LATimes | She emerged as an apparition from clouds of tear gas as federal
agents fired pepper balls at angry protesters in the early Saturday
darkness.
A woman wearing nothing but a black face mask and a
stocking cap strode toward a dozen heavily armed agents attired in
camouflage fatigues, lined up across a downtown Portland street. The
agents, dispatched by the Trump administration over vociferous
objections of state and city officials, are part of a force that has
fired projectiles at and detained activists protesting nightly since the
killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police May 25.
Numerous
photos and videos posted on Twitter show the unidentified woman as she
halted in the middle of the street at about 1:45 a.m. She stood calmly, a
surreal image of human vulnerability in the face of an overpowering
force that has been criticized nationally by civil rights advocates.
The
agents, in gas masks and helmets, continued firing pepper balls in a
staccato “pop, pop, pop” heard on video, aiming low at the asphalt,
where puffs of smoke mingled with clouds of gas. At one point, a fellow
protester, clothed, carrying a homemade shield, darted in front of the
woman, angling to protect her.
But the woman sidestepped him. He jumped out of the way, perhaps realizing that he made them both a target.
Before
it was over, she struck ballet poses and reclined on the street. She
also sat on the asphalt in a yoga-like position, facing officers, before
they left.
