Laura Jedeed (Misanthrophile)

There's a speaker but unfortunately their megaphone isn't very good and my hearing, as established earlier, has not been improved over the last two months The street in front of the District Courthouse remains packed

I've moved closer and can now hear this Black activist talking about how officers have families too, how not all of them are bad Another Black activist with a megaphone pushes back against this. A battle of words. A chant of "black lives matter"

The crowd in Portland is, as always, largely white. There's that familiar freeze as the audience is unsure what to do A chant of Black Lives Matter shifts into a chant of "let her talk" Cameras battle to capture these activists arguing

These battles for the narrative aren't surprising. Black people aren't a monolith. There are a wide variety of opinions. Yet I often see tremendous pressure for a united black voice to speak back to the system It's a horrible bind

The activist is arguing that police are necessary to keep her safe There are arguments that could address this point but I don't think anyone is making them. They're mostly sort of giving her a wide birth

A car engine revs loudly and protesters jump to the sidewalk. It's nothing, but the instinct is ingrained at this point

Crowd starting to thin out slightly. Still lots of people here If the police don't escalate, I predict a very mellow night. Portland is tired, y'all. We've been going all out for so long. I don't think anyone is looking to antagonize the cops tonight