Laura Jedeed (Misanthrophile)

Bizarro Riot Ribs is feeding people, offering haircuts, supplying medical necessities. I wish I could feel wholesome about it like I used to "Guillotine" by the Coup is playing--probably my favorite protest jam

#MomsAreHere and I know there's been some weirdness today with said moms but the individual moms standing here at the front lines will always have my heart Everyone's still wearing cloth masks which tells me the feds haven't been out tonight

I step away to walk a friend to his car and miss the first gassing of the night. Fuck. Teach me to turn my back on the fence. Goggle time

People are already back by the time I make it to the District Courthouse. Not seeing any feds inside or outside the fence The balloons indicate the wind is blowing towards us from the courthouse. Damn Federal Protective Service gives some kind of LRAD warning

Everyone at the front has respirators. Even a couple weeks ago that wasn't true. More umbrellas than shields up here Drummers pay a syncopated beat while people chant "fuck the feds!" An activist demands that they cease. She is furious about the dancing

"Tonight you're gonna hear a black woman speak!!" She speaks about about a victim of domestic violence who was shot in the streets and the price failed to protect her. She demands that the press put this on the front page of every newspaper

She is angry about white people taking attention from the movement. The press clusters around her "I'm tired of feeling like I'm worthless! I'm tired of feeling like I'm less than! Because my life matters!"

People try to chant the names and a subdued drumline beats in time The drums are important. Fear creeps into silent spaces

The drum line now as raucus as it was before the speech. People chanting "black lives matter" and "abolish the police state" A horn plays along. It's as close to a concert as it gets in this age of Covid I ponder risking wiping the inside of my goggles

The instant I take off my goggles I see a protester inside the fence and hear a barrage of pepper balls. I get lucky: no hit, no residue The drumline doesn't even stop. This is its function: Music to tell our hearts it's ok; chanting to tell our souls that we are not alone

A few more random barrages. @hungrybowtie and I discuss timing and predictions. Sure seems like they're trying to provoke us into doing something newsworthy

They're back under cover now, firing pepper balls and warning us in tones too soft to hear; a lullaby that promises nightmares I finally make out the announcement: unlawful assembly declared

Maybe you're wondering why an unlawful assembly has been declared. If so, you're probably new here. An unlawful assembly means nothing except that the police plan to use violence. Anything I could point to that's happening now has happened on nights not declared unlawful

Peaceful protesters asked to leave East on Salmon and Main Peaceful protesters largely elect to remain and exercise their inalienable human right to free assembly instead

The Federal Protective Service cheerfully complains over the LRAD that "officers are being hit with projectiles, lasers, and other hard objects" I've got nothing, y'all

They're out and gassing hard. So hard. Firing high. I see two people get hit and go down hard. Protesters drag them to the sidewalk

They retreat again. Protesters back to the front, banging on the fence The LRAD warns of unlawful assembly and I swear he sounds cheerful. This is going to be an ugly night and if I said I wasn't a bit sccared I'd be lying. My body remembers what happened to it last Saturday

They've gone silent for now. People mill, brace thenselves: whatever Part of the line chants "I don't see no riot here, take off your riot gear!"

Feds back out, gassing 3rd and Main

A battle of the leaf blowers commences. I can't get good footage: they're shining spotlights directly into our faces, making it impossible to record the things they're doing

The trumpeter plays the Sad Trombone sound and it's the funniest shit I've ever heard