As the violent standoff between BLM and Antifa protesters and rioters on one side and police officers on the other continues in Portland, dozens of moms have been deployed in a bid to de-escalate tensions.
Such is the bizarre state of 2020, that a so-called ‘Wall of Moms’ was created to protect hundreds of demonstrators from the wrath of federal forces over the weekend, as eyewitness footage from the scene shows.
— Garrison Davis (Teargas Proof) (@hungrybowtie) July 20, 2020
The bicycle-helmet-wearing moms created a face-shield wall, while chanting “Feds stay clear! Moms are here!” and “Leave our kids alone.” The women also bore signs that read: “Angry mama bear BLM” and “Moms are pissed.”
The mothers arrived on the 50th consecutive night of protests in the city following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis Police custody.
Despite the best efforts of the mom-olith, federal agents used tear gas, batons, and less-than-lethal munitions to clear the streets outside Portland’s federal courthouse, which has been a flashpoint of violence in the city for weeks.
The mothers were caught in the crossfire and were also reportedly teargassed by law enforcement officers. The scene unfolded at the same location where, on Sunday, a 26-year-old demonstrator named Donovan La Bella was shot in the face with impact munition by police, suffering a fractured skull.
The moms’ intervention comes after US President Donald Trump and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Acting Secretary Chad Wolf sent DHS, Customs and Border Protection, US Marshals Service and Federal Protective Service officers to protect the city.
However, these same officers, who some protesters have branded as “stormtroopers,” have been accused of overstepping the mark multiple times since they were deployed, resulting in a lawsuit by the state attorney general.
In particular, there have been many complaints and much debate in the media about “unmarked vans and detaining people without probable cause.”
0 Comments