After the 2020 Census showed the white population in decline for the first time,
@tmellnik
came to me &
@TaraBahrampour
with an asterisk: White folks gained major ground in one place — cities.
And so began a months-long exploration of these shifts. (1/8)
We’re officially past curfew out here in front of the White House and the protest has not shrunk one bit. This is the biggest crowd my colleagues and I have seen all week. Instead of deterring them, the aggressive police tactics of yesterday seem to have moved many to come out.
Black Lives Matter organizers announcing: “We are not here to confront the Nazis. Fuck the Nazis. We’re here to shine. We’re here to be unapologetically black.” They’re going to have a block party here instead.
#BlackLivesMatter
#ShutItDownDC
#UnitetheRight2
NEW from me: Wall of Moms,
#BlackLivesMatter
protesters sue Trump administration for using tear gas, pepper spray, rubber bullets and other forceful techniques in
#Portland
.
I saw the verdict come down with London and Stephanie, a couple visiting BLM Plaza from Pennsylvania. As the judge read them off — guilty, guilty, guilty — London began to weep.
“Oh my god,” he said as his gf tightened her grip on his arm. “Thank you, Jesus.”
#DerekChauvinTrial
Watch here as Sister Pat Murphy, 90, is arrested and led out. Sister Pat works with migrants and refugees in Chicago, and has been holding a weekly vigil outside ICE there for 13 years. She says the treatment of migrants should outrage all people of faith
#CatholicDayOfAction
#DC
In front of the White House now: anti-white supremacy rally in response to a weekend of violence that left more than 30 people dead in two mass shootings over a span of mere hours.
#dc
NOW: A goup of anti-Trump demonstrators have staged a sit-in during a tour in the Capitol rotunda. They’re chanting “Trump is guilty,” “acquital is a coverup” and “honor your oath!”
#ImpeachmentDay
This lady says she’s here as the protest fairy godmother. She’s not a mom, but she is a godmother, so tonight she’s dressed the part for everyone here. When I asked how long she’s been coming out to protest she told me: 50 years.
#PortlandProtests
Window broken at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute building. Protesters wrote “fuck Reagan” and “black lives matter” on the building. Thick black smoke rising nearby.
NOW: Chants of “out now” and “November is too late” as hundreds gather outside the US Capitol to express their rage and dismay at the Senate’s vote to acquit President Trump, following his impeachment. Some are holding signs that say, “Thank you Sen. Romney!”
#ImpeachmentDay
As flood lights shone in the face of protesters, demonstrators raised their cell phone and turned flashlights back on police.
It is more than two hours past curfew. Hundreds remain.
“Police are not essential!” the crowd is chanting. “The whole world is watching!”
#DCProtests
I’m seeing a lot of leaf blowers, hockey sticks, lacrosse sticks, tenis rackets and one of the more unique innovations so far: A kickboard (like the kind you use at the pool) that was transformed into a shield with layers and layers of duct tape.
#Portlandprotests
Her dead calf resting on her nose, an orca whale has swum in mourning for more than 3 days in the Pacific Northwest.
"I think she’s just grieving, unwilling at this point to let the calf go, like, 'Why, why, why?' "
Police are arresting these nuns one by one, as they recite the Lord’s Prayer, which is echoing off the marble walls of the Russell Rotunda here in
#DC
. About 50 senators have offices in this building.
#CatholicDayOfAction
Every night, the
#WallofMoms
gathers by the river before marching over to the Justice Center. Every night, this group has grown. This video doesn’t begin to do justice to how many ppl are here. Yellow shirted moms. Nurses in scrubs. Dads in orange. And so, so many more.
#portland
Pro-Trump rallies are getting underway, though turnout is less than it was in Nov. when thousands of Trump loyalists packed the city. Already though, fights broke out overnight as Proud Boys roamed
#DC
streets. Five people were arrested. Read more here:
Sampling of signs here. People are angry. They interrupted speakers to call for a revolution and denounce Trump and GOP members of Congress. It’s one of hundreds of
#RejectTheCoverup
protests around the country tonight — but this one is on Congress’s doorstep.
The thing about following the Proud Boys around is they’re kind of... lost. They’re not from around here and don’t know
#DC
. I overheard one reciting the alphabet song to figure out where he was going.
The moms are back and they have new recruits. This mom, from Salem, said this is her first protest in Portland — she came because she feels the feds are trampling on protesters’ rights.
#PDXprotests
#MomBloc
Big cloud of tear gas going up at the north east corner of Lafayette Square. Protesters move like a wave to get away from it.
I’ve covered a lot of protests in DC. I’ve never seen police so liberal with the projectiles.
This is the last of them, singing as they’re led away. Dozens of Catholic nuns, clergy & parishioners were arrested in
#DC
during today’s
#CatholicDayOfAction
. Several said they hope it gives lawmakers courage to stand up for the protection of migrant families & change US policy.
Rumor has it that
#Portland
Mayor Ted Wheeler may come out to tonight’s demonstration. The protesters — who have been calling for police reform for months — have prepared a list of demands. It’s projected onto the side of the Justice Center, which includes the county jail.
#PDX
Rep.
@AyannaPressley
here at the
#RejectTheCoverup
protest in
#DC
quotes Maya Angelou’s famous saying, “when someone shows you who they are, believe them” as the crowd shouts out who they believe President Trump to be: “a fascist!” “a sociopath!” “a traitor to this country!”
Simone Biles is the only Nassar abuse survivor still competing in the sport. She has pushed herself to her absolute limits physically, mentally and emotionally — not for USA gymnastics, but because she can. Nothing but love for the GOAT
#SimoneBiles
today and always.
Leading to this summer, Simone Biles couldn’t wait for the
#Tokyo2020
Olympics. Not for them to start. For them to end.
The weight she carried as the face of the sport had become a burden. And the pressure on her body had become what she called “unreal."
This is the police line at BLM Plaza, which is still blocked off between H and Eye St. The fence defenders are playing “Welcome to DC” and hanging tight as fireworks and other explosions continue to burst to the east.
#DCprotests
Capital police officers are dismantling the human cross these Catholics made with their bodies on the Russell Rotunda floor during today’s
#CatholicDayOfAction
. On their chests are photographs of migrant children who have died in recent months while in federal custody.
#DC
Starting now: Catholics are gathered on the Capital lawn to protest the Trump Administration’s immigration policies and to call on Congress to defund ICE, stop detaining children and reform immigration policies they’re calling “inhumane.” They’re calling this
#catholicdayofaction
Police made a couple arrests at K Street just now after hundreds of Proud Boys descended on anti-Trump protesters near BLM Plaza. Unclear which group the folks who were arrested were from.
#DCprotests
When I was in journalism school, no one talked about the toll this job can take on your physical and emotional health. Now, when I teach, I address trauma constantly. Traumatic stress. Secondary trauma. How to make a trauma plan. That you don’t have to cover war to absorb trauma.
Correction: the mayor is HERE. Surrounded by media and protesters who are not thrilled to see him. You can barely hear him over the roar of
#BlackLivesMatter
chants and people shouting at him to resign. A fun
#Portland
fact: Here, the mayor is also the police commissioner.
#PDX
Navy veteran Christopher David was so angered by images of federal troops grabbing protesters off the street of
#Portland
that he decided to attend his first rally. He wanted to ask the feds about their oath to the Constitution. Then they broke his hand.
“Black lives matter!” the crowd is chanting in unison in front of the Justice Center in downtown
#Portland
. This even after Gov. Brown announced earlier today that the feds might be leaving town — and the crowd keeps coming.
#PDXprotests
Starting to sound like a broken record, but it’s true every single day this continues: The crowd keeps getting bigger.
There are more people at this die-in right now than there were in front of the White House yesterday. And more yesterday than the day before.
Day 6 in
#DC
👇🏽
A group of indigenous drummers have made their way to the reinforced fence around the federal courthouse. They’re singing and playing their instruments. One elder is wearing a respirator and ski goggles as he nods to the beat. A crowd has gathered to watch.
#portlandprotests
#pdx
#Parkland
dad
@manueloliver00
says today is a surprise party for his son, Joaquin, who would have been 18 today.
The slain teen’s girlfriend is here wearing a shirt he designed. It says “tu con balas; yo con bolas.” It means, “you with bullets; me with balls.”
#MarchOnNRA
Stacks of signs line patches of grass on the northeast side of Lafayette Park. Organizers said they’ll be here as long as
#UniteTheRight2
remains in
#DC
. Their permit goes through midnight.
#ShutItDownDC
I didn’t see it happen, but hearing from DC Fire officials that two individuals were stabbed here outside Harry’s Bar. Ambulance transporting them away now. Police cleared the block after chaos broke out in the crowd and police ran into the scrum with OC spray.
#DCprotests
This is the second time this week faith leaders have come to
#DC
to protest the Trump Administration’s immigration policy — on Tuesday, 10 Jewish activists were arrested inside ICE headquarters in an effort to disrupt operations there:
So damn proud of this woman, the first female photojournalist in history to capture the State of the Union from the gallery floor — in the year 2020.
Read her
#thread
on the experience — and what it meant to learn that she has unknowingly shattered this particular ceiling. 👏🏽
Today I confirmed with the U.S. Senate Press Photographers Gallery (thanks
@tricia_munro
) that I was the first woman in that 25 year history to have the SOTU floor pool position. (Photo by
@erinschaff
)
NOW: Inside the Russell Senate building here in
#DC
, where dozens of Catholic nuns, parishioners and other leaders are preparing to be arrested by Capitol Police on this
#CatholicDayOfAction
in protest of the Trump administration’s immigration policies.
The thing about tear gas — and pepper spray balls — is it makes people cough. A lot.
Watching as ailing activists are wracked with coughs, so they’re taking their masks off to breathe.
We are still in the middle of a pandemic.
Unidentified agents detaining & searching protesters w/o warrant or explanation is disturbing. But woof this line: He didn’t know whether the men were police or far-right extremists, who frequently don militarylike outfits & harass left-leaning protesters.
Justice Neil M. Gorsuch and Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. joined the court’s liberals in the 6 to 3 ruling. They said Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination “because of sex,” includes LGBTQ employees.
I’m out in front of the White House, where Turkish President Erdogan is meeting with President Trump. There are dozens of protesters here, chanting “Erdogan is ISIS,” “Long live Armenia,” “Turkey out of Syria” and “Turkey is a terrorist!”
#Turkey
Crowd gathers around
@fred_guttenberg
, father of one of the slain teens from
#Parkland
, who tells them, “I live in that neighborhood where people said, ‘it could never happen here.’”
#MarchOnNRA
After weeks of nonstop protests,
#Juneteenth
in DC will be a day of defiance, with activist groups calling for walkouts, strikes, highway blockades & lively celebrations that could shut down much of downtown as
#DC
again expects thousands of protesters.
Heading to the White House for another day of
#GeorgeFloydProtests
, and I cannot overstate how surreal it is to have to go through checkpoints manned by federal agents (DEA) and then watch armored military vehicles roam downtown with a police escort. Extremely eerie.
#DCProtests
One DHS official we spoke to expressed frustration and astonishment that Portland protesters were showing up with leaf blowers to disperse tear gas and send it right back at fed agents
SCOOP: The Women’s March has cut ties with three inaugural board members (Bob Bland, Tamika Mallory & Linda Sarsour) who have been dogged by accusations of anti-Semitism, infighting & financial mismanagement. Carmen Perez & 16 new women will lead the org.
I found this family yesterday: Dad was pepper sprayed. Mom's eyes burned from tear gas. Their adult children were guiding them up a side street to safety. It was their first protest. My latest from
#PDX
, where the feds have spurred a new wave of activism:
There’s some dissent in the ranks here. About a 3rd of the crowd has taken off on a march to the Capitol. Hundreds remain. A smaller contingent is now asking folks to go to the Free Mason temple. The crowd shouted back, “no!” Many worried if they split, police will arrest them.
Another big crowd in downtown Portland tonight — hundreds of people have packed the sidewalks, the streets, the park. Here they’re chanting “black is beautiful!”
#PDXprotests
The
#PortlandMoms
are back out and headed toward the Justice Center. Many have been here through tear gas and flash bangs and more. One longtime activist and mom out here said, “Hey, Trump wanted a wall. Well, look, he got a wall of moms!”
#PDXprotest
Here’s a look at this crowd. Unlike so many protests I’ve covered in DC, these have been truly organic.
No leaders. No agenda. No podium.
The crowd ebbs and flows with the energy of the day. Today is more resolute than angry. Whomever has the megaphone can command a march.
When I came across this scene yesterday, I wasn’t surprised. I’d been reading chats of far-right plans to storm the Capitol for weeks. I had been writing about potential for violence for just as long.
What shocked me was that it worked: They breached the building and ran inside.
“If you’re not trying to storm the Capitol right now, get out of here!” a woman bellowed to the crowd.
“Storm it, girl!” a man called back. “Get these kids out of here!”
I’m at the United States Capitol, where a joint session of Congress is underway inside.
#DC
The protesters are in the street now, blocking traffic as they make their way to the Hart building, where 50 US senators have offices.
#WomenDisobey
#Immigration
#DC
I was interviewing this woman, a decorated US Army veteran who worked military inteligence, about why she joined today’s
#PortlandProtest
and what her impressions were. Then, as she was talking, the feds set off the first round of tear gas.
#PDXprotests
The line of veterans known as the
#WallOfVets
is standing on the front line, backed up by a relatively small group of yellow-clad
#WallOfMoms
. The vets have largely been standing at parade rest. Those who have gas masks and respirators are now suiting up.
#PortlandProtest
Here’s the protest happening outside of Lafayette Park at 3:30 pm — that’s just three and a half hours to the mayor’s 7 pm curfew. And the crowd here is growing.
#dc
#DCProtests
Former neo-Nazis are here & say they’re planning to infiltrate the
#UniteTheRight2
rally in hopes of reforming more people. They greeted protesters on the
#ShutItDownDC
side of tbe barricades, posed for photos and said “there is no justification” for their past.
#Portland
Mayor Ted Wheeler has made it out of the corner of this protest and into its beating center. He tells he crowd if they get tear gassed tonight, then he’s getting tear gassed tonight. Overhead, a government helicopter is circling.
#PDXprotests
As someone who has seen first-hand the transformation of cities I have loved and called home, I am honored to be taking on this new beat.
I may not be protest-chasing as often, but I’ll still be in these streets. Get at me with tips, news & housing buzz:
We now have a tree full of box fans hanging at the park right accross from the federal courthouse here in
#Portland
. The park is home to Riot Ribs, an elaborate aid station that feeds anyone who asks. Keeping chemicals out has been an ongoing struggle.
#PDXprotests
“Allies! If you’re with us today,” a young man says into the megaphone, “be with us tomorrow. Be with us yesterday. This is not just one day! This is our lives!”
We’re nearly at U Street now. DC police have closed off the streets.
Families gathered here are holding up photographs of migrant children who have died in federal custody in recent months. They list their names, ages and the day they died. Otjer signs say things like, “children do not belong on cages.”
#CatholicDayOfAction
#DC
One of the hardest things abt reporting in these protests has been figuring out what the hell police are shooting at you — only have officials later say what you saw wasn’t real. Glad
@ahauslohner
got to the bottom of this: CDC says, yes, it was tear gas.
Outside Lafayette Park this morning,
#DC
police have put up signage warning that guns are banned, even for those who have a permit, in protest zones.
#ShutItDownDC
#UniteTheRight2
Overheard two men in Proud Boy colors saying “the plan right now is to draw antifa over here.” Lots of talk about “antifa” out here.
A new chant now: “Good job, Kyle!” In an apparent reference to Kyle Rittenhouse, accused of fatally shooting 2 people at a protest in Kenosha, WI.
Demonstrators are reading excerpts from interviews lawyers have conducted with children in detention. Between each reading, the group joins in song: “Lord have mercy.”
#CatholicDayOfAction
#DC
Back at Black Lives Matter Plaza, as Trump supporters are trying to push through the crowd as protesters jeer and chant at them to leave. Small confrontations so far, with a couple MAGA hats and Trump flags snatched off of departing Trump supporters.
#DCprotest
Seeing my old stories get new life as people grapple with how, it seemed, the police may not have known the attack on the Capitol was coming.
Here’s the thing: the plans were happening out in the open for weeks. Anyone paying attention knew. But not everyone took it seriously.
NEW from me: Federal law enforcement stockpiled munitions, sought controversial ‘heat ray’ device before clearing Lafayette Square, whistleblower says
#dcprotests
So strange to see these celebrations and historic swearings in on the very same steps where almost exactly two weeks ago, I watched a violent mob storm through police lines, topple barricades and break open the doors to the US Capitol. The whiplash is real.
#Inauguration
#DC
Wow. The Salt Lake Tribune becomes the 1st US legacy newspaper to abandon its for-profit model to become a nonprofit.
I’ve long heard debates on whether nonprofits could be a sustainable path forward for local news. Very curious to see how this plays out.
This at the kickoff of a week in which militarized groups have planned armed demonstrations in all 50 state capitols starting Jan. 16 and running through at least Jan. 20, aka inauguration day. 👇🏽
The FBI has "received information about an identified armed group intending to travel to Washington, DC on 16 January. They have warned that if Congress attempts to remove POTUS via the 25th Amendment a huge uprising will occur," according to a bulletin obtained by
@ABC
Driving through the nation’s capital now is like chasing a rising wave of cheers. As people find out all over DC, you can hear whistles, honks, fireworks. People standing on porches, sharing the news with their neighbors. I just passed a woman on a bike who shouted, “it’s over!”
Every now and then, a handful of protesters start to shake the fence separating riot police and protesters. And every time, they have been called off by fellow protesters chanting “peaceful protest!” Or warning of the police, “don’t give them a reason.”
#DCprotests
Things remain calm so far by the White House. But an hour and a half after curfew, tensions are rising between protesters and police as they head to the Capitol 👇🏽
Like clockwork, tensions are rising as the sun sets. Group en route to Capitol just drove away DC police on bikes; protestors are now being trailed by three dozen FBI agents on foot
Riot cops line up outside the Supreme Court, facing their shields toward the relatively small counterprotest as thousands of Trump supporters continue to fill the street. Lost Trump supporters keep wandering over as antifascists yell “Turn around!”
#DCProtests
With 15 minutes until
#DC
curfew there seems to be an unspoken agreement that things could get bad fast. Many in the crowd have memories of how quickly things turned yesterday — either they were here, or they watched on TV. Everywhere I look, goggles & bike helmets are going on.
Military road block north of White House on 16th St. NW. I’ve been marching with a group of hundreds. They’re peaceful, a young crowd, and many have told me this is their FIRST protest. Organizers, spotting the police cars ahead warn: “white people, protect black people! Please!”
Across from the federal courthouse a painter captures the scene. He’s been out all week, painting a new canvas each night Today, he said, he’s been coughing more than usual. He realized he’s kicking up tear gas particles that have coated the dirt in the park.
#PortlandProtest
Meanwhile, this flashing billboard is driving around downtown
#DC
. Many Trump supporters have expressed disappointment that in Trump’s flurry of last-minute pardons, Assange was not one of them.
This group — w/ Proud Boys in the yellow & black — is trying to march to BLM Plaza, as police in riot gear walk along side them. Officers have shut down the street at H and Vermont, not allowing them to pass. But as they march up together, it really looks like a police escort.
The group ebbs and flows as different clusters rejoin the group. They’ve been marching in circles around downtown for hours, chanting “whose streets? Our streets!” And “fuck Antifa!”
#DCprotests
Police just unloaded several rounds of shots of pepper bullets into the crowd. Protesters scattered, shouting, “they’re shooting!” Many more coughing and clutching their faces now.
This line wraps around the block and down to the river. Moms are marching in front of the fed courthouse. As they march, folks are shouting “thank you, moms!” And “feds stay clear! Moms are here!”
Also spotted: Lawyers for black lives, wearing button downs and ties.
#PDXprotests
Back in the crowd, Wheeler is talking to
#BlackLivesMatter
activists who are pushing him on that promise. “As soon as you leave,” the activist says, we’re all getting gassed. “If you get gassed with us tonight, that tells us a lot.”
#PDXprotests