A group of Portland women calling themselves the “Wall of Moms” is now showing up at the protests to act as a human barrier between protesters and law enforcement.
The women, dressed in yellow shirts and bicycle helmets, were seen joining arms and singing “Moms are here, the feds are staying away!” during a protest in Oregon City on Sunday night, according to images posted on social media.
Portland has experienced weeks of unrest following the death of George Floyd on May 25, and the city mayor recently asked President Trump to remove federal agents dispatched there to disperse crowds and protect federal property.
“It is about protecting the peaceful right of citizens to protest,” said Bev Barnum, a 35-year-old mother of two identified by BuzzFeed News as the organizer of the “Wall of Moms.”
A group calling itself the “Mommy Wall” meets Sunday in front of the United States Mark O. Hatfield Courthouse in Portland, Oregon. (AP)
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At a Facebook event for the group’s first meeting on Saturday, Barnum wrote that “lately, protesters are being stripped of their rights by being placed in cars not marked by unidentifiable police.”
“Moms are often underrated. But we are stronger than we are credited with, “he added. “So, what do you say? Will you support me? Will you help me create a wall for moms?
Brenna Burnett, a 29-year-old participant, told BuzzFeed News that the barrier women are forming is “about black mothers losing their children, husbands, brothers and friends every day.”
“It’s about Black Lives Matter,” he added. “It is not about white women coming to save the day,” she said.
The “Wall of Moms” began to appear in Saturday’s protests. (Reuters)
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Portland police released a statement Monday morning saying federal law enforcement officers dispersed a rebel crowd that had gathered outside a United States federal court in the city on Sunday night.
The statement says protesters began manipulating a fence around the property before tearing it down.
“Dozens of people with shields, helmets, gas masks, umbrellas, bats and hockey sticks approached the courthouse doors,” Portland police said before federal agents came out and dispersed the protesters.
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Then, early Monday morning, protesters returned and “started a fire inside the portico in front of the federal court,” police said.
“Others gathered around the fire adding firewood and other debris to enlarge it,” authorities said before federal officials came out a second time, extinguished the fire and cleared the crowd from the area.
