Portland moms made their presence known by gathering in the hundreds and singing a bizarre “lullaby-like” song “hands up please don’t shoot me.”
Moms sing lullaby “hands up, please don’t shoot me” pic.twitter.com/y7Qbh1deHR
— Sergio Olmos (@MrOlmos) July 21, 2020
Fox News reports Portland moms and dads marched in droves Monday night, joining downtown protesters on the 54th night of demonstrations that would later swell overnight amid escalating tensions with feds in the city, according to multiple reports.
The group of parents dressed in yellow and orange marched from the downtown Waterfront to the Justice Center. They reportedly set off to meet up and protect protesters who they said had been gassed or injured by federal officers.
“I found it wrong that the federal government was trying to come here and prevent people from protesting and exercising their right to assemble and protest,” mom Megan Kelly told Portland’s KATU.
Portland has experienced weeks of unrest following the police-involved death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
President Trump has insisted that federal troops are needed to protect government assets in Portland, but the city’s mayor has called on Trump to remove federal agents sent there.
The city’s Democrat leadership has been criticized for its response. “The elected officials have condoned the destruction and chaos” in the city, said Daryl Turner, the head of the Portland Police Association, on Sunday.
State Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum claimed in court papers that masked federal officers have arrested people on the street, far from the courthouse, with no probable cause and whisked them away in unmarked cars.
The groups called the “Wall of Moms” and “PDXDadPod,” left around 9 p.m., and were later captured on social media in front of the justice center, eventually joining a crowd of thousands that reportedly stretched across a whole block.
The protest crowds in Portland continue to grow in response to the arrival of the feds.
There are probably about 2,000 people here right now in front of the Justice Center, with moms in yellow lined up in front, stretching across a whole block. pic.twitter.com/oCuO7Lx7pP
— Mike Baker (@ByMikeBaker) July 21, 2020
The parents and others were seen chanting and singing “Hands up please don’t shoot me.” Demonstrators said they would remain nonviolent and protest as long as federal officers are in the city, the station reported.