dailymail | Federal agents teargassed a group of
mothers who formed a 'wall of moms' to protect protesters during a Black
Lives Matter demonstration over the weekend as the mayor of Oregon's
largest city ordered the officers to leave.
Portland has seen nearly two months of nightly protests since George Floyd died under the knee of Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin on May 25.
While
the majority of protests have remained peaceful, fires have been set in
dumpsters near the city's courthouse and the walls of the building have
been defaced.
The agents used tear gas and flash bangs to disperse the mothers participating in the 'Wall of Moms' protest.
The
women had formed a human shield between protesters and law enforcement
officials outside a federal courthouse, donning bike helmets and linking
arms.
They carried signs that read 'Angry mama bear BLM' and chanted 'Moms are here, feds stay clear.'
According
to Melanie Damm, unidentified federal officers in military-style gear
fired tear gas canisters into the group of mothers, clad mostly in
white.
'The level of violence escalated
by these GI soldiers was such an overreaction. You're seeing moms
getting tear-gassed,' said Damm, herself a 39-year-old mom. ''
'We aren't young and Antifa-looking,' she said, referring to more militant anti-fascism protesters.
And despite being teargassed, the mothers showed up to Sunday night's protest.
