Edited by Azizi Powell
Latest revision- July 22, 2020
This pancocojams post is part of an ongoing pancocojams series on American protests chants.
This pancocojams post provides information about Black Lives Matter protests in Portland, Oregon and documents the protest strategy of and chants by the "Wall of Moms" protestors in Portland Oregon in July 2020.
The content of this post is presented for socio-cultural purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to the Wall of Moms protesters and all those who peacefully protest for justice in Portland, Oregon and elsewhere in the United States as well as elsewhere throughout the world. Thanks also to all those who are quoted in this post and thanks to the publishers of these embedded videos.
-snip-
Click the African American protest chants and the American protest chants tags below for more pancocojams posts on these subjects.
****
INFORMATION ABOUT PROTESTS IN PORTLAND, OREGON (summer of 2020)
(These excerpts are given in no particular order)
Excerpt #1
From https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-53473732 Portland protests: All you need to know about Trump's crackdown 20 July 2020 "Tensions are mounting in the US city of Portland, where federal troops have been sent to end almost two months of anti-racism protests, some of them violent.
"The protests began after the death of George Floyd in police custody in May.
Federal officers in unmarked vehicles appeared to forcefully seize protesters from the streets and detain them without justification. They have also fired tear gas and less-lethal munitions into crowds of demonstrators.
[...]
Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf has called the protesters a "violent mob" and "anarchists".
Saturday, July 18, 2020 at 6 PM PDTPortland OregonPublic · Hosted by Bev Barnum"
Update: Don’t Shoot has asked for our Wall of Moms to help support the family, friends and protestors of Shai’India today at Waterfront park, at 6pm.
Let’s meet near the Salmon Street fountain at 6pm.Please, feel free to make a sign or wear a sign.
UPDATE: Please plan to stay for the 9pm, Wall of Moms at the justice center.If you read the news this morning, you already know that tear gas was used to disperse protestors. Please keep in mind that protesting is not illegal.Let’s make it clear that we will protect protestors without the use of violence. We will shine a light of the unjust narrative being thrown around.Please meet at waterfront park, 8:50pm near the Hawthorne bridge to walk to the justice center together.
Note: Please be sure to bring a face mask, helmet and closed toe shoes."
-snip-
The face mask is because these protests are occurring during the Covid-19 pandemic. The helmet and closed toes shoes are protection against the probable actions of federal authorities.
****
Excerpt #4
From https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2020/7/19/1962204/-Wall-of-Moms-Face-Off-Against-Trump-s-Tear-Gas Wall of Moms Face Off Against Trump's Tear Gas
[Numbers added for referencing purposes only.]
1. jqjacobs, Jul 20, 2020 at 10:17:08 AM
Lindsey Smith (she/her)
[tweet with video]
"This comes after federal officers threw flash bangs directly at the feet of the #PortlandMoms yesterday as they formed a barrier to protect other protestors."
**
2, jqjacobs AUTHORPule4Puna
[tweet with video of wall of moms doing rockette strut kick]
"Women dancing in the street, this kind of threat to dictatorship requires a rapid response:"
Deborah Bloom
**
**
[given in no particular order]
- Out of our homes and into the streets
-Moms are here. Feds stay clear
-Hands up don’t shoot
-I don’t see no riot here, take off your riot gear
****
PANCOCOJAMS EDITOR'S NOTERevised: July 22, 2020
I want to call particular attention to the custom of the Wall of Moms protest chants being done to the accompaniment of a snare drum or drum.
I had originally written that the drum that was played as accompaniment for the chants was a djembe. However, a video clip that is included in this dailykos post: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2020/7/22/1962969/-The-most-important-image-you-will-see-of-Portland shows a White man playing a snare drum that is held with an attachment that is used in a parade.
I don't think that I've noted this custom before in these pancocojams protest chant series, but I have e watched videos of djembe drums being played during Black Life Matters protests. I think this custom began relatively recently (2020 or 2019). I recall watching one protest video in the spring of 2020 another city other than Portland of a djembe player beating his drum along with a majority of Black protestors walking down the street. Djembes are heavy to carry so that if they are played in a protest, it's likely that if the protest wouldn't be a march but a stationary rally.
**
I also want to call particular attention to the Wall of Moms protestors performed a "Rockettes kick" (also known as "a chorus line kick"). The protestors performed this dance step to the beat of the djembe drum while they chanted certain chants. The women link arms and together lift one leg immediately followed by lifting another leg.
The likely purposes of the protestors performing that "Rockette kick" is to demonstrate that the protestors weren't a threatening force, to demonstrate unity,.and to defuse the tensions of the Federal agents and their own tensions.
Click https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2aIBQTPXM2c for a video of the Rockettes kick.
****
SHOWCASE VIDEO: #MomsAreHere #blacklivesmatter #protest
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.
Visitor comments are welcome.
Latest revision- July 22, 2020
This pancocojams post is part of an ongoing pancocojams series on American protests chants.
This pancocojams post provides information about Black Lives Matter protests in Portland, Oregon and documents the protest strategy of and chants by the "Wall of Moms" protestors in Portland Oregon in July 2020.
The content of this post is presented for socio-cultural purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to the Wall of Moms protesters and all those who peacefully protest for justice in Portland, Oregon and elsewhere in the United States as well as elsewhere throughout the world. Thanks also to all those who are quoted in this post and thanks to the publishers of these embedded videos.
-snip-
Click the African American protest chants and the American protest chants tags below for more pancocojams posts on these subjects.
****
INFORMATION ABOUT PROTESTS IN PORTLAND, OREGON (summer of 2020)
(These excerpts are given in no particular order)
Excerpt #1
From https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-53473732 Portland protests: All you need to know about Trump's crackdown 20 July 2020 "Tensions are mounting in the US city of Portland, where federal troops have been sent to end almost two months of anti-racism protests, some of them violent.
"The protests began after the death of George Floyd in police custody in May.
There have been nightly rallies ever since, with clashes between protesters and police escalating in recent days.
President Donald Trump says he is trying to restore order. The approach has been criticised by local officials as an election-year ploy to try and paint his opponents as weak on law and order.
What has been going on in Portland?
Like other US cities, Portland, Oregon saw a wave of peaceful protests over [George] Floyd's death in Minneapolis, with thousands taking to the streets to demand police reform and racial equality.
Recent protests, however, have been marred by violence, arson, damage to property, arrests and allegations of police brutality.
Last week, federal officers started cracking down on crowds gathering in the city against the wishes of state and local officials, drawing widespread criticism and legal challenges.
Federal officers in unmarked vehicles appeared to forcefully seize protesters from the streets and detain them without justification. They have also fired tear gas and less-lethal munitions into crowds of demonstrators.
[...]
Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf has called the protesters a "violent mob" and "anarchists".
But officials in the city have drawn a distinction between the peaceful majority and smaller groups of troublemakers."....
****Excerpt #2
From https://www.cnn.com/2020/07/20/us/wall-of-moms-portland-protest-trnd/index.html
From https://www.cnn.com/2020/07/20/us/wall-of-moms-portland-protest-trnd/index.html
Dozens of moms formed a human shield to protect protesters from officers outside a federal courthouse in Portland, by Paul P. Murphy and Amanda Jackson, CNN
Friday night, Bev Barnum said she was watching videos on social media from the protest showing people being detained by federal agents.
"It didn't take long for me to find a massive array of video displaying obvious
human rights violations," Barnum told CNN.
human rights violations," Barnum told CNN.
The video showed masked, camouflaged federal authorities without identification badges in unmarked vehicles arresting protesters in Portland. These incidents have sparked the state's US attorney to call for an investigation into the matter.
Barnum said she told her husband she wanted to help and he suggested a fundraiser.
"But I thought I needed to do more so I asked the Portland working moms group to
protest with me -- to shield the protesters from harm with our 'mombods,'" she said.
protest with me -- to shield the protesters from harm with our 'mombods,'" she said.
Barnum, founder of Wall of Moms, and about 70 other mothers converged onto the protest in downtown Portland, where protesters were gathered outside the federal courthouse. The women stood in the front of the protest line and locked arms to form a human shield. At times they were chanting "Moms are here! Feds stay clear!"
As protests have ramped up over the past few weeks, the Trump administration has sent in the Trump administration has sent in federal agents from the Department of Homeland Security to respond to the city. This has caused controversy with elected officials as Oregon Gov. Kate Brown and Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler have criticized the federal response."...
****
Excerpt #3
From https://www.facebook.com/events/3317876024930991 Wall of Moms Facebook PageExcerpt #3
Saturday, July 18, 2020 at 6 PM PDTPortland OregonPublic · Hosted by Bev Barnum"
Update: Don’t Shoot has asked for our Wall of Moms to help support the family, friends and protestors of Shai’India today at Waterfront park, at 6pm.
Let’s meet near the Salmon Street fountain at 6pm.Please, feel free to make a sign or wear a sign.
UPDATE: Please plan to stay for the 9pm, Wall of Moms at the justice center.If you read the news this morning, you already know that tear gas was used to disperse protestors. Please keep in mind that protesting is not illegal.Let’s make it clear that we will protect protestors without the use of violence. We will shine a light of the unjust narrative being thrown around.Please meet at waterfront park, 8:50pm near the Hawthorne bridge to walk to the justice center together.
Note: Please be sure to bring a face mask, helmet and closed toe shoes."
-snip-
The face mask is because these protests are occurring during the Covid-19 pandemic. The helmet and closed toes shoes are protection against the probable actions of federal authorities.
Excerpt #4
From https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2020/7/19/1962204/-Wall-of-Moms-Face-Off-Against-Trump-s-Tear-Gas Wall of Moms Face Off Against Trump's Tear Gas
Wall Of Moms Face Off Against Trump's Tear Gas, jqjacobs
[Numbers added for referencing purposes only.]
1. jqjacobs, Jul 20, 2020 at 10:17:08 AM
Saturday night:
[tweet with video]
"Lindsey Smith (she/her)
@LindseyPSmith7
Jul 19, 2020
Replying to @LindseyPSmith7
Feds are out. They shoved the moms. Lots of tear gas and flash bangs.
Lindsey Smith (she/her)
@LindseyPSmith7
Tear gas used on big crowd.
[tweet with video]
"Sunday evening, many more Moms show up wearing yellow."
Clypian
@Clypian
[tweet with video]
Jul 20, 2020
"A whole parade of people just arrived, most of them #PortlandMoms wearing yellow. There are over 100 moms here now. #portland #portlandprotests #PortlandOregon #PortlandOR #oregon #BLMprotest #PDXprotests #PDX #clypiancoverage
Clypian
@Clypian
[tweet with video]
"This comes after federal officers threw flash bangs directly at the feet of the #PortlandMoms yesterday as they formed a barrier to protect other protestors."
**
2, jqjacobs AUTHORPule4Puna
Jul 20, 2020 at 10:46:29 AM
Trump tear gassing Portland Moms:
[tweet with video of wall of moms doing rockette strut kick]
"Women dancing in the street, this kind of threat to dictatorship requires a rapid response:"
Deborah Bloom
@deborahebloom
And straight to the tear gassing. #PortlandProtest"
[tweet with video]
**
3, sissyphuswashere reply to jqjacobs
Jul 20, 2020 at 06:39:09 PM
Jul 20, 2020 at 06:39:09 PM
"Kick line is best thing ever. It would be truly awesome if they did the hokey pokey and maybe the electric slide."
**
4. Another Moxiemarathon2016
Jul 20, 2020 at 09:09:36 AM
"I was glad to see some of the protesters wearing helmets. ALL protesters should wear helmets to protect their heads. Head injury is no laughing matter. And it would be a very bad PR “look” if the guys with the batons and guns tried to rip those off people in order to hit them in the head. That would be a bit of a case for premeditated murder, probably?"
**
5, marathon2016 reply to ProgressivePenguin
**
5, marathon2016 reply to ProgressivePenguin
Jul 20, 2020 at 11:58:45 AM
"Great video. As much as I feel for the mom’s safety, this is a brilliant move. A group of mom’s were tear-gassed a few days ago (a few were pregnant) and one woman came up with the idea of forming a wall of mom’s which has been growing each night. These aren’t rough and tumble military women or ufc fighters, these are regular mother’s that can’t sit at home while this is happening. So they are putting themselves on the front line. Watching them stand on the front line holding hands in collective strength as they face a fascist militia gives me the chills. And it absolutely obliterates Trump’s narrative that the protestors are all violent thugs."
**
**
6. AlyoshaKaramazov reply to lawnorder
Jul 20, 2020 at 11:49:02 AM
"Even Fox “NEWS” can’t ignore this.
[quotes Fox News article]
[quotes Fox News article]
Portland 'Wall of Moms' acting as human barrier between
protesters, law enforcement
Unrest continues to grip Portland following the death of
George Floyd
A group of Portland women calling themselves the “Wall of
Moms” is now showing up at demonstrations to act as a human barrier between
protesters and law enforcement.
The women, wearing yellow shirts and bike helmets, were seen
linking arms and chanting “Moms are here, feds stay clear!” during a protest in
the Oregon city Sunday night, according to footage posted on social media.
Portland has experienced weeks of unrest following the May
25 death of George Floyd and the city’s mayor recently called on President
Trump to remove federal agents sent there to disperse crowds and protect federal
property.
“We are about protecting peaceful citizens’ right to
protest,” Bev Barnum, a 35-year-old mother of two identified by BuzzFeed News
as the organizer of the “Wall of Moms” told the website.
In a Facebook event for the group’s first gathering
Saturday, Barnum wrote “as of late, protesters are being stripped of their
rights by being placed in unmarked cars by unidentifiable law enforcement.
“We moms are often underestimated. But we’re stronger than
we’re given credit for,” she added. “So what do you say, will you stand with
me? Will you help me create a wall of moms?”
Brenna Burnett, a 29-year-old participant, told BuzzFeed
News that the barrier the women are forming is “about Black moms every day
losing their children, husbands, brothers, friends."
"This is about Black Lives Matter,” she added. “This is
not about White women coming in to save the day," she said.
7. The "Wall of Moms" first started appearing at the
protests Saturday. (Reuters)
Leftleaner reply to AlyoshaKaramazov
Jul 20, 2020 at 02:17:41 PM
"OK, I get that black women are much more trod upon in every
respect. And that white privilege is
massively unfair. But please give white
women credit for standing up for BLM and other folks and using the white
privilege for good."
**
8. daviskx3 reply to Leftleaner
**
8. daviskx3 reply to Leftleaner
Jul 20, 2020 at 08:16:25 PM
"This is not just about BLM.
This is about a government gone rogue.
A government that no longer respects the Constitution or its
citizens. How did we get here? If we want to make lasting change for good,
we have to remember how we got here so that we don’t let it happen again. This is a lot deeper than BLM."
-snip-
Here's another tweet. I'm not sure which source I read it:
Here's another tweet. I'm not sure which source I read it:
Clypian
@Clypian
The moms have formed a line on the street in
front of the Federal Courthouse. The chant of “I don’t see no riot here,
take off your riot gear” continues, led by them. #PortlandMoms. #portland
#PortlandProtest #portlandprotests #PortlandOregon #PortlandOR #oregon
#BLMprotest #PDX
-snip-
This chant is vocalized to the very fast beat of a djembe drum (which isn't shown in the video).
-snip-
This chant is vocalized to the very fast beat of a djembe drum (which isn't shown in the video).
****
EXAMPLES OF WALL OF MOMS PROTEST CHANTS ( Portland, Oregon July 2020)
All of these examples are unison chants (everyone chants the words at the same time, and not in a "call and response" pattern)EXAMPLES OF WALL OF MOMS PROTEST CHANTS ( Portland, Oregon July 2020)
[given in no particular order]
- Out of our homes and into the streets
-Moms are here. Feds stay clear
-Hands up don’t shoot
-I don’t see no riot here, take off your riot gear
****
PANCOCOJAMS EDITOR'S NOTERevised: July 22, 2020
I want to call particular attention to the custom of the Wall of Moms protest chants being done to the accompaniment of a snare drum or drum.
I had originally written that the drum that was played as accompaniment for the chants was a djembe. However, a video clip that is included in this dailykos post: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2020/7/22/1962969/-The-most-important-image-you-will-see-of-Portland shows a White man playing a snare drum that is held with an attachment that is used in a parade.
Replying to @dirquez
-snip-
The crowd has thinned a bit. Split into dance party vibe, messing with the courthouse and these folks.
[inserted video clip]
I don't think that I've noted this custom before in these pancocojams protest chant series, but I have e watched videos of djembe drums being played during Black Life Matters protests. I think this custom began relatively recently (2020 or 2019). I recall watching one protest video in the spring of 2020 another city other than Portland of a djembe player beating his drum along with a majority of Black protestors walking down the street. Djembes are heavy to carry so that if they are played in a protest, it's likely that if the protest wouldn't be a march but a stationary rally.
**
I also want to call particular attention to the Wall of Moms protestors performed a "Rockettes kick" (also known as "a chorus line kick"). The protestors performed this dance step to the beat of the djembe drum while they chanted certain chants. The women link arms and together lift one leg immediately followed by lifting another leg.
The likely purposes of the protestors performing that "Rockette kick" is to demonstrate that the protestors weren't a threatening force, to demonstrate unity,.and to defuse the tensions of the Federal agents and their own tensions.
Click https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2aIBQTPXM2c for a video of the Rockettes kick.
****
SHOWCASE VIDEO: #MomsAreHere #blacklivesmatter #protest
Portland Protest Day 53 - Walls of The Moms, Highlights
Jon Cover, Jul 20, 2020
****
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.
Visitor comments are welcome.
Here's an excerpt including a other chant along from this July 13, 2020 article about the Portland protests:
ReplyDelete..." "Enough is enough," the crowd chanted. "Enough is enough." "
[...]
Tai Carpenter, the board president of Don’t Shoot PDX, a Portland-based social justice nonprofit, said the vast majority of protesters were simply exercising their First Amendment rights. She called the federal response disproportionate.
[photo insert]
“It’s not a bunch of anarchists on the front lines,” said Carpenter, 29. “It’s moms singing and dads with leaf blowers to disperse tear gas. It’s not nearly as out of control as people think. I’m scared that the federal officers being here is going to result in someone being murdered.""...
https://news.yahoo.com/portland-mayor-warns-somebodys-going-080151090.html
"Portland mayor tear-gassed by federal officers, warns 'somebody's going to die' during chaotic protests"
USA TODAY
Trevor Hughes, USA TODAY
,USA TODAY•July 23, 2020
Here's information about a chant I hadn't heard before that was heard at a Seattle protest July 25, 2020:
ReplyDelete"Demonstrators in #Seattle protest keep marching. Now chanting “Kids in cages. That’s outrageous” ##Komonews"
https://www.rawstory.com/2020/07/crazy-pics-of-seattle-as-protesters-escalate-as-dhs-agents-are-staged-nearby/?utm_source=push_notifications&fbclid=IwAR2-r3PgS9JUgK_MBIsUfOucd7OWxwIzzZTKQ4Lx74F9COR9wkyyg2OJ3vw
Update: Protest in Portland, Oregon continues with "Wall of Vets", "Wall of Dads", and "Wall of Grandparents"
ReplyDeletehttps://www.huffpost.com/entry/wall-of-vets-portland-protests_n_5f1c7ba6c5b69fd4730d37f7
07/25/2020 05:40 pm ET
‘Wall Of Vets’ Forms To Protect Portland Protesters Amid Federal Crackdown
Military veterans grouped together on the front lines of Portland demonstrations between protesters and federal agents.
headshot
By Hilary Hanson
And here's an excerpt from a closely related article:
Delete"Portland Oregon is alive and well. The city is not burning. The protests are not out of control. Yes, there are some people bent on destruction of property. They are a minority and do not represent the vast majority of Portlanders or protestors.
The mayhem covers a small area of downtown Portland. It is not widespread. It is not out of control. It is nothing like many of the images shown in the media portray. Portland may have no shortage of problems, but we love the city and love living here. We are a city filled with people of conscience. A city filled with ordinary Americans who are politically astute, fiercely independent and heavily community oriented. Take a closer look at the number of moms in yellow shirts who have come out to stand between the the hodgepodge of Federal agents borrowed from Federal prisons, ICE and Border Patrol and the protestors who assemble to reject their intrusion into the city and continue to call for racial justice. There are more moms and dads in these protests than agents. Many more than the few unwelcome vandals and anarchists who distract from the BLM protests that have been taking place nightly for almost two months."...
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2020/7/25/1963820/-Portland-is-Not-Burning-Portlanders-Are-Pissed