Thread by @45thabsurdist

I’ve arrived near Laurelhurst to find that the march is already underway. Lots of shields with the #blm fist, and the ACAB chamts are energetic

As the crowd approaches, a lady LRAD dj makes an announcement which includes the words “arrest” and “property” but is hard to make out.

ACLU getting floodlighted. Apparently the PPB twitter has already declared an unlawful assembly and there was an arrest of someone standing near the west driveway.

Getting confirmation that the person arrested was a journalist: Michael Arellano of the Daily Mail.

Second LRAD, from DJ LRAD himself, from the east, telling the crowd to leave to the east.

Clergy from the Portland Interfaith Clergy Resistance get spotlighted from the roof of the Penumbra Kelly building.

The roof floodlights seem to be drawn to marked press.

LRAD also present on 47th, about 1 block north, and Lady LRAD giving order for dispersal from 1 block west on burnside

Crowd of approximately 200-250. The PPB Has declared an unlawful assembly and had now specified “individuals breaking apart a retaining wall” as cause. So far have not found anyone who knows what this refers to.

Still no word on what retaining wall the ppb is talking about. There’s a husky though! And someone is playing Enigma. Remember Enigma?

The chants and drumming are very tightly coordinated tonight. “We are the people and we are strong” and “you might as well quit your job!”

Officers come out from east driveway, bar lights briefly flash on the cruiser. “The pigs are coming” chant goes through the crowd, and the Imperial March comes on. Police return.

Again, the soundtrack for these protests is very well curated.

Ppb mostly treats their hedge (which I’ve just realized is Oregon Grape shrubs) as their property line, and have already arrested a journalist for moving past it, but there have now been a number of youth of color hanging out just on the other side. PPB doesn’t seem concerned

An individual just walked into the parking lot and was arrested.

So if anyone is thinking to themselves “ppb probably doesn’t care about their property line,” they may want to reconsider.

I have just realized that this box has been erected around the K-9 statue. For reference, second picture is the statue from a few days ago. Dog in a box. Not sure why.

There was just a 2-on-1 game of kick the can in the middle of burnside. The teams were hard to determine. Because everyone’s in black. But the can was, of course, a white claw. Not sure who won.

The Café Covfefe wagon is doing the rounds, handing out coffee, ginger- lemon tea and juice. Their wagon is flying the black-and-white Puerto Rico liberation flag. “The flag came from when we forced the governor to resign. Not sure why people don’t just do that everywhere.”

The 4700 block of E Burnside has, according to the sign, been renamed.

The “move b*tch, get out the way” song has had plenty of people dancing to it. Given that this is a party in the middle of a street, might be one of the less-apt song choices of the evening.

Someone is using the flagpole as a percussion instrument. Not clear what the play is here.

So this very important dog was getting some black bloc belly rubs....

And then a spotter with a whistle alerted the crowd that a police line was forming in front of the building. The flag-pole percussion stopped around the same time. These two things are likely related.

First LRAD announcement came over 2 hours ago. Just now, the LRAD claimed that “officers have been struck multiple times with objects including large rocks, water bottles, and lasers.”

Objects including lasers?

Now that the announcement about thrown objects has gone out again, there have been quite a few of the apples thrown from this block’s apple tree.

Police responded by shooting a skat round of smoke.

Nothing much is happening. Except that someone with a megaphone and a flashlight has challenged the PPB to an “outshine contest.” “Nice light bro, I got one too! Alright, yours might have mine beat though.”

Well, there was just a very loud bang near the wall of the PPB parking area. Possibly a firework. LRAD is now mentioning tear gas as a thing that might happen.

Not gonna lie, I was ready to eat some Rice Krispie treats from the snack wagon and head home, but the ppb picked that moment to rush, and OSP riot police continued the push to stark before withdrawing.

A decent sized crowd held throughout the push, and is now winding its way through Laurelhurst. I was hearing crickets until just now when the lady LRAD piped up about a block off.

On the second iteration, the LRAD microphone appears to be working better.

Chased another riot line push, this time all the way down to Cesar Chavez. Multiple smoke grenades deployed by police, several of which landed in dry grass in neighborhood yards.

on a street corner behind the riot line with other press and legal observers, police asked press to identify themselves. “Non press need to go that way” (points south) “press can go wherever you want, apparently.” I have seen police shove and knock down several press tonight.

After that last dispersal, riot vans came around the corner of Cesar Chavez and Burnside. Officers tell small group gathered on the corner: “goodnight kids, go home”

as they leave, someone in the crowd turns to their neighbors: “they just called us kids!”

Returning East on burnside, there’s some commotion: a returning riot van has apparently shot a smoke grenade into a knot of press and legal observers. A neighbor in her pajamas brings out a jug of water to extinguish the munition, and invites the stragglers onto her porch.

another neighbor comes down his driveway as a small group of protesters passes. “Thanks for what you all are doing,” he says. “Anyone need anything? Food? Water?”
“We’re good, man,” says a black-clad figure. “Sorry about all the noise!”
“No worries! Keep it up!” He says.