Wall of veterans protect demonstrators in Portland
Trump and the Department of Homeland Security are calling protesters 'violent anarchists.'
A wall of veterans stood around protesters in Portland. As protests in the city continue to draw out federal agents who look to disrupt the gatherings, these veterans took a stand to hold off the federal forces.
As theGrio previously reported, federal officers have been arresting and using tear gas on protesters who are honoring the life of George Floyd and demanding justice for Black people. Portland has arguably seen some of the worst violence due to the aftermath of Floyd’s death, this July.
READ MORE: Portland NAACP president: Portland BLM protests have become ‘white spectacle’
On Friday, these veterans joined forces with protesters, forcing officers to be more careful when engaging with participants.
According to the New York Post, veterans had signs that read “Disabled veterans 4 BLM,” and “I am an American patriot. Federal troops defend property, but this does not give them the right to take away my constitutional freedom.”
Veterans were not the only group to show solidarity with protesters. The protest featured a “wall of moms”, a “wall of dads”.
The federal officers in Portland are considered, amongst protesters, to be unlawful, violent and ruthless. Protesters are claiming that federal agents are “kidnapping” people.
Local government, including Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum, sued federal agencies for allegedly violating people’s first, fourth, and fifth amendment rights.
Marine Corps veterans like Duston Obermeyer, deployed three times in one decade, showed up to the protest to ensure that federal officers were not infringing on anyone’s free speech.
READ MORE: Mayor of Portland, Oregon, tear gassed by federal agents
“Our veterans are here specifically to support the rights of the protesters to protest,” Obermeyer said, according to The New York Times.
The mayor of Portland, Ted Wheeler, got tear-gassed like his constituents while attending a demonstration.
Last Thursday in an interview with Sean Hannity, President Donald Trump ridiculed Portland mayor, Ted Wheeler, who got tear-gassed while attending a demonstration, saying, “[Wheeler] made a fool out of himself,” and again on Twitter, KATU reported.
Trump and the Department of Homeland Security are calling protesters “violent anarchists,” but failed to address how federal officers injured struck a Navy veteran a week ago, The New York Times reported.
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