Thread by @MacSmiff

A couple hundred people congregate on the playground side of Lents Park and enjoy each other.

@ignorantreflect plays live.

The reasons we stay in these streets are stenciled on the walkway.

Young Donovan (@ignorantreflect) performs music, talks about his goals with the NAACP, introduces his contemporaries, and discusses how his role in the movement is not one of physical protest.

Must join NAACP by Oct 1 to vote.

"Reparations"

The @PlantBloc stand is up, complete with a banner!

Free fruits, veggies, house plants, flowers, seeds and starts for all.

There is enough for everyone.

#PlantBloc #PlantBloc #GangGang

Strangers are the new friends.

Someone I don't know brought me these stickers and thanked me for being out here.

Zai raps in the background.

#GasMeTeddy

Delivered a tee shirt and got another sticker.

This might be my new favorite. And I think I found it a home.

A protest supporter also told me that nothing makes them as happy as The Work. Says that even if there were other things to do, only The Work fills their soul.

🖤🖤

Anyway... I wanted to go back and finish this media thread I started yesterday. So... I'm doing what I want.

Was really happy with the turnout in SE. Had a lot of familiar brown faces.

A booth was setup with info about public safety resources other than the police.

People are doing the homework and sharing notes.

At some point yesterday, I decided to start collecting portraits of some of the lovely Black people in attendance who were willing to pose on camera.

@RageRagina hosted yesterday's rallies. Sadly she's taken to wearing armor in public after her family was threatened by cowards.

Does Jahdi have a Twitter? IDK, but you can find him on the 'gram.

Youngin' has been finding his place in all the fight against police brutality. Stay focused, man.

This young guy has been showing up everywhere. Says he's from Dallas and lives in Oregon City and he's glad to have found a home in the Portland protest community.

If somebody has his @, please drop it.

The lil homie from @blackyouthmvmt struck a pose one time. Young Black women - and making them feel safe - are very much at core of all this, and that needs to be remembered.

Don't just feel guilty when they say they feel unsafe, DO BETTER.

NEP young homie @imscooterrogers slid through for a bit and supported the various artists and speakers.

Fit on point as usual.

The big lil homie who's name I never remember and I have had some disagreements in the past but it's hard (and silly!) to harbor animosity with people who have the same goals as you and show up every day.

I really love this kid, @Baqi_San. Gotta stop calling him a kid soon cuz he's like 22 now but he's just as curious as ever.

Asked me to get a flick of the back of his jacket too; it's one of his custom designs, as is his necklace.

Respect the artists. They are the visionaries.

Black press! Black press!

@MariahMacaronio is an excellent photographer who doubles as a social worker. On top of being out almost every night in her tutu documenting some of the most dangerous protest scenes, she's a real life hero in the lives of many.

Let her cook.

My dreaded dynamos @ignorantreflect (l) and @blackportlander (r) posed for a flick.

Whenever people ask me questions about the history of Black people in Portland/Oregon, it's the works of these two I refer to.

(Note: Donovan's paintstained pants is the new style #ProtestNoir)

As always, @ogdestiny74 came through with some excellent words. Today she chose to perform poetry. Definitely saving the poem I recorded for my long term files.

Leaders are being forged.

I really wanted to get a still of @cremebruleepdx but we were both in perpetual motion and never quite connected for that moment.

Got shots of the Asians For Black Lives tent and some volunteers working the @PlantBloc booth - which was often referred to as a free farmers mkt.