The city of Portland saw rising tensions over the weekend as the presence of federal authorities brought weeks of unrest to a head. One group of moms decided to step in and protect the demonstrators.
The human shield, named the "wall of moms," formed the front of a protest outside of a federal courthouse on Sunday. In videos of the event, the moms can be heard chanting, "Moms are here, feds stay clear," as well as, "Leave our kids alone."
Bev Barnum, the organizer of the "wall of moms," told BuzzFeed News, "We are about protecting peaceful citizens' right to protest."
Barnum says she came up with the idea to create a "wall of moms" after seeing a video go viral that highlighted two armed and unidentified federal officers as they escorted a protester into an unmarked van.
"We moms are often underestimated, but we're stronger than we're given credit for," Barnum wrote on Facebook. "So what do you say, will you stand with me? Will you help me create a wall of moms?"
Since the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis on Memorial Day, Portland has been one of many cities to see a rise in social justice protests across the area.
Last week, federal agents from the U.S. Marshals Special Operations Group as well as a U.S. Customs and Border Protection team were deployed to Portland to help law enforcement and protect federal property.
However, local officials have voiced their concerns for the presence of federal agents, saying it exacerbates a volatile situation.
Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum went so far as to file a lawsuit, accusing the agents of violating the civil rights of protesters, USA Today reports.
Meanwhile, Trump says of the move, "They're afraid of these people. That's the reason they don't want us to help them," the BBC reports.
He added of the federal officers, "[They] have been there three days and they really have done a fantastic job in a very short period of time, no problem. They grab a lot of people and jail the leaders. These are anarchists,"
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