A group of mothers forming a so-called wall of moms was allegedly teargassed after attempting to ‘protect’ protesters from federal officers deployed to defend federal property and maintain order.
The incident occurred in Portland, Oregon, where clashes between the protesters and the police have been going on for nearly two months.
On Saturday, following more than 50 nights of Black Lives Matter protests in the state’s largest city, a group of mothers formed a human chain dubbed the ‘Wall of Moms’ in an attempt to stop federal officers from getting to the protesters.
The opposition took place outside the Mark O. Hatfield federal courthouse that has been covered in graffiti amid the civil unrest in the city.
As seen in photos taken at the time of the protest, the mothers were holding hands to form a shield while holding various signs showing support for the BLM movement.
“Dear feds u r just another brick in the wall, leave our kids alone!” one sign read. “George Floyd summoned all mamas,” another one suggested.
One sign wielded by a mother read: “Please. I can’t breathe! Mama, mama. Don’t kill me. Please.”
Following escalations at the site of the protest, the federal officers allegedly deployed flash bangs and tear gas to disperse the crowd, including mothers forming the Wall of Moms.
“The level of violence escalated by these GI soldiers was such an overreaction. You’re seeing moms getting tear-gassed,” one of the witnesses, 39-year-old mother Melanie Damm, claimed.
Despite being teargassed by the authorities, the group of moms returned the following day, on Sunday, to stand between protesters and federal officers once more.
According to the reports, some fifty mothers formed the Wall of Moms on Sunday while calling for justice and ‘protecting’ the protesters.
As the authorities insisted following the Saturday confrontation, tear gas was deployed after some protesters broke into Portland Police Association building and set it on fire while lighting dumpster fires in its surroundings. The gathering was then declared a riot and officers moved to clear the downtown area.
“As the crowd was dispersed, several people in the crowd were arrested and officers were able to extinguish the fire. Portland Police did not use any CS gas,” Portland Police stated on Sunday morning.
The escalations follow as federal troops have been deployed to assist Portland Police in an attempt to maintain order, protect federal property, and arrest violent protesters. Federal officers without identification badges have been seen arresting protesters and taking them away in unmarked vehicles.
Replaced!