1 00:00:19,720 --> 00:00:22,680 Speaker 1: Violence has a curious way of rendering you both more 2 00:00:22,760 --> 00:00:26,640 Speaker 1: resilient to and less tolerant of more violence. By the 3 00:00:26,680 --> 00:00:30,000 Speaker 1: start of July, every regular protester and press member in 4 00:00:30,000 --> 00:00:32,440 Speaker 1: the city of Portland had seen dozens of flash band 5 00:00:32,440 --> 00:00:35,440 Speaker 1: grenades detonate within feet of their heads. In June lo 6 00:00:35,520 --> 00:00:37,800 Speaker 1: One I was tear gas at least sixty times, and 7 00:00:37,840 --> 00:00:41,520 Speaker 1: there are literally thousands of other Portlanders who endured similar barrages. 8 00:00:42,120 --> 00:00:44,920 Speaker 1: We'd all run like hell from charging riot lines, which 9 00:00:44,960 --> 00:00:47,519 Speaker 1: isn't experience in and of itself. I've been to war 10 00:00:47,600 --> 00:00:49,680 Speaker 1: zones on two continents. I've been shot at, and I've 11 00:00:49,680 --> 00:00:52,600 Speaker 1: been shelled once, and I can honestly say that being 12 00:00:52,640 --> 00:00:55,840 Speaker 1: bul rushed by dozens of armored policemen ranks as among 13 00:00:55,880 --> 00:00:59,120 Speaker 1: the most frightening things I've ever experienced. It's certainly less 14 00:00:59,200 --> 00:01:02,720 Speaker 1: lethal than coming under sniper fire, but there's something uncontrollably 15 00:01:02,880 --> 00:01:06,080 Speaker 1: panic inducing about being chased by a wall of angry 16 00:01:06,080 --> 00:01:08,399 Speaker 1: men who want to harm you. The lizard part of 17 00:01:08,400 --> 00:01:11,600 Speaker 1: your brain starts firing, panic rises up in the primal 18 00:01:11,680 --> 00:01:14,600 Speaker 1: hinterlands of your brain. If you aren't careful, it takes 19 00:01:14,640 --> 00:01:17,880 Speaker 1: over completely. And even if you do stay in control 20 00:01:18,200 --> 00:01:21,960 Speaker 1: the adrenaline coursing through your system. It'll make your handshake, 21 00:01:22,000 --> 00:01:23,920 Speaker 1: It'll blur the parts of your mind to make coherent 22 00:01:23,959 --> 00:01:27,280 Speaker 1: thought possible. Portland protesters learned a lot through the month 23 00:01:27,280 --> 00:01:29,840 Speaker 1: of June, but one thing they didn't quite figure out 24 00:01:29,920 --> 00:01:41,960 Speaker 1: was how to stand up against a charging riot line. 25 00:01:43,440 --> 00:01:45,480 Speaker 1: They did learn a lot of other valuable things, though, 26 00:01:45,800 --> 00:01:48,520 Speaker 1: Tear gas went from something that instantly dispersed crowds to 27 00:01:48,680 --> 00:01:50,960 Speaker 1: more of a moderate annoyance. Some of this was a 28 00:01:50,960 --> 00:01:54,280 Speaker 1: product of people acquiring gas masks and respirators, but more 29 00:01:54,320 --> 00:01:56,080 Speaker 1: of it had to do with people learning how to 30 00:01:56,120 --> 00:01:58,760 Speaker 1: treat gas injuries, how to put out or throw back 31 00:01:58,800 --> 00:02:02,720 Speaker 1: smoking canisters, and most importantly, how not to panic while 32 00:02:02,800 --> 00:02:06,360 Speaker 1: choking on poison. One major way this information spread in 33 00:02:06,400 --> 00:02:09,960 Speaker 1: the early days were live streams. Conundrum, A blind journalist 34 00:02:09,960 --> 00:02:13,079 Speaker 1: who recorded soundscapes of the Portland riots recalls how she 35 00:02:13,200 --> 00:02:16,400 Speaker 1: used live stream audio to train herself up before going out. 36 00:02:16,720 --> 00:02:19,840 Speaker 1: And I had been, you know, since like the first week, 37 00:02:20,520 --> 00:02:22,720 Speaker 1: helping out in ways I can sort of from behind 38 00:02:22,760 --> 00:02:28,320 Speaker 1: the scenes constantly. It took until middle you know, because initially, 39 00:02:28,400 --> 00:02:31,600 Speaker 1: when all this started going down, you know, here in Portland, 40 00:02:31,919 --> 00:02:34,080 Speaker 1: I was like, how can I be involved? You know, 41 00:02:34,240 --> 00:02:37,720 Speaker 1: logic brain is going, Okay, Katie, you're blind. Not safe 42 00:02:37,720 --> 00:02:40,080 Speaker 1: for you to go out there. You know, all of 43 00:02:40,160 --> 00:02:43,480 Speaker 1: all of these reasons why blind person probably running through 44 00:02:43,480 --> 00:02:46,720 Speaker 1: clouds of tear gas not not the greatest idea you've 45 00:02:46,720 --> 00:02:50,760 Speaker 1: ever had. Um. And so it was like, Okay, Well, 46 00:02:50,800 --> 00:02:52,760 Speaker 1: what are the other ways I can I can support 47 00:02:53,160 --> 00:02:56,440 Speaker 1: the community at large and specific people who I know 48 00:02:56,560 --> 00:02:58,600 Speaker 1: that are out there. Well, for one, I got that 49 00:02:59,520 --> 00:03:01,600 Speaker 1: stimulus check and I didn't need it, so I'm like, 50 00:03:01,639 --> 00:03:06,920 Speaker 1: who needs gear? Um? So donating into different organizations that 51 00:03:07,040 --> 00:03:09,080 Speaker 1: was one way that I could help very easily. In 52 00:03:09,120 --> 00:03:11,800 Speaker 1: my position. I live by myself. I live like a 53 00:03:11,840 --> 00:03:16,119 Speaker 1: student because I am a student and I yeah, um, 54 00:03:16,320 --> 00:03:19,640 Speaker 1: also supporting friends that I had who were out on 55 00:03:19,639 --> 00:03:23,040 Speaker 1: the ground, like sitting there watching all of the live 56 00:03:23,120 --> 00:03:25,200 Speaker 1: streams and like following all of you guys that were 57 00:03:25,200 --> 00:03:27,799 Speaker 1: out there on the ground since day one. Like I'm 58 00:03:27,840 --> 00:03:30,880 Speaker 1: sitting there up all night every night, eight nights a 59 00:03:30,919 --> 00:03:35,480 Speaker 1: week because some number of my friends are out every night, right, 60 00:03:35,560 --> 00:03:39,000 Speaker 1: And so as stuff gets started, I start pulling up 61 00:03:39,000 --> 00:03:40,960 Speaker 1: every stream that I could find. So, yeah, that was 62 00:03:41,000 --> 00:03:42,600 Speaker 1: a lot of what I would be doing is having 63 00:03:42,840 --> 00:03:45,800 Speaker 1: multiple live streams playing at the same time, like listening 64 00:03:45,840 --> 00:03:49,080 Speaker 1: to the audio's Obviously, I can't see what's happening in 65 00:03:49,360 --> 00:03:52,560 Speaker 1: the videos, so I mean I was not as effective 66 00:03:52,560 --> 00:03:54,920 Speaker 1: as somebody who could actually see the pictures, obviously, and 67 00:03:55,160 --> 00:03:57,920 Speaker 1: that tiny regard. I can't see the pictures people are 68 00:03:57,960 --> 00:04:00,280 Speaker 1: tweeting out or what's in them. But you know, me 69 00:04:00,320 --> 00:04:02,280 Speaker 1: and some of my friends had some groups set up 70 00:04:02,280 --> 00:04:03,880 Speaker 1: where I wasn't the only one doing this, and we 71 00:04:03,880 --> 00:04:06,360 Speaker 1: would sort of share the information with each other first 72 00:04:06,400 --> 00:04:09,480 Speaker 1: before passing it on to the people who were, you know, 73 00:04:09,560 --> 00:04:12,280 Speaker 1: out and about, like, hey, guys, maybe stay away from 74 00:04:12,280 --> 00:04:14,800 Speaker 1: Third and managed and there's reports of fascists in a 75 00:04:14,840 --> 00:04:16,839 Speaker 1: truck with u S flags like don't go around, there's 76 00:04:16,839 --> 00:04:18,520 Speaker 1: a guy with a gun, you know, stuff like that. 77 00:04:18,600 --> 00:04:20,640 Speaker 1: Once people were actually out on the ground getting tear 78 00:04:20,680 --> 00:04:23,400 Speaker 1: gas and grenated and charged on a regular basis, they 79 00:04:23,440 --> 00:04:26,800 Speaker 1: started coalescing into groups based on what they were particularly 80 00:04:26,839 --> 00:04:29,440 Speaker 1: interested in doing to help out. For Chris and a 81 00:04:29,520 --> 00:04:31,920 Speaker 1: number of his colleagues, that meant learning to work as 82 00:04:31,960 --> 00:04:36,800 Speaker 1: a team of medics. This kid out a broken shoulder, um, 83 00:04:36,839 --> 00:04:40,240 Speaker 1: and there's a bunch of people crowding around being like 84 00:04:40,279 --> 00:04:42,039 Speaker 1: I'm medic, but I've only got water and band aids 85 00:04:42,080 --> 00:04:45,400 Speaker 1: and stuff. Um. And I wandered up and I said, Hi, 86 00:04:45,520 --> 00:04:48,800 Speaker 1: my name's Chris. UM, I have triangle band just would 87 00:04:48,839 --> 00:04:50,720 Speaker 1: you like one? And so I met a medic friend 88 00:04:50,760 --> 00:04:52,680 Speaker 1: that way, and then I met all of their medic 89 00:04:52,720 --> 00:04:54,760 Speaker 1: friends and it's like, well we should keep in contact. 90 00:04:54,760 --> 00:04:58,400 Speaker 1: You guys have signaling made like a small signal group. Um. 91 00:04:58,480 --> 00:05:01,599 Speaker 1: And then I started to meet other medics and like 92 00:05:01,680 --> 00:05:03,760 Speaker 1: get their signal information and met other medics that we're 93 00:05:03,800 --> 00:05:06,760 Speaker 1: doing the same thing. And so we all kind of 94 00:05:07,360 --> 00:05:10,120 Speaker 1: like everybody kind of met like five medics and all 95 00:05:10,200 --> 00:05:12,760 Speaker 1: five medics new another five medics and so it all 96 00:05:12,839 --> 00:05:16,960 Speaker 1: kind of um coalesced like that. UM. So there's a 97 00:05:17,000 --> 00:05:20,560 Speaker 1: lot of independent medics. But really there are these medic groups, 98 00:05:20,839 --> 00:05:24,280 Speaker 1: and within the internal communications that we have, we usually 99 00:05:24,279 --> 00:05:27,679 Speaker 1: have like a few people like one or two people 100 00:05:27,760 --> 00:05:31,240 Speaker 1: from each group. Like I'm with PAM. I know other 101 00:05:31,279 --> 00:05:33,080 Speaker 1: medics that are with PAM that are in like uh 102 00:05:33,880 --> 00:05:39,640 Speaker 1: you know, in communication. Um. And then you know there's 103 00:05:39,800 --> 00:05:41,600 Speaker 1: the e walks and we'll know some e walks and 104 00:05:41,640 --> 00:05:43,640 Speaker 1: well if I can't get ahold of the walks, I 105 00:05:43,640 --> 00:05:45,920 Speaker 1: know somebody you can. If I can't get ahold of 106 00:05:46,000 --> 00:05:48,840 Speaker 1: rose hips, I know somebody you can. UM. And so 107 00:05:48,880 --> 00:05:51,200 Speaker 1: we do all try and talk to each other. UM. 108 00:05:51,279 --> 00:05:52,920 Speaker 1: We try and talk to each other on the day 109 00:05:52,920 --> 00:05:58,000 Speaker 1: of to make sure that you know, like we're all 110 00:05:58,040 --> 00:06:01,520 Speaker 1: on the same page because different medics sceptor styles UM. 111 00:06:01,600 --> 00:06:04,279 Speaker 1: And then another reason that's so important is because especially 112 00:06:04,320 --> 00:06:07,680 Speaker 1: in emergency medicine UM, you're taught how to deal with 113 00:06:07,720 --> 00:06:11,600 Speaker 1: like bio hazards, situations, you know, things where you need 114 00:06:11,640 --> 00:06:13,839 Speaker 1: to triage things where there's a lot of patients at once, 115 00:06:14,480 --> 00:06:16,679 Speaker 1: and there's a lot of people coming from different places 116 00:06:16,720 --> 00:06:19,640 Speaker 1: to be medics, and you have to learn you know 117 00:06:20,040 --> 00:06:21,720 Speaker 1: who's above you, who's below you, so that you're not 118 00:06:21,760 --> 00:06:23,599 Speaker 1: stepping at each other's does and getting each other's way. 119 00:06:24,040 --> 00:06:27,440 Speaker 1: And so learning what everyone's scope of practices was very important. 120 00:06:27,520 --> 00:06:29,160 Speaker 1: And that's just kind of a standard question that we ask. 121 00:06:29,240 --> 00:06:31,400 Speaker 1: Now if you meet somebody that you haven't met, they're like, oh, 122 00:06:31,480 --> 00:06:33,679 Speaker 1: medic would be like, oh hey, cool, my name's Chris. 123 00:06:33,760 --> 00:06:36,520 Speaker 1: UM has trained as an m t uh, if you 124 00:06:36,560 --> 00:06:38,720 Speaker 1: don't mind me asking what's your scope of practice? Because 125 00:06:38,720 --> 00:06:40,720 Speaker 1: sometimes there are people will be like, oh yeah, I've 126 00:06:40,760 --> 00:06:43,520 Speaker 1: been taking care of my mom for like five years, 127 00:06:43,520 --> 00:06:45,360 Speaker 1: but I have no formal training and be like, all right, cool, 128 00:06:45,400 --> 00:06:47,320 Speaker 1: I'm gonna keep that in mind so that when something happens, 129 00:06:47,360 --> 00:06:50,320 Speaker 1: you know, I don't ask someone like, hey, grab my 130 00:06:50,360 --> 00:06:53,480 Speaker 1: sand's plant and mold it for me. I can be like, hey, 131 00:06:53,760 --> 00:06:57,440 Speaker 1: hold my flashlight, guy, um. Or sometimes you know, we 132 00:06:57,520 --> 00:06:59,160 Speaker 1: know a lot of people get tear gas. Those people 133 00:06:59,200 --> 00:07:01,440 Speaker 1: are really good because flushing eyes isn't hard, and I 134 00:07:01,440 --> 00:07:04,560 Speaker 1: can teach somebody out the flush eyes, um, and that way, 135 00:07:04,720 --> 00:07:07,360 Speaker 1: if we've got those people flushing eyes and then someone 136 00:07:07,400 --> 00:07:09,320 Speaker 1: else has like a broken bone, I can deal with that. 137 00:07:12,920 --> 00:07:15,880 Speaker 1: There were small emergent groups who brought shields, others who 138 00:07:15,880 --> 00:07:18,560 Speaker 1: brought traffic cones and water jugs to douse tear gas, 139 00:07:18,600 --> 00:07:20,920 Speaker 1: and others who showed up with food and protective gear 140 00:07:21,000 --> 00:07:23,960 Speaker 1: to hand out to protesters. A number of disabled activists 141 00:07:23,960 --> 00:07:26,320 Speaker 1: who did not feel they could safely participate in toe 142 00:07:26,360 --> 00:07:30,360 Speaker 1: to toe confrontations with riot lines, filled valuable logistic roles 143 00:07:30,440 --> 00:07:33,960 Speaker 1: making sure that front liners had ample water, respirator filters, 144 00:07:34,000 --> 00:07:36,720 Speaker 1: and food. Juniper was one of hundreds of people who 145 00:07:36,800 --> 00:07:39,200 Speaker 1: took it upon themselves to see that the Portland protests 146 00:07:39,240 --> 00:07:43,040 Speaker 1: were supplied with what they needed. I was able to 147 00:07:43,920 --> 00:07:47,680 Speaker 1: UM feel like I could go and drop off supplies 148 00:07:48,040 --> 00:07:51,680 Speaker 1: like I have. You know, I am a middle class, 149 00:07:52,280 --> 00:07:56,760 Speaker 1: upwardly mobile white person, UM, and I have some money, 150 00:07:56,800 --> 00:07:59,119 Speaker 1: and there are people out on the front lines putting 151 00:07:59,160 --> 00:08:01,680 Speaker 1: their bodies and live on the line. And so I 152 00:08:01,760 --> 00:08:04,080 Speaker 1: was like, I'm gonna go give some snacks to people 153 00:08:04,080 --> 00:08:06,880 Speaker 1: and get some water and just some other other protective 154 00:08:06,920 --> 00:08:09,320 Speaker 1: equipment and things that I had that I knew could 155 00:08:09,320 --> 00:08:12,560 Speaker 1: be useful. Other small groups helped coordinate aid and raise 156 00:08:12,600 --> 00:08:16,560 Speaker 1: attention for actions online. One of these organizations was pop 157 00:08:16,600 --> 00:08:19,480 Speaker 1: Mob or Popular Mobilization, who formed early on in the 158 00:08:19,480 --> 00:08:23,080 Speaker 1: Trump administration after a series of disastrous and bloody dueling 159 00:08:23,200 --> 00:08:27,200 Speaker 1: rallies between fascist and anti fascist protesters in Portland. Pop 160 00:08:27,240 --> 00:08:30,360 Speaker 1: Mob acted as a sort of unifying bridge for different 161 00:08:30,440 --> 00:08:33,360 Speaker 1: local anti fascist groups, with a focus on getting the 162 00:08:33,400 --> 00:08:36,280 Speaker 1: word out to large groups of what they called everyday 163 00:08:36,320 --> 00:08:39,920 Speaker 1: anti fascists. These were people who weren't hardcore activists but 164 00:08:40,120 --> 00:08:43,320 Speaker 1: didn't want Nazis marching around their city when Portland's BLM 165 00:08:43,400 --> 00:08:46,040 Speaker 1: movement took off, Though Effie Baum and their colleagues at 166 00:08:46,040 --> 00:08:49,080 Speaker 1: pop Mob decided they should take a less visible support role, 167 00:08:49,240 --> 00:08:52,480 Speaker 1: so mostly just retweeting things and then UM when people 168 00:08:52,480 --> 00:08:55,840 Speaker 1: would share events with us, boosting those events or boosting 169 00:08:56,280 --> 00:08:59,400 Speaker 1: different affinity groups that were involved in the nightly protests, 170 00:08:59,440 --> 00:09:04,440 Speaker 1: and UM really just kind of providing a UM UH 171 00:09:05,000 --> 00:09:07,720 Speaker 1: basically a signal boost to the people that we're doing 172 00:09:07,880 --> 00:09:11,680 Speaker 1: organizing UM and specifically like focusing only on trying to 173 00:09:11,720 --> 00:09:17,040 Speaker 1: boost UM bipoc led efforts, especially given all of the 174 00:09:17,120 --> 00:09:22,880 Speaker 1: conversation around UM white anarchists and UM you know, co 175 00:09:22,960 --> 00:09:26,920 Speaker 1: opting the movement or the you know, media like to 176 00:09:27,080 --> 00:09:31,280 Speaker 1: blame everything on white anarchists, which then takes away the 177 00:09:31,320 --> 00:09:36,000 Speaker 1: autonomy and disempowers the people that were in fact organizing 178 00:09:36,000 --> 00:09:39,840 Speaker 1: those events and the very real anger UM and justified 179 00:09:40,200 --> 00:09:43,520 Speaker 1: anger behind those events. And so we also did not 180 00:09:43,600 --> 00:09:46,640 Speaker 1: want to UM contribute to that narrative in any way, 181 00:09:46,679 --> 00:09:50,680 Speaker 1: shape or form. So we really made a very intest 182 00:09:50,800 --> 00:09:56,679 Speaker 1: intentional efforts to UM operate exclusively in a supportive role. 183 00:09:56,920 --> 00:10:00,080 Speaker 1: A lot of us were there UM many nights, and 184 00:10:00,640 --> 00:10:05,800 Speaker 1: UM continue to go out many nights, but UM the 185 00:10:05,960 --> 00:10:09,680 Speaker 1: organization as a whole did not have an organizational presence 186 00:10:10,400 --> 00:10:15,040 Speaker 1: as organizers. One of the you know, goals that we 187 00:10:15,160 --> 00:10:20,200 Speaker 1: would you know, have is pushing back against kind of 188 00:10:20,240 --> 00:10:24,720 Speaker 1: this like white supremisist culture that we have all that 189 00:10:24,800 --> 00:10:29,040 Speaker 1: we all participate in every day. And so that was 190 00:10:29,080 --> 00:10:31,600 Speaker 1: one of the main reasons we did not want to 191 00:10:31,640 --> 00:10:33,920 Speaker 1: take any kind of lead in the organizing is because 192 00:10:34,360 --> 00:10:39,520 Speaker 1: it's one thing when we are coming out and organizing 193 00:10:39,600 --> 00:10:45,239 Speaker 1: against jere like Joey Gibson and Patriot Prayer Um who 194 00:10:45,559 --> 00:10:49,440 Speaker 1: you know, the proad Boys and those groups target a 195 00:10:49,480 --> 00:10:54,400 Speaker 1: lot of different marginalized and vulnerable populations from you know, 196 00:10:54,880 --> 00:10:59,320 Speaker 1: many different UM groups, and so in a sense you 197 00:10:59,320 --> 00:11:01,319 Speaker 1: could look at it say that that the work is 198 00:11:01,360 --> 00:11:05,960 Speaker 1: similar UM. But at the same time, I think that 199 00:11:06,000 --> 00:11:09,680 Speaker 1: it's important for the people who are most affected to 200 00:11:09,800 --> 00:11:14,040 Speaker 1: be the voices that people are hearing, and especially because 201 00:11:14,040 --> 00:11:18,160 Speaker 1: we've seen how much that the media has latched onto 202 00:11:18,679 --> 00:11:23,080 Speaker 1: trying to discredit those voices by painting it as angry 203 00:11:23,080 --> 00:11:25,800 Speaker 1: white anarchists. As the days and weeks wore on Portland, 204 00:11:25,880 --> 00:11:29,079 Speaker 1: protesters grew hardened and increasingly effective at standing up to 205 00:11:29,120 --> 00:11:33,120 Speaker 1: police violence. Tear gas and grenades stopped working to disperse crowds, 206 00:11:33,320 --> 00:11:36,440 Speaker 1: Pepper balls, little paintball style projectiles filled with mace and 207 00:11:36,480 --> 00:11:39,679 Speaker 1: fired from a paintball gun. Likewise, lost their effectiveness As 208 00:11:39,679 --> 00:11:44,000 Speaker 1: shields became more common, police bulrushes remained the most effective 209 00:11:44,000 --> 00:11:48,160 Speaker 1: tactic for dispersing crowds, especially since by late June most 210 00:11:48,160 --> 00:11:52,079 Speaker 1: of those crowds were quite small. Portland protesters started gathering 211 00:11:52,120 --> 00:11:55,600 Speaker 1: on Telegram, an anonymous messaging app, in order to coordinate 212 00:11:55,640 --> 00:11:59,199 Speaker 1: and pass on intelligence. During events. People would warn each 213 00:11:59,240 --> 00:12:02,520 Speaker 1: other of police charges in the presence of riot trucks. 214 00:12:02,559 --> 00:12:05,320 Speaker 1: Before and after events, they would dissect their performance and 215 00:12:05,360 --> 00:12:08,000 Speaker 1: discuss ways to improve. Near the end of June, they 216 00:12:08,040 --> 00:12:11,680 Speaker 1: started talking about how protesters might form their own shield wall, 217 00:12:12,160 --> 00:12:15,640 Speaker 1: something that could stand up against police charges. Now, in 218 00:12:15,679 --> 00:12:19,080 Speaker 1: between numerous knights of reporting on riots, my partner Elaine Kinchin, 219 00:12:19,160 --> 00:12:22,920 Speaker 1: spent hours browsing through those conversations and watching is people 220 00:12:23,000 --> 00:12:26,400 Speaker 1: worked out how to defend themselves from charging officers. I'm 221 00:12:26,400 --> 00:12:28,600 Speaker 1: gonna throw you over to e Lane now explaining how 222 00:12:28,640 --> 00:12:31,920 Speaker 1: that process came together. Well, since that our the beginning 223 00:12:31,920 --> 00:12:35,360 Speaker 1: of the protests, there had been various diagrams that were 224 00:12:35,400 --> 00:12:38,520 Speaker 1: circulating on the Internet. A lot of them came from 225 00:12:38,800 --> 00:12:43,520 Speaker 1: things that had been done in Hong Kong, so different 226 00:12:43,559 --> 00:12:47,479 Speaker 1: diagrams of roles that protesters could take two more effectively 227 00:12:47,520 --> 00:12:51,280 Speaker 1: protect each other. Some of those involved laser pointers, and 228 00:12:51,280 --> 00:12:55,640 Speaker 1: some of them involved shields or helmets or supply line stuff. 229 00:12:55,960 --> 00:12:59,480 Speaker 1: And so those have been being circulated throughout all of June, 230 00:13:00,240 --> 00:13:04,360 Speaker 1: both on protester telegram channels and also on Twitter and 231 00:13:04,440 --> 00:13:10,360 Speaker 1: other communication channels. And as the charges than bullrushes and 232 00:13:10,400 --> 00:13:14,880 Speaker 1: stuff really heated up and more people were being injured 233 00:13:14,880 --> 00:13:18,559 Speaker 1: and the police brutality was becoming more intense, a lot 234 00:13:18,600 --> 00:13:23,760 Speaker 1: of those discussions and how to effectively implement them would 235 00:13:23,760 --> 00:13:28,120 Speaker 1: be happening after protests had wound down or during the day, 236 00:13:28,200 --> 00:13:31,360 Speaker 1: and so I would follow and read through all sorts 237 00:13:31,360 --> 00:13:34,680 Speaker 1: of different threads where people were posting images of how 238 00:13:34,720 --> 00:13:39,080 Speaker 1: to do Roman style turtleshelf formations with overlapping shields, or 239 00:13:39,920 --> 00:13:43,360 Speaker 1: could make an effective vault to block the people behind 240 00:13:43,400 --> 00:13:47,160 Speaker 1: them from police munitions to more effectively protect all the 241 00:13:47,200 --> 00:13:50,200 Speaker 1: peaceful protesters who are in the back. All these different 242 00:13:50,240 --> 00:13:53,160 Speaker 1: emergent groups that form to handle different tasks within the 243 00:13:53,200 --> 00:13:56,440 Speaker 1: movement are what is called affinity groups. This is a 244 00:13:56,480 --> 00:14:00,640 Speaker 1: fairly old concept within anarchist organizing. Here, our friends at 245 00:14:00,640 --> 00:14:04,240 Speaker 1: the Youth Liberation Front or Wild Left explain the context again. 246 00:14:04,280 --> 00:14:06,960 Speaker 1: Because President Trump and numerous right wing media figures have 247 00:14:07,040 --> 00:14:10,440 Speaker 1: repeatedly called for their imprisonment or execution, we've hired voice 248 00:14:10,440 --> 00:14:12,840 Speaker 1: actors to reread the things they said to us rather 249 00:14:12,880 --> 00:14:16,199 Speaker 1: than risk exposing their identities. So an affinity group is 250 00:14:16,280 --> 00:14:19,640 Speaker 1: usually like five to tend people who share some affinity, 251 00:14:19,800 --> 00:14:23,040 Speaker 1: and it's the preferred method for anarchist organizing because it's small, 252 00:14:23,120 --> 00:14:28,760 Speaker 1: it's informal, and usually non hierarchical, and usually horizontally organized. Yeah, 253 00:14:28,880 --> 00:14:32,520 Speaker 1: and um, it's uh. I think it's been preferable to 254 00:14:32,600 --> 00:14:35,240 Speaker 1: like the large organization model that we attempted and just 255 00:14:35,400 --> 00:14:38,400 Speaker 1: failed because there's no accountability and there's no way to 256 00:14:38,560 --> 00:14:41,080 Speaker 1: ensure that. Like, everyone was cool with each other and 257 00:14:41,080 --> 00:14:43,600 Speaker 1: when problems came up, they just sucked us over. We 258 00:14:43,680 --> 00:14:46,520 Speaker 1: spoke to one anonymous activist who had no experience with 259 00:14:46,560 --> 00:14:50,320 Speaker 1: anarchist organizing prior to the summer of She started coming 260 00:14:50,320 --> 00:14:53,240 Speaker 1: out to Portland protests earlier in the summer with her friends. 261 00:14:53,600 --> 00:14:55,320 Speaker 1: So the first time I went out to one of 262 00:14:55,400 --> 00:14:58,000 Speaker 1: the nightly protests, I went with a couple of friends 263 00:14:58,000 --> 00:15:00,600 Speaker 1: that I've known since I was like eighteen or nineteen 264 00:15:00,920 --> 00:15:03,320 Speaker 1: because they had been going out and I felt comfortable 265 00:15:03,440 --> 00:15:08,080 Speaker 1: being with them. Um, they don't come out anymore. Once 266 00:15:08,080 --> 00:15:11,480 Speaker 1: her friends stopped going, she floated around different crews of activists, 267 00:15:11,600 --> 00:15:14,760 Speaker 1: experimenting with different affinity groups, but eventually deciding that she 268 00:15:14,880 --> 00:15:18,960 Speaker 1: preferred an even more decentralized approach to protesting. As far 269 00:15:19,040 --> 00:15:22,600 Speaker 1: as you know, like my length of knowledge, an affinity 270 00:15:22,640 --> 00:15:27,680 Speaker 1: group is just you know, a decentralized group of people 271 00:15:27,720 --> 00:15:32,240 Speaker 1: that you can uh form ideas with and kind of 272 00:15:32,280 --> 00:15:36,200 Speaker 1: go over maybe like safety tactics and different things like that. Um. 273 00:15:36,240 --> 00:15:38,800 Speaker 1: But I kind of quickly realized that affinity groups weren't 274 00:15:38,800 --> 00:15:43,640 Speaker 1: necessarily for me. UM. I think that sometimes it can 275 00:15:43,680 --> 00:15:47,520 Speaker 1: get complicated fairly quickly, and so I still go down 276 00:15:47,560 --> 00:15:50,360 Speaker 1: to the protests by myself. Since I've been doing this 277 00:15:51,920 --> 00:15:54,600 Speaker 1: for as long as I have, it doesn't take me 278 00:15:54,720 --> 00:15:57,680 Speaker 1: very long to run into somebody that I know. And 279 00:15:58,440 --> 00:16:01,920 Speaker 1: sometimes I feel like having someone that's worried about my 280 00:16:02,040 --> 00:16:05,120 Speaker 1: safety can be a bit of a hindrance sometimes, I 281 00:16:05,800 --> 00:16:09,479 Speaker 1: you know, having to like be on a radio consistently 282 00:16:09,640 --> 00:16:13,400 Speaker 1: and and always be on my phone to make sure 283 00:16:13,440 --> 00:16:16,560 Speaker 1: that I'm you know, in communication with different people. I 284 00:16:16,560 --> 00:16:20,040 Speaker 1: don't want anybody to have to worry about if I'm 285 00:16:20,040 --> 00:16:21,880 Speaker 1: going to be fine, because I'm going to be fine. 286 00:16:22,240 --> 00:16:24,000 Speaker 1: So yeah, I mean I I just I usually go 287 00:16:24,080 --> 00:16:28,640 Speaker 1: down by myself. I think that the network of affinity 288 00:16:28,680 --> 00:16:32,200 Speaker 1: groups has been a positive thing. You know. The people 289 00:16:32,240 --> 00:16:35,680 Speaker 1: that have been around and experienced the most have that 290 00:16:35,760 --> 00:16:39,440 Speaker 1: information that they can share with one another. One major 291 00:16:39,480 --> 00:16:42,920 Speaker 1: advantage of anarchist organizing tactics is that it makes anarchist 292 00:16:42,960 --> 00:16:46,720 Speaker 1: groups harder to infiltrate and disrupt. Between nineteen fifty six 293 00:16:46,720 --> 00:16:50,560 Speaker 1: and nineteen seventy one, the FBI instituted a counter intelligence 294 00:16:50,600 --> 00:16:54,320 Speaker 1: program nicknamed co intel Pro at the orders of Director 295 00:16:54,400 --> 00:16:57,040 Speaker 1: j Edgar Hoover. The program was initially targeted at the 296 00:16:57,120 --> 00:17:00,080 Speaker 1: US Communist Party, but was quickly extended to all kinds 297 00:17:00,120 --> 00:17:04,480 Speaker 1: of left wing activist organizations, particularly the Black Panthers. Hoover's 298 00:17:04,520 --> 00:17:08,200 Speaker 1: goal with co Intel Pro was to increase factionalism caused 299 00:17:08,240 --> 00:17:12,160 Speaker 1: disruption and wind defections. He wanted to spread such terror 300 00:17:12,200 --> 00:17:14,680 Speaker 1: among left wing activists that none of them would again 301 00:17:14,760 --> 00:17:17,240 Speaker 1: walk into a meeting without feeling like there must be 302 00:17:17,359 --> 00:17:21,760 Speaker 1: FBI agents in the room. Co Intel Pro was incredibly successful, 303 00:17:21,840 --> 00:17:24,720 Speaker 1: and while the program officially ended in nineteen seventy one. 304 00:17:24,960 --> 00:17:27,479 Speaker 1: The tactics the FBI pioneered in this period have been 305 00:17:27,560 --> 00:17:30,560 Speaker 1: used by a variety of law enforcement agencies ever since. 306 00:17:30,960 --> 00:17:33,639 Speaker 1: Even organizations like the Portlands Chapter of the Black Panthers, 307 00:17:33,680 --> 00:17:37,160 Speaker 1: whose more radical programs included free breakfast for neighborhood kids 308 00:17:37,200 --> 00:17:39,560 Speaker 1: and dental care for all, earned the ire of co 309 00:17:39,760 --> 00:17:43,119 Speaker 1: intel pro In an interview last year, chapter co founder 310 00:17:43,200 --> 00:17:45,920 Speaker 1: Kent Ford recalled a journalist sharing with him plots from 311 00:17:45,920 --> 00:17:48,520 Speaker 1: the FBI to poison the produce the Panthers would use 312 00:17:48,560 --> 00:17:51,000 Speaker 1: to feed hundreds of kids every morning. As a result, 313 00:17:51,119 --> 00:17:53,280 Speaker 1: it is impossible to take part in any kind of 314 00:17:53,320 --> 00:17:55,960 Speaker 1: mass anti government action and not feel like there are 315 00:17:56,040 --> 00:18:11,160 Speaker 1: probably federal agents in your miss. Organizing by affinity groups 316 00:18:11,200 --> 00:18:13,720 Speaker 1: helps to negate some of the advantages the state has. 317 00:18:13,880 --> 00:18:16,639 Speaker 1: It's impossible to know that any mass group of hundreds 318 00:18:16,680 --> 00:18:19,920 Speaker 1: of people doesn't include undercover cops, but it is very 319 00:18:20,000 --> 00:18:22,160 Speaker 1: possible to know that you and your four or five 320 00:18:22,240 --> 00:18:25,520 Speaker 1: close buddies aren't cops. The only organizing that occurs in 321 00:18:25,560 --> 00:18:28,520 Speaker 1: the open at a large scale event is very basic 322 00:18:28,640 --> 00:18:31,840 Speaker 1: and not legally incriminating. I e. We're gathering at this 323 00:18:31,920 --> 00:18:34,440 Speaker 1: park at eight PM, hearing speeches, and then marching at nine. 324 00:18:34,880 --> 00:18:37,720 Speaker 1: On most occasions, either a specific organizer will pick the 325 00:18:37,760 --> 00:18:39,960 Speaker 1: direction for that week's march or a vote will be 326 00:18:40,000 --> 00:18:42,680 Speaker 1: taken as to the destination. The decision to take part 327 00:18:42,680 --> 00:18:45,399 Speaker 1: in any illegal activity, acts of property destruction in the 328 00:18:45,440 --> 00:18:48,480 Speaker 1: like is made by these small, independent affinity groups and 329 00:18:48,560 --> 00:18:51,879 Speaker 1: sometimes just individuals on their own. Often only two or 330 00:18:51,920 --> 00:18:54,520 Speaker 1: three groups out of a three person march will actually 331 00:18:54,600 --> 00:18:57,560 Speaker 1: engage in serious law breaking. The others are there to shout, 332 00:18:57,680 --> 00:19:00,199 Speaker 1: wave signs and stand up to confront the police when 333 00:19:00,200 --> 00:19:03,720 Speaker 1: they inevitably arrive. This method of organization does have a 334 00:19:03,760 --> 00:19:06,640 Speaker 1: number of weaknesses, which we will discuss in subsequent episodes, 335 00:19:06,760 --> 00:19:09,600 Speaker 1: but it has proven more resilient to state surveillance than 336 00:19:09,640 --> 00:19:12,480 Speaker 1: being part of an organization with a strict hierarchy. One 337 00:19:12,520 --> 00:19:15,480 Speaker 1: major aspect of this is that many more dedicated Portland 338 00:19:15,480 --> 00:19:20,000 Speaker 1: protesters take something called security culture very seriously. Here's the 339 00:19:20,119 --> 00:19:24,439 Speaker 1: y I left again. Security culture. Uh, security culture, I 340 00:19:24,440 --> 00:19:27,800 Speaker 1: think is it's interesting the risks you are taking and 341 00:19:27,840 --> 00:19:30,080 Speaker 1: what precautions need to take to be safe. Were like 342 00:19:30,680 --> 00:19:32,960 Speaker 1: because like, not every risk is going to have the 343 00:19:33,000 --> 00:19:36,200 Speaker 1: same consequences, and so it's being able to judge those, 344 00:19:37,000 --> 00:19:40,119 Speaker 1: um and like if you do something that's questionable, possibly illegal, 345 00:19:40,240 --> 00:19:42,919 Speaker 1: don't talk about it, don't don't incriminate yourself, keep your 346 00:19:42,960 --> 00:19:47,119 Speaker 1: mouth shut, don't incriminate others. I mean, Um, there's just 347 00:19:47,160 --> 00:19:50,119 Speaker 1: a crime Think article called what is security Culture? I 348 00:19:50,160 --> 00:19:52,520 Speaker 1: believe and that's like a great introduction for people who 349 00:19:52,600 --> 00:19:55,320 Speaker 1: don't know. It's a very important part of like really 350 00:19:55,359 --> 00:19:58,040 Speaker 1: any movement because if you have bad security culture and 351 00:19:58,040 --> 00:20:01,600 Speaker 1: you're putting yourself at risk or or the organizers at risks, 352 00:20:01,680 --> 00:20:04,199 Speaker 1: you're going to disrupt a movement because you're going to 353 00:20:04,240 --> 00:20:07,400 Speaker 1: get people in trouble. So like that definitely plays like 354 00:20:07,960 --> 00:20:10,159 Speaker 1: don't let you know, don't talk about things you did, 355 00:20:10,200 --> 00:20:12,800 Speaker 1: don't photograph things you did. You can like you know, 356 00:20:12,880 --> 00:20:14,760 Speaker 1: don't don't bring your phone if that's the thing you're 357 00:20:14,760 --> 00:20:17,159 Speaker 1: able to do, because like they could track you, and 358 00:20:17,200 --> 00:20:20,600 Speaker 1: Feds in Portland literally clone phones and have like you know, 359 00:20:20,760 --> 00:20:23,240 Speaker 1: they can just pinpoint you. So that's another thing where 360 00:20:23,280 --> 00:20:25,720 Speaker 1: it's like yeah, basically it's knowing the risk and knowing 361 00:20:25,720 --> 00:20:29,320 Speaker 1: how to safely protect yourself from those risks. That Zene 362 00:20:29,840 --> 00:20:32,439 Speaker 1: what is security Culture? We like to make sure to 363 00:20:32,560 --> 00:20:34,760 Speaker 1: send it to all everyone who wants to get involved 364 00:20:34,800 --> 00:20:37,399 Speaker 1: with us. That's like the first thing. Yeah, it's the 365 00:20:37,440 --> 00:20:40,320 Speaker 1: most basic thing that we send. None of these security 366 00:20:40,320 --> 00:20:43,000 Speaker 1: measures were enough to protect people from being arrested by 367 00:20:43,040 --> 00:20:46,439 Speaker 1: cops during actions. It doesn't matter how solid your digital 368 00:20:46,480 --> 00:20:48,879 Speaker 1: security is or how trustworthy your friends are if a 369 00:20:48,880 --> 00:20:51,119 Speaker 1: cop charges that you faster than you can run away, 370 00:20:51,480 --> 00:20:54,800 Speaker 1: But good security culture can prevent activists from being arrested 371 00:20:54,840 --> 00:20:58,320 Speaker 1: after actions. See the United States is filled to hell 372 00:20:58,359 --> 00:21:01,439 Speaker 1: and back with cameras when protest sterre's damage or destroy property. 373 00:21:01,440 --> 00:21:04,560 Speaker 1: While protesting police will spend weeks trying to identify the 374 00:21:04,600 --> 00:21:07,919 Speaker 1: individuals responsible. This is a big part of why black 375 00:21:07,920 --> 00:21:10,840 Speaker 1: block has evolved as a tactic. If everyone is dressed 376 00:21:10,880 --> 00:21:13,920 Speaker 1: basically identically, with their features covered and no logos or 377 00:21:13,920 --> 00:21:17,000 Speaker 1: tattoo showing, it's much more difficult for police to identify 378 00:21:17,040 --> 00:21:20,840 Speaker 1: people after an action. Going in block has disadvantages too, 379 00:21:20,840 --> 00:21:24,320 Speaker 1: though largely when it comes to optics. When you're properly 380 00:21:24,359 --> 00:21:27,040 Speaker 1: blocked up, it will be difficult or impossible to determine 381 00:21:27,040 --> 00:21:29,879 Speaker 1: your race. As a result, police and local politicians in 382 00:21:29,960 --> 00:21:32,960 Speaker 1: Portland tended to blame the activities of blocked up crowds 383 00:21:33,000 --> 00:21:36,640 Speaker 1: on white anarchists alleging that the city's Black Lives Matter 384 00:21:36,680 --> 00:21:38,960 Speaker 1: movement had been hijacked by white kids who just wanted 385 00:21:39,000 --> 00:21:42,199 Speaker 1: to break things. Kosca, an Indigenous Portlander who has been 386 00:21:42,280 --> 00:21:46,160 Speaker 1: arrested by this point at least ten times, pushed back 387 00:21:46,200 --> 00:21:50,240 Speaker 1: against that characterization. Definitely a narrative that works because people 388 00:21:50,280 --> 00:21:52,720 Speaker 1: believe it, and people keep repeating it, even some people 389 00:21:52,800 --> 00:21:55,240 Speaker 1: of color. I hear repeating it. But I know for 390 00:21:55,320 --> 00:21:59,440 Speaker 1: a fact it's not true, because because I've been doing 391 00:21:59,480 --> 00:22:03,879 Speaker 1: this with, you know, people in Black Block for several 392 00:22:03,960 --> 00:22:07,880 Speaker 1: years and have gotten to know lots of people, and 393 00:22:07,960 --> 00:22:11,200 Speaker 1: I have never ever seen so many people of color 394 00:22:11,280 --> 00:22:15,520 Speaker 1: in block before, and particularly Native people, you know, like 395 00:22:16,640 --> 00:22:19,480 Speaker 1: the just the native people in block is a huge 396 00:22:19,480 --> 00:22:24,000 Speaker 1: amount compared, you know, compared to the population the general 397 00:22:24,000 --> 00:22:27,560 Speaker 1: population of the area. So yeah, I think it's I 398 00:22:27,600 --> 00:22:30,600 Speaker 1: think you could even say it's races to say that 399 00:22:30,720 --> 00:22:33,800 Speaker 1: everyone in Black Block is white. In September, after more 400 00:22:33,840 --> 00:22:36,879 Speaker 1: than four months of nightly protests, the Justice Department launched 401 00:22:36,920 --> 00:22:40,560 Speaker 1: a criminal inquiry targeting the leaders of organizations responsible for 402 00:22:40,640 --> 00:22:45,119 Speaker 1: anti police brutality protests across the nation. Homeland Security Secretary 403 00:22:45,200 --> 00:22:48,119 Speaker 1: Chad Wolf told Fox News what we know is that 404 00:22:48,160 --> 00:22:50,560 Speaker 1: we have seen groups and individuals moved from Portland to 405 00:22:50,640 --> 00:22:53,119 Speaker 1: other parts of the country. I also found a very 406 00:22:53,160 --> 00:22:56,200 Speaker 1: poorly written USA Today article on the subject and includes 407 00:22:56,240 --> 00:22:59,840 Speaker 1: this paragraph. Asked why leaders of Antifa, a loosely organized 408 00:23:00,040 --> 00:23:02,800 Speaker 1: dream far left ideology, and Black Lives Matter formed in 409 00:23:02,840 --> 00:23:05,320 Speaker 1: part to call attention to violence against black communities, had 410 00:23:05,359 --> 00:23:08,280 Speaker 1: not been arrested, Wolf said, this is something I talked 411 00:23:08,320 --> 00:23:10,679 Speaker 1: to the a G personally about and I know that 412 00:23:10,720 --> 00:23:14,000 Speaker 1: they are working on it. So far, these investigations have 413 00:23:14,040 --> 00:23:17,359 Speaker 1: been markedly unsuccessful. Leaked reports later in the year revealed 414 00:23:17,359 --> 00:23:20,040 Speaker 1: that the Department of Homeland Security thought that Antifa was 415 00:23:20,080 --> 00:23:22,960 Speaker 1: an organized group with a structured leadership cast that could 416 00:23:23,000 --> 00:23:25,880 Speaker 1: be identified and arrested. No evidence of this was ever 417 00:23:25,920 --> 00:23:29,400 Speaker 1: turned up. Would suggest that this sort of decentralized organizational 418 00:23:29,440 --> 00:23:32,280 Speaker 1: tactic is at least harder for law enforcement to penetrate. 419 00:23:32,800 --> 00:23:35,840 Speaker 1: The vast majority of affinity groups don't exist to organized 420 00:23:35,840 --> 00:23:38,120 Speaker 1: window breaking, fire starting, or any of the other things 421 00:23:38,160 --> 00:23:40,320 Speaker 1: the media love to focus on in their coverage of 422 00:23:40,320 --> 00:23:43,840 Speaker 1: Portland protests. At their most basic level, affinity groups are 423 00:23:43,840 --> 00:23:47,560 Speaker 1: a safety tool. Cop rights can be incredibly dangerous, and 424 00:23:47,640 --> 00:23:50,879 Speaker 1: everyone considering going into such a situation should have buddies 425 00:23:50,880 --> 00:23:52,920 Speaker 1: who are there to watch your back and render aid 426 00:23:52,960 --> 00:23:56,840 Speaker 1: if you get hurt. Obviously, not everyone interested in participating 427 00:23:56,840 --> 00:23:59,120 Speaker 1: in protests had friends who are willing to go out 428 00:23:59,160 --> 00:24:03,679 Speaker 1: with them. Inter Comrade Collective an organization that formed in 429 00:24:03,720 --> 00:24:06,439 Speaker 1: the middle of the protest to help match loan activists 430 00:24:06,560 --> 00:24:10,639 Speaker 1: with buddies they could protest with for the night. And so, um, 431 00:24:10,680 --> 00:24:12,800 Speaker 1: the first time I had met up with Comrade Collective, 432 00:24:12,920 --> 00:24:14,960 Speaker 1: it was funny because like, you know, I had all 433 00:24:14,960 --> 00:24:18,359 Speaker 1: this like anxiety and stuff, and uh, I remember thinking like, 434 00:24:18,359 --> 00:24:20,040 Speaker 1: oh my god, I'm so uncomfortable, like I don't know 435 00:24:20,080 --> 00:24:24,119 Speaker 1: these people. And then I was like I'm totally not 436 00:24:24,119 --> 00:24:26,080 Speaker 1: going to meet up with them again because I was like, 437 00:24:26,119 --> 00:24:30,320 Speaker 1: I'll just stay by myself. Um, here we are. But 438 00:24:30,320 --> 00:24:34,240 Speaker 1: but it was like it was when I when I left, 439 00:24:34,600 --> 00:24:40,280 Speaker 1: and um, one of our other comrades, uh like messaged 440 00:24:40,280 --> 00:24:42,359 Speaker 1: me and was like are you home and like I 441 00:24:42,400 --> 00:24:45,800 Speaker 1: wasn't expecting that, and I was like what And I 442 00:24:45,880 --> 00:24:48,960 Speaker 1: was like, oh my god, that's awesome. And then just 443 00:24:49,040 --> 00:24:51,480 Speaker 1: like getting used to like the checking in, you know, 444 00:24:51,520 --> 00:24:54,119 Speaker 1: to make sure like they're not arrested or didn't get 445 00:24:54,160 --> 00:24:57,480 Speaker 1: attacked by you know, fascists or whatever, and so just 446 00:24:57,600 --> 00:25:01,919 Speaker 1: kind of like, um, I think just getting exposed to 447 00:25:02,080 --> 00:25:04,040 Speaker 1: like people, I'm like, oh my god, these are like 448 00:25:04,119 --> 00:25:07,200 Speaker 1: strangers that I don't know that like give a ship 449 00:25:07,280 --> 00:25:10,439 Speaker 1: about my well being and so that kind of in 450 00:25:10,480 --> 00:25:16,240 Speaker 1: turn makes you care more about yourself like and then 451 00:25:16,280 --> 00:25:19,399 Speaker 1: also want to do the same for others. And I 452 00:25:19,440 --> 00:25:22,240 Speaker 1: also I'm one that likes that tends to stray from 453 00:25:22,240 --> 00:25:26,720 Speaker 1: the group. So like, I'm definitely like comfortable by myself 454 00:25:26,760 --> 00:25:31,879 Speaker 1: in certain situations, but I still I even if I'm separated, 455 00:25:32,000 --> 00:25:34,840 Speaker 1: I just I like to know that there is someone 456 00:25:35,160 --> 00:25:37,760 Speaker 1: out there that like I can hit up or whatever 457 00:25:37,840 --> 00:25:40,800 Speaker 1: or check in with, even if we're not like together 458 00:25:40,960 --> 00:25:43,359 Speaker 1: at that moment. By the start of July, all the 459 00:25:43,520 --> 00:25:46,320 Speaker 1: ingredients were in place for Portland's protest movement to display 460 00:25:46,359 --> 00:25:49,480 Speaker 1: its first real meaningful resistance to the violent might of 461 00:25:49,520 --> 00:25:52,720 Speaker 1: a police riot line. Protests had seriously waned in the 462 00:25:52,800 --> 00:25:55,080 Speaker 1: days prior to the fourth, with just a few dozen 463 00:25:55,119 --> 00:25:58,560 Speaker 1: people showing up most nights, but the holiday, and more 464 00:25:58,600 --> 00:26:00,760 Speaker 1: to the point, the fact that shiploads fireworks were on 465 00:26:00,800 --> 00:26:03,640 Speaker 1: sale for the holiday, brought a massive crowd of more 466 00:26:03,680 --> 00:26:06,159 Speaker 1: than a thousand Portlander's out to the city parks in 467 00:26:06,200 --> 00:26:08,679 Speaker 1: front of the Justice Center and the Mark O. Hatfield 468 00:26:08,720 --> 00:26:11,840 Speaker 1: Federal Courthouse. In the days that followed DHS Director Chad 469 00:26:11,840 --> 00:26:14,639 Speaker 1: Wolf's announcement that rapid deployment teams were being sent to 470 00:26:14,680 --> 00:26:18,520 Speaker 1: Portland's activists had been on the lookout for Feds. They'd 471 00:26:18,560 --> 00:26:20,760 Speaker 1: been visible inside the I R. S Building across the 472 00:26:20,760 --> 00:26:23,800 Speaker 1: street from the Justice Center. Reporters had taken several photographs 473 00:26:23,800 --> 00:26:27,159 Speaker 1: of men in heavy military body armor carrying rifles, but 474 00:26:27,240 --> 00:26:29,840 Speaker 1: until the fourth none of those men had actively engaged 475 00:26:29,880 --> 00:26:33,320 Speaker 1: with a protest. My team, Beatrix, Selaine, and Garrison and 476 00:26:33,359 --> 00:26:35,439 Speaker 1: I all arrived in front of the Justice Center at 477 00:26:35,440 --> 00:26:38,679 Speaker 1: around nine pm. The energy in the air was as 478 00:26:38,680 --> 00:26:42,040 Speaker 1: apparent as the smell of gunpowder. People were setting off fireworks, 479 00:26:42,080 --> 00:26:52,760 Speaker 1: mostly mortars, at random in and around the crowd. We 480 00:26:52,840 --> 00:26:56,000 Speaker 1: hated it at first, after weeks of being repeatedly flashbanged 481 00:26:56,040 --> 00:26:59,240 Speaker 1: by cops. We were all just ridiculously on edge. The 482 00:26:59,280 --> 00:27:01,240 Speaker 1: first thing I saw upon a rifle was a pile 483 00:27:01,280 --> 00:27:03,920 Speaker 1: of American flags burning in a concrete pit that had 484 00:27:03,920 --> 00:27:07,080 Speaker 1: once held a massive elk statue. For several nights in 485 00:27:07,080 --> 00:27:09,359 Speaker 1: a row, protesters had set fires in and around the 486 00:27:09,359 --> 00:27:11,320 Speaker 1: elk statue, not out of anger, but out of a 487 00:27:11,320 --> 00:27:14,240 Speaker 1: desire to stay warm, and one assumes for the joy 488 00:27:14,320 --> 00:27:17,680 Speaker 1: of setting fires. Eventually, the city removed the elk out 489 00:27:17,680 --> 00:27:21,120 Speaker 1: of fears that it might collapse and injure somebody. Protesters 490 00:27:21,160 --> 00:27:23,879 Speaker 1: loved the elk statue, though, and began constructing a series 491 00:27:23,880 --> 00:27:26,560 Speaker 1: of fasimilar elk statues. On the fourth it was a 492 00:27:26,560 --> 00:27:30,120 Speaker 1: tiny model of a baby elk sandwiched in between billowing flames. 493 00:27:30,440 --> 00:27:38,360 Speaker 1: While the flags burned, protesters chanted Black Lives Matter. As 494 00:27:38,359 --> 00:27:41,280 Speaker 1: more folks arrived, more fireworks were set off. At first, 495 00:27:41,280 --> 00:27:43,119 Speaker 1: people simply stood in the street in front of the 496 00:27:43,160 --> 00:27:45,760 Speaker 1: Justice Center, aiming fireworks straight into the air to provide 497 00:27:45,800 --> 00:27:52,040 Speaker 1: their incarcerated friends with the show. This was not universally 498 00:27:52,080 --> 00:27:54,639 Speaker 1: popular behavior, because again, at least half the crowd was 499 00:27:54,680 --> 00:27:57,880 Speaker 1: dealing with the opening salvos of pretty serious PTSD. At 500 00:27:57,880 --> 00:28:11,480 Speaker 1: this point, of course, the fireworks continued, and once they 501 00:28:11,560 --> 00:28:14,440 Speaker 1: hit a certain frequency, everyone's brains kind of gotten numb 502 00:28:14,440 --> 00:28:16,919 Speaker 1: to the effect. If I can be honest, it started 503 00:28:16,960 --> 00:28:25,560 Speaker 1: to be fun. Some individuals and affinity groups within the 504 00:28:25,600 --> 00:28:28,119 Speaker 1: crowd had brought lasers to shine into the giant camera 505 00:28:28,160 --> 00:28:30,160 Speaker 1: that had been installed out in front of the Justice Center. 506 00:28:30,440 --> 00:28:33,800 Speaker 1: By ten PM, the fireworks usage had grown more militant, 507 00:28:33,800 --> 00:28:36,680 Speaker 1: and people were shooting dozens of commercial grade fireworks straight 508 00:28:36,720 --> 00:28:44,800 Speaker 1: into the Justice Center, breaking several windows. At least one 509 00:28:44,840 --> 00:28:47,560 Speaker 1: prisoner inside was seen waving excitedly out to the crowd, 510 00:28:47,560 --> 00:28:51,200 Speaker 1: which provoked rejoicing outside the fire where sparrage continued, with 511 00:28:51,240 --> 00:28:54,960 Speaker 1: protesters aiming occasional salvos at the Federal courthouse too. At 512 00:28:55,000 --> 00:29:03,960 Speaker 1: around ten PM, the police finally showed up your justice 513 00:29:05,280 --> 00:29:25,800 Speaker 1: in the building we crooket. Virtually all the people out 514 00:29:25,840 --> 00:29:28,640 Speaker 1: on the fourth were by this point hardened the police violence. 515 00:29:28,760 --> 00:29:30,760 Speaker 1: They've been trained by weeks in the streets to do 516 00:29:30,840 --> 00:29:33,600 Speaker 1: exactly the opposite of whatever the police l rad told 517 00:29:33,600 --> 00:29:36,400 Speaker 1: them to do, true to form. They surged forward at this, 518 00:29:36,640 --> 00:29:39,120 Speaker 1: moving in force into the intersection between the courthouse and 519 00:29:39,160 --> 00:29:42,600 Speaker 1: Justice Center. More and more fireworks were launched at both buildings. 520 00:29:42,720 --> 00:29:45,320 Speaker 1: As I moved forward, sensing imminent tear gas, I heard 521 00:29:45,320 --> 00:29:48,120 Speaker 1: one person behind me say they shouldn't have said anything. 522 00:29:48,280 --> 00:29:51,800 Speaker 1: Look what happens when they talk. At ten forty one pm, 523 00:29:51,840 --> 00:29:55,280 Speaker 1: I started live streaming. Almost immediately after that, Federal agents 524 00:29:55,280 --> 00:29:57,960 Speaker 1: inside the courthouse started dumping tear gas out of holes 525 00:29:58,000 --> 00:30:04,000 Speaker 1: in the walls of the courthouse. Yeah, that's yeah. So 526 00:30:04,200 --> 00:30:09,840 Speaker 1: basically they so far people were shooting it. Ship noted 527 00:30:09,920 --> 00:30:16,720 Speaker 1: fireworks of uh, and they gave a warning, and people 528 00:30:16,840 --> 00:30:20,720 Speaker 1: kept firing fireworks And now it looks like SuDS are 529 00:30:20,760 --> 00:30:25,960 Speaker 1: out and shooting tear gas into the square. The crowd 530 00:30:26,000 --> 00:30:29,240 Speaker 1: backed up, but did not disperse. Instead, they retreated to 531 00:30:29,240 --> 00:30:32,440 Speaker 1: the parks, washed each other's eyes out, and continued to 532 00:30:32,440 --> 00:30:35,440 Speaker 1: shoot fireworks at both buildings. After a few minutes, they 533 00:30:35,440 --> 00:30:43,440 Speaker 1: marched forward again into the intersection. No one knew it 534 00:30:43,480 --> 00:30:45,400 Speaker 1: at the time, but with the first federal tear guest 535 00:30:45,480 --> 00:30:48,440 Speaker 1: deployment and the decision of protesters to continue advancing on 536 00:30:48,520 --> 00:30:51,160 Speaker 1: the courthouse, a series of events had been set into 537 00:30:51,200 --> 00:30:53,400 Speaker 1: motion that would turn Portlands into one of the biggest 538 00:30:53,400 --> 00:30:56,040 Speaker 1: stories in the country, lead to hundreds of arrests and 539 00:30:56,120 --> 00:30:59,360 Speaker 1: several near fatal injuries. I don't believe any of the 540 00:30:59,360 --> 00:31:02,400 Speaker 1: people in the c that night particularly wanted that to happen. 541 00:31:02,520 --> 00:31:05,720 Speaker 1: I certainly saw no evidence of a concerted plan. Instead, 542 00:31:05,880 --> 00:31:08,480 Speaker 1: what I saw was a community of battered people who 543 00:31:08,480 --> 00:31:11,240 Speaker 1: had just spent weeks being gassed and grenaded and beaten 544 00:31:11,280 --> 00:31:14,440 Speaker 1: with truncheons and arrested for crimes as minor is standing 545 00:31:14,440 --> 00:31:17,000 Speaker 1: in an intersection with a sign. They had started coming 546 00:31:17,000 --> 00:31:20,480 Speaker 1: out to protest police brutality and wound up repeated victims 547 00:31:20,480 --> 00:31:23,160 Speaker 1: of it, and now over the course of June they'd 548 00:31:23,200 --> 00:31:25,960 Speaker 1: gotten good at resisting it. Each person there had learned 549 00:31:26,040 --> 00:31:29,480 Speaker 1: tactics to mitigate police riot control agents. They'd come to 550 00:31:29,520 --> 00:31:32,800 Speaker 1: trust their fellow Portlanders, and now finally there were enough 551 00:31:32,800 --> 00:31:34,840 Speaker 1: of them out again to put up serious resistance to 552 00:31:34,880 --> 00:31:37,640 Speaker 1: the cops. And they had sacks full of commercial grade 553 00:31:37,640 --> 00:31:40,360 Speaker 1: fireworks to throw back at the thin blue line shooting 554 00:31:40,400 --> 00:31:43,760 Speaker 1: grenades at them. With all that psychic weight behind them, 555 00:31:43,760 --> 00:31:45,600 Speaker 1: there was simply no way this crowd was going to 556 00:31:45,640 --> 00:31:49,040 Speaker 1: back down to the demands of police or federal agents. Instead, 557 00:31:49,160 --> 00:31:52,000 Speaker 1: the massive Portlanders swarmed the front steps of the federal 558 00:31:52,040 --> 00:31:55,360 Speaker 1: courthouse that had just gassed them. They began launching fireworks 559 00:31:55,360 --> 00:31:58,520 Speaker 1: directly into its facade, shattering some of the windows higher up. 560 00:31:58,720 --> 00:32:01,040 Speaker 1: The street level windows were all covered in plywood, and 561 00:32:01,120 --> 00:32:03,720 Speaker 1: those plywood walls had several hinged slits on them that 562 00:32:03,760 --> 00:32:06,800 Speaker 1: federal agents inside could flip open to shoot from. I 563 00:32:06,840 --> 00:32:09,720 Speaker 1: started calling the murder holes after similar features built into 564 00:32:09,720 --> 00:32:14,000 Speaker 1: medieval castles. The term stuck minutes went by. Federal agents 565 00:32:14,040 --> 00:32:17,040 Speaker 1: would occasionally fire pepper balls into the crowd, but eleven 566 00:32:17,080 --> 00:32:19,600 Speaker 1: PM came and went without another major show of force. 567 00:32:20,200 --> 00:32:22,920 Speaker 1: At around eleven o five, the police started dumping gas 568 00:32:23,000 --> 00:32:25,400 Speaker 1: or smoke out of the side door of the Justice Center. 569 00:32:25,720 --> 00:32:28,720 Speaker 1: The Feds dropped more gas out too, but instead of dispersing, 570 00:32:28,920 --> 00:32:31,920 Speaker 1: the crowd moved back in an orderly fashion. Front liners 571 00:32:31,960 --> 00:32:34,640 Speaker 1: with umbrellas and shields moved to the front and deflected 572 00:32:34,640 --> 00:32:36,960 Speaker 1: pepper balls, while medics washed out eyes and people with 573 00:32:37,000 --> 00:32:40,040 Speaker 1: gas masks and respirators ran into the cloud to throw 574 00:32:40,040 --> 00:32:50,840 Speaker 1: more fireworks at the courthouse. Yeah, that's drops roping it 575 00:32:50,880 --> 00:32:54,280 Speaker 1: out of the wind, obviously, how the fire we're going 576 00:32:54,360 --> 00:32:57,800 Speaker 1: off there. The whole situation evolved into something very much 577 00:32:57,880 --> 00:33:02,040 Speaker 1: like a siege here one the murders w as a 578 00:33:02,480 --> 00:33:04,840 Speaker 1: medieval crime, I think. So that's here they're screweding out 579 00:33:04,920 --> 00:33:08,560 Speaker 1: from the trees. So we definitely have like an old 580 00:33:08,600 --> 00:33:16,800 Speaker 1: fashioned medieval seed too, sort of crowd getting their fears. Uh, 581 00:33:17,360 --> 00:33:19,280 Speaker 1: you see a crowd getting their shields to the front. 582 00:33:20,200 --> 00:33:22,520 Speaker 1: You see the defenders firing had a murder hole. You 583 00:33:22,600 --> 00:33:28,040 Speaker 1: see fire, you know, pilots shot into the fence. This 584 00:33:28,280 --> 00:33:37,280 Speaker 1: is Jesus Christ. Yeah, Friday night, everybody putday night. I 585 00:33:37,400 --> 00:33:40,440 Speaker 1: I can't tell what smoked from fireworks and what's tear gas. 586 00:33:40,800 --> 00:33:42,760 Speaker 1: I think the FEDS and the police had expected that 587 00:33:42,840 --> 00:33:45,560 Speaker 1: gas and pepper balls would suffice to force the crowd away, 588 00:33:45,920 --> 00:33:48,960 Speaker 1: but the crowd kept advancing. Dedicated teams would run up 589 00:33:48,960 --> 00:33:51,920 Speaker 1: with traffic cones and put out gas grenades. Eventually, the 590 00:33:52,040 --> 00:33:54,680 Speaker 1: FEDS and the Portland Police were forced to bombard both 591 00:33:54,760 --> 00:33:59,720 Speaker 1: parks just to push the crowd away. Yeah wow, okay 592 00:34:01,800 --> 00:34:04,440 Speaker 1: is going wild. Somebody's riding a bicycle with a shield 593 00:34:04,520 --> 00:34:10,080 Speaker 1: to the crowd. Fires, fire and bath behind us. Let's 594 00:34:10,080 --> 00:34:13,080 Speaker 1: go through here here. Eventually the FEDS and the police 595 00:34:13,160 --> 00:34:16,600 Speaker 1: made a decision more gas. It was the most gas 596 00:34:16,680 --> 00:34:20,080 Speaker 1: deployed in Portland since tear gas Tuesday. Despite being doused 597 00:34:20,120 --> 00:34:22,720 Speaker 1: with gas, the crowd did not scatter. When I washed 598 00:34:22,760 --> 00:34:24,600 Speaker 1: my eyes out and was able to look around, I 599 00:34:24,680 --> 00:34:27,480 Speaker 1: saw hundreds of people still arraided for battle and ready 600 00:34:27,560 --> 00:34:30,160 Speaker 1: to go. The police and federal agents both came out 601 00:34:30,200 --> 00:34:32,759 Speaker 1: and forced that night. They marched forward, pumping out gas 602 00:34:32,840 --> 00:34:35,600 Speaker 1: and pepper balls and smoke grenades. The crowd was forced 603 00:34:35,640 --> 00:34:38,359 Speaker 1: back foot by foot, but they held together. I think 604 00:34:38,440 --> 00:34:41,279 Speaker 1: DHS had expected that the presence of federal agents and 605 00:34:41,360 --> 00:34:44,680 Speaker 1: military gear would have rattled protesters more, but activists just 606 00:34:44,800 --> 00:34:47,720 Speaker 1: treated them like more cops. The sight of fully armored 607 00:34:47,800 --> 00:34:51,080 Speaker 1: soldiers in military gear was unsettling, especially since no one 608 00:34:51,120 --> 00:34:53,520 Speaker 1: at the time had any idea what agency they were with. 609 00:34:54,080 --> 00:34:55,799 Speaker 1: Look at these guys, we got army guys. Look at 610 00:34:55,840 --> 00:34:59,120 Speaker 1: guys here. The combined FEDS and police succeeded in splitting 611 00:34:59,120 --> 00:35:01,239 Speaker 1: the crowd in two through a combination of walls of 612 00:35:01,320 --> 00:35:04,760 Speaker 1: gas and bulrushes, but both groups held together and proceeded 613 00:35:04,800 --> 00:35:07,000 Speaker 1: to lead law enforcement on a two hour chase through 614 00:35:07,040 --> 00:35:10,040 Speaker 1: the streets of Portland. There were moments of shocking brutality 615 00:35:10,120 --> 00:35:12,839 Speaker 1: where police would tackle protesters and dragged them on their 616 00:35:12,880 --> 00:35:16,040 Speaker 1: backs across asphalt into clouds of gas to arrest them. 617 00:35:16,560 --> 00:35:19,439 Speaker 1: One protester we interviewed was arrested that night. She'd shown 618 00:35:19,520 --> 00:35:21,120 Speaker 1: up as a shield bearer and had been one of 619 00:35:21,200 --> 00:35:24,319 Speaker 1: the people protecting the crowd from incoming fire. Yeah. Yeah, 620 00:35:24,480 --> 00:35:27,719 Speaker 1: the Fourth of July was wild. You know. I think 621 00:35:27,800 --> 00:35:30,000 Speaker 1: we everyone went into that night knowing like, you know, 622 00:35:30,080 --> 00:35:31,440 Speaker 1: this is the fourth of July. It's going to be 623 00:35:31,440 --> 00:35:33,880 Speaker 1: a fairly big night. The protests for really, they were 624 00:35:33,920 --> 00:35:38,200 Speaker 1: going strong. And I showed up before the sun went 625 00:35:38,320 --> 00:35:41,120 Speaker 1: down and was just kind of doing the thing that 626 00:35:41,200 --> 00:35:43,840 Speaker 1: I had been doing the entire time leading up to 627 00:35:43,920 --> 00:35:46,160 Speaker 1: that point, which is, you know, I was far enough 628 00:35:46,200 --> 00:35:49,000 Speaker 1: away from the police that I could be there if 629 00:35:49,000 --> 00:35:51,440 Speaker 1: anyone got tear gas to help them with sailine or 630 00:35:51,560 --> 00:35:55,120 Speaker 1: something like that. Um and I had been coming out 631 00:35:55,160 --> 00:35:57,120 Speaker 1: each night with like extra gear to hand out to 632 00:35:57,200 --> 00:36:01,520 Speaker 1: people that didn't have anything. So I was with one 633 00:36:01,600 --> 00:36:04,799 Speaker 1: of my friends who ended up getting arrested right next 634 00:36:04,840 --> 00:36:08,719 Speaker 1: to me. UM and I was giving someone sailing and 635 00:36:09,360 --> 00:36:11,600 Speaker 1: he said, Emily, get up there about to rush us. 636 00:36:12,760 --> 00:36:16,880 Speaker 1: And I had been given a shield that night because 637 00:36:17,960 --> 00:36:22,040 Speaker 1: the night before there was a woman who was who 638 00:36:22,120 --> 00:36:24,520 Speaker 1: had been tear gassed really really badly, and I gave 639 00:36:24,600 --> 00:36:26,520 Speaker 1: her like my personal gear. I had given away all 640 00:36:26,560 --> 00:36:29,720 Speaker 1: of my extra stuff, so I gave her my my stuff. 641 00:36:30,480 --> 00:36:32,640 Speaker 1: And someone came up to me earlier in the evening 642 00:36:32,719 --> 00:36:35,239 Speaker 1: and was like are you Emily and Asia, They're like 643 00:36:35,560 --> 00:36:37,839 Speaker 1: we made this for you, Like you helped my friend 644 00:36:37,960 --> 00:36:40,680 Speaker 1: last night. Um, and so this is for you. And 645 00:36:40,719 --> 00:36:43,200 Speaker 1: so I had a shield with me. I used my 646 00:36:43,520 --> 00:36:46,279 Speaker 1: shield to get up off of the ground and I 647 00:36:46,360 --> 00:36:51,400 Speaker 1: started to run and that's when I got tackled and arrested. 648 00:36:51,440 --> 00:36:54,000 Speaker 1: I had, you know, after looking at the video, I 649 00:36:54,080 --> 00:36:57,600 Speaker 1: remember feeling um, at least two knees on top of 650 00:36:57,680 --> 00:37:01,920 Speaker 1: me and um, you know, going back and thinking about it, 651 00:37:02,040 --> 00:37:04,680 Speaker 1: like I had a palm on top of my head. 652 00:37:05,080 --> 00:37:07,080 Speaker 1: I ended up with a black eye that I had 653 00:37:07,120 --> 00:37:10,400 Speaker 1: for like three weeks. Um. But someone was palming my 654 00:37:10,520 --> 00:37:16,000 Speaker 1: face into the pavement. Uh. And so you know, I 655 00:37:16,120 --> 00:37:19,239 Speaker 1: get up, I had a backpack on. They cut my 656 00:37:19,320 --> 00:37:23,759 Speaker 1: backpack off of me. The person, the officer that arrested me, 657 00:37:24,360 --> 00:37:27,240 Speaker 1: told me that I had tried to hit a police 658 00:37:27,280 --> 00:37:30,400 Speaker 1: officer with my shield. And I just like very calmly 659 00:37:30,560 --> 00:37:34,480 Speaker 1: and and politely said, you know, like, you know, look 660 00:37:34,520 --> 00:37:36,640 Speaker 1: proving that because I would never do anything like that, 661 00:37:36,760 --> 00:37:38,520 Speaker 1: Because I wouldn't. I was down there to help the 662 00:37:38,560 --> 00:37:41,640 Speaker 1: people that needed to be helped. I'm not a medic. 663 00:37:41,680 --> 00:37:43,560 Speaker 1: I never wore met a gear. I never claimed to 664 00:37:43,600 --> 00:37:45,640 Speaker 1: be a medic. You know, I was just there to 665 00:37:45,960 --> 00:37:48,720 Speaker 1: to assist in any way that I could both crowds 666 00:37:48,760 --> 00:37:51,120 Speaker 1: engaged in something of a fighting retreat for the better 667 00:37:51,239 --> 00:37:53,800 Speaker 1: part of two hours. When police would mass up for 668 00:37:53,840 --> 00:37:56,960 Speaker 1: a bulrush, protesters would launch fireworks into their riot line. 669 00:37:57,320 --> 00:38:01,000 Speaker 1: This disrupted them every time and seemed to even panics some. Eventually, 670 00:38:01,120 --> 00:38:03,359 Speaker 1: the police grew so weary of being blasted that they 671 00:38:03,400 --> 00:38:06,160 Speaker 1: pulled back and both crowds were able to escape pursuit. 672 00:38:06,680 --> 00:38:09,239 Speaker 1: At around twelve forty am, both crowds met up again, 673 00:38:09,400 --> 00:38:11,200 Speaker 1: just a couple of blocks away from the court House 674 00:38:11,239 --> 00:38:14,400 Speaker 1: and Justice Center. After two hours of constant fighting, hundreds 675 00:38:14,400 --> 00:38:17,600 Speaker 1: and hundreds of people were still together, organized and dangerous. 676 00:38:18,040 --> 00:38:20,960 Speaker 1: Despite everyone's weariness, there was tremendous excitement in the air 677 00:38:21,040 --> 00:38:23,879 Speaker 1: as the crowd of Portlanders reoccupied the parks and set 678 00:38:23,920 --> 00:38:26,600 Speaker 1: off celebratory fireworks in the center of the Elk Statue. 679 00:38:28,280 --> 00:38:34,120 Speaker 1: They gotten off fireworks again, celebrating for the first time 680 00:38:34,200 --> 00:38:37,000 Speaker 1: since the demonstrations had begun. On May twenty nine, Portland 681 00:38:37,040 --> 00:38:40,600 Speaker 1: protesters had what felt like a real victory. The police 682 00:38:40,719 --> 00:38:43,640 Speaker 1: and the federal agents had thrown everything in their arsenal 683 00:38:43,760 --> 00:38:46,719 Speaker 1: at a crowd that refused to disperse. People had held 684 00:38:46,760 --> 00:38:49,279 Speaker 1: their own against multiple riot lines and forced them to 685 00:38:49,400 --> 00:38:52,479 Speaker 1: back away for the first time ever a crowd kicked 686 00:38:52,520 --> 00:38:54,359 Speaker 1: out of the parks in front of the Justice Center 687 00:38:54,560 --> 00:38:58,520 Speaker 1: had succeeded in reoccupying those parks for a long time. 688 00:38:59,040 --> 00:39:08,279 Speaker 1: People just celebrate. Oh boy. In my own experience, July 689 00:39:08,440 --> 00:39:10,680 Speaker 1: four was the first night that did feel a little 690 00:39:10,760 --> 00:39:13,000 Speaker 1: like a revolution. And of course the coming days and 691 00:39:13,040 --> 00:39:15,040 Speaker 1: weeks would make it very clear that the fight was 692 00:39:15,160 --> 00:39:18,279 Speaker 1: far from over and that July four had been at 693 00:39:18,360 --> 00:39:22,120 Speaker 1: best a very temporary victory. But in the early hours 694 00:39:22,280 --> 00:39:33,239 Speaker 1: of it still felt like one uh where the grand 695 00:39:33,280 --> 00:39:36,440 Speaker 1: pops who couldn't fathom the obamasist, I don't hate America, 696 00:39:36,560 --> 00:39:39,480 Speaker 1: just to me, and she keeps some promisess looking like 697 00:39:39,600 --> 00:39:43,240 Speaker 1: the sixties. It's crazy, a nationwide dejabu what my people 698 00:39:43,320 --> 00:39:46,200 Speaker 1: post to do? Go to schools named after the clan 699 00:39:46,320 --> 00:39:49,120 Speaker 1: founder were around town? Is I don't see why were 700 00:39:49,160 --> 00:39:53,240 Speaker 1: frowning Native American students forced to learn about when o'pellah Sarah? 701 00:39:53,560 --> 00:39:57,040 Speaker 1: How is that fair? Bro? Some Euros unsung in some 702 00:39:57,239 --> 00:39:59,880 Speaker 1: monthsters get monuments built for them. But ain't be all 703 00:40:00,040 --> 00:40:04,520 Speaker 1: a little bit of monster We crook it h