On Saturday several mothers in Portland, Oregon banded together to protect Black Lives Matter demonstrators who are protesting racism and police brutality. President Trump and DHS acting Secretary Chad Wolf have sent Homeland Security paramilitary SWAT teams to the northwestern city against the orders of the governor and mayor.
“Feds stay clear! Moms are here!” the women chanted. Despite their peaceful actions, "federal officers used tear gas and flash bangs to disperse the crowd," Buzzfeed reports.
A crowd of about 400 has now occupied both SW 3rd and SW Main. The moms are chanting, “Feds stay clear! Moms are… https://t.co/sxBCoCn2vb— Lindsey Smith (she/her) (@Lindsey Smith (she/her)) 1595131984.0
On Sunday, the moms were back, and there were a lot more.
The Wall of Moms is back in front of the Justice Center in downtown Portland, and they brought reinforcements. https://t.co/7B26bCyBN6— Nathaniel St. Clair (@Nathaniel St. Clair) 1595218352.0
Sunday Evening downtown Portland https://t.co/WOab47AQls— Michael Galimanis (@Michael Galimanis) 1595221674.0
They were "wielding sunflowers."
The #wallofmoms is at the frontline and they’ve put sunflowers through the fence. SUNFLOWERS, y’all. They’re fearle… https://t.co/KhB6RY12n3— Deborah Bloom (@Deborah Bloom) 1595225323.0
And federal agents, called Trump's secret police by some, and an "occupying force" by others, tear gassed them again.
The Feds starting to gas a lot of moms. #teargas #MomsAreHere #blacklivesmatter #protest #pdx #portland #oregon… https://t.co/iUYyKqidmF— Garrison Davis (@Garrison Davis) 1595228518.0
I am a 49 year old mother with a Masters in Education and I just got gassed by my own government. We were peaceful.… https://t.co/luvU4xE25z— Jen (@Jen) 1595237670.0
I will continue to stand up for begat is right and just. This was a peaceful protest. There was zero need for tear… https://t.co/KxqcEmY03V— Jen (@Jen) 1595239493.0
The DHS paramilitary officers wear camouflage, riot gear, masks, have no name tags or any identifying insignias, and drive in unmarked vans.
They reportedly come from several federal agencies, including the Border Patrol's BORTAC unit, which are SWAT teams. An internal DHS memo, The New York Times reports, warned they are not trained in crowd control. Their presence has "re-energized" the protests in Portland, which were dwindling down before the feds were deployed.
