fire a great deal of tear gas into the road, then force protesters through it. Haven't smelled gas that strong since the feds went into the district courthouse

Officers walk through the gas

Arrests

#DefendPDX #portlandprotests #pdxprotest #blacklivesmatter

#police #acab #trumpsgestapo #momsarehere #portlandprotest

Backup arrives from several directions. The line charges--mayve the fastest sprint I've seen yet--and just full-on tackles people. Not seeing arrests, just violence

Officers order the protest off the street and onto the sidewalk

This is interesting for press, which lately has been ordered to occupy the sidewalk to avoid arrest. Now everyone is on the sidewalk. Probably not great for us

Not my best camera work, forgive me

The cops start retreating backwards. Get on the riot vans and drive away

"Let's go!!" a protester shouts. They begin to advance after the retreating cops, chanting "no good cops in a racist system!"

So um, this just happened

A woman is standing on her porch watching this shit in an honest-to-god Nazi armband

"Take it off before we do!"

"Why?! I haven't said anything racist!!"

The protesters encourage her to go inside before something bad happens. She refuses

They attempt to rip the armband off of her. She is in absolute shock. Finally she goes inside and just stands there, door open, yelling "I'm inside!"

I swear she told us she had black friends

It is astounding she did not get hurt

She did, however, have something thrown at her windows

Her neighbors applauded

Yes, I have most of this on video. Apparently you can't see it because my phone is shitting itself. I promise I'll upload when I can

Meanwhile, the actual protest has gathered a little ways up from the Nazi apartment and awaits further development

Neighbors are very divided on what's happening. One of the neighbors allows a protester to pee in her yard. "Just do it downhill so it doesn't get on our porch"

Another older white woman is very upset about the protest. She's speaking bad ebonics, it's quite something

Protesters on the move now, away from this strange apartment complex

"She broke my joint!!" A protester tells me despairingly. She's talking about Ebonics Karen

"That's real fascism!!" Someone jokes

And then we hear the LRAD and the dizzying hilarity wears off immediately

Protest moves back slowly

If that sprint in my respirator didn't kill me, masks will never kill anyone. Several blocks.

They wheel right and effectively block 3/4ths of the press from entering the residential neighborhood. Currently trying to find a way through

This thing where they force everyone into the sidewalk is another great way to stop press from doing their fucking jobs. It's nice to see them get creative I guess. Pair brutality with wily tactics: who needs arrests?

I've found the group. Serious kettling concerns expressed. Portland hasn't seen a kettle yet in all this time. Will this be the night? I kinda doubt it. Still, good to be aware

As we ran through residential streets to get here, someone yelled from inside their house: "Hey PPB! Last time I checked, this was a democracy!!"

" No it isn't!" a protester yells back. "Not to them! Not anymore."

The group is pretty scattered but seems to be making its way back down the street

@IwriteOK and @hungrybowtie tell me the police pushed a bit into the residential area, then left

I can't believe it's only 11:00

The group has reconvened and paused. The Coup blasting. Protesters sitting, taking off masks. I do the same. The air is incredible on my skin

A truck speeds through too fast, but no one is hurt

Protesters on the move, organizing to let cars through. Chanting George Floyd's name

Nazi clip finally uploaded! https://twitter.com/1misanthrophile/status/1291256467203297280?s=19

https://twitter.com/1misanthrophile/status/1291256467203297280?s=19

The police round the corner. LRAD reminds us that "this event is still a riot" and tells us to disperse. Riot line incoming, see you on the other side

The riot line drives us back. Same old shit, less brutality. The crowd did well at keeping their distance and the bullrush sprint was far more tired than last time

Currently, the line has blocked the intersection of Stark and 113th. They've cut the group in two, I think

Police chase us down 113th: a residential street without sidewalks. Press ordered to trample grass and plants to avoid the street and arrest.

They keep screaming to get out of the street, but there's nowhere to go

Police and protesters screaming at each other

A medic begs to be let through the line. Report of a mom run over by the police car

"What do you have in there, paint balloons?" One of the officers demands

"It's medical supplies!"

One of the police yells something about arson. Then: "OK, move, it's a riot. Party's over!"

The police push no one down a residential road without sidewalks and demand protesters get on the sidewalk.

They push to a gravel dead end

A moment of confusion and a hasty police retreat

I'm hearing that a group got hit really hard. It's unclear if anyone got footage, since they were making reporters run through lawns and between parked cars

I'm with a group of maybe 20 protesters. We got scattered pretty good

If protesters come back here they'll need to develop some tactics to deal with these neighborhoods

Press will also have to develop some tactics if we want to hold our boys in blue accountable. They essentially made it impossible for us to work tonight

Tiny groups gather on friendly lawns. Starting to move. Trying to find other groups. Drops of water trying to becoming a river again

Protesters convening in the park. Small groups keep trickling in

"Identify yourselves! Who did you vote for?!"

"I don't vote!!"

Cheers

The crowd is on the move

Whole we go I need to tell you that while I was moving down Washington and filming the police line someone offered me a drink from an open vodka bottle, and then "some rocks"

I politely declined

We were met by a riot van about a block from the precinct building. They formed into a line and rushed. One person arrested that I could see

Currently facing off the line

A protester offers to pay for groceries for three weeks for any cop who quits their job

"We all have college educations," a cop yells back. "That's not good enough! "

They've been very vocal this evening

A charge and an arrest

A cop tells us we're all under arrest

Then the line loads up on their riot van and leaves

I live in a Tom and Jerry cartoon

The night is done. But the only way back to my car is past the precinct

Two cops ask us where we're going. I tell them. They let us through

"Have a nice night!" One of them yells

"See you tomorrow?" Another asks

I decline to answer

Enlisted men always have some level of camaraderie with each other I suppose. And that's what we are. Two armies warring every night. Bizarre rules of engagement

Shit's weird

All right, in my car and heading out

Solidarity to everyone still out there

Latest Threads Unrolled: