Headed out, masked up to document this surreal protest-within-a-pandemic period in downtown DC Saturday. The frustration is palpable, as is the anger (as is the pepper spray) though so was the camaraderie & the desire among protesters to really be there for each other. A thread. 
A question recently tagged on the side of the White House gift shop.
Black Lives Matter DC @DMVBlackLives organized a car caravan as a #JusticeForGeorgeFloyd protest Sat, starting in NE & moving across the city. The group’s been delivering essential supplies to those that need them in DC in the midst of the pandemic. The aim: #WeKeepUsSafe
This is Lafayette Square, the park directly in front of the White House. Protesters told me that they'd been deeper into the park earlier in the day, but police barricades were continually pushed forward. Walked up just as the crowd began to get vocal.
Every so often, police would move in closer to the protesters, while cops behind the protest would block off streets. A few ppl amongst the protesters threw water bottles at police. Then the sound of a barricade being moved. All a blur cuz the air got heavy w/police pepper spray.
I’ve been to lots of rallies where police used tear gas & pepper spray against protesters & the press. And in some, activists would later pick up used spray cans to show me they were made in the USA. All of those protests happened abroad. This was my initiation to it on US soil.
After the pepper spraying, protesters rush to aid each other - with pandemic-specific reminders to cough into masks (though I nervously spotted a few ppl forgetting to do just that...😬). And then, they head back to the perimeter and chant louder.
Ok y'all. Sun's coming up on another day in DC, so this vid from 9pm showing more ppl joining the protest just as I was leaving, ends my thread. Head to my IG for more. Then check out my colleague @amalhotra2's coverage of what happened later when things took a more fiery turn.
