Summary
Community members gathered tonight at a memorial for Holocaust Remembrance Day across the street from the ICE facility. The demonstration was relatively quiet at first, with a mix of people coming to pay their respects at the memorial and protesters closer to the ICE facility chanting in front of the driveway. After a dumpster with its contents on fire is wheeled into the driveway of the building, federal officers emerged to push protesters away. Rather than their usual move of immediately firing tear gas however, federal forces deployed pepper balls and sustained a long standoff with protesters in the street. The dumpster fire was largely ignored until a firetruck eventually came and the fire was put out.
Shortly after going back inside the facility, an unlawful assembly was declared by Homeland Security officers, and federal forces once again emerged to push protesters away from the building. This time however, officers pushed protesters further out, deploying more pepper balls and bull rushing the group. The demonstration ended shortly after, by around 12:30 am.
Timeline
A memorial for Holocaust Remembrance Day is set up across from the ICE facility in South Portland, and community members gather to pay respects and protest ICE.
Hi there, coming at you from outside the Portland ICE building, where perhaps 100 protesters are creating a memorial for this, International Holocaust Remembrance Day pic.twitter.com/VjNOkBho1Y
— Laura Jedeed, Space Professional (@LauraJedeed) January 28, 2021
More pictures of the Holocaust memorial outside Portland’s ICE building tonight pic.twitter.com/CAx1q60TFI
— Laura Jedeed, Space Professional (@LauraJedeed) January 28, 2021
The ICE building is darker than usual. No floodlights. Maybe they are displaying the tiniest bit of self-awareness re: how deeply and profoundly fucked up it would be and also look for them to violently disperse a Holocaust Memorial pic.twitter.com/QrSRKDXfrK
— Laura Jedeed, Space Professional (@LauraJedeed) January 28, 2021
Someone beats out two sharp bursts on a drum and everyone–myself included–freezes and goes silent until we realize what the sudden noise was
— Laura Jedeed, Space Professional (@LauraJedeed) January 28, 2021
The crowd begins to chant in time with the drum:
“What’s outrageous?”
“Kids in cages!”
“How do you spell Nazi?”
“DHS!”
An American flag burns in the mddle of the street pic.twitter.com/iVALPf63SU
— Laura Jedeed, Space Professional (@LauraJedeed) January 28, 2021
Things remain calm. A slow beat from the drummers. People chatting. Somewhat more somber than usual, as it should be
— Laura Jedeed, Space Professional (@LauraJedeed) January 28, 2021
Chant: “Chinga la Migra!!” pic.twitter.com/7nxqrNusDc
— Laura Jedeed, Space Professional (@LauraJedeed) January 28, 2021
At The Holocaust remembrance day vigil at the ice rental property in Southwest Portland. A crowd of over a hundred for sure is mixed between those chanting and those paying solemn respects and those commuting with friends and comrades and family.
— Dr. Juniper L Simonis; The Professor (@JuniperLSimonis) January 28, 2021
Solidarity forever
Protesters chanting loudly in front of the ICE building and you are not going to believe this but despite a total lack of tear gas and impact munitions everything’s actually totally OK and safe
— Laura Jedeed, Space Professional (@LauraJedeed) January 28, 2021
Almost makes you wonder if things would be fine every time if they just stayed inside
Federal officers make an announcement to protesters just after 10 pm, telling the group to stay off federal property.
Protesters drape a flag over the stone wall at the border of Federal property and light it on fire
— Laura Jedeed, Space Professional (@LauraJedeed) January 28, 2021
Almost immediately the Fed DJ LRAD warns protesters not to trespass and that even the press will be subject to arrest and etc, etc, the usual pic.twitter.com/Fkn3VqBVpO
I feel like I’m smelling something tear-gas-esque but figure I’m imagining it until the group next to me comments on it too
— Laura Jedeed, Space Professional (@LauraJedeed) January 28, 2021
We realize it’s the van that just drove by, kicking up the chemicals that have soaked into the street
And we have a dumpster fire in front of the ICE building
— Laura Jedeed, Space Professional (@LauraJedeed) January 28, 2021
Fed DJ LRAD playing the recorded warning again pic.twitter.com/oezWxGZZar
The dumpster fire has migrated to juuuust outside federal property
— Laura Jedeed, Space Professional (@LauraJedeed) January 28, 2021
Not blocking the driveway either pic.twitter.com/vHZ4iXoiMx
Around 10:30 pm federal officers emerge from the facility and standoff with protesters.
Dumpster pushed into the driveway and ICE agents immediately emerge firing. They got me in my filming hand, second and third finger. Not gonna lie this shit hurts a lot. Nothing broken though
— Laura Jedeed, Space Professional (@LauraJedeed) January 28, 2021
Currently a standoff pic.twitter.com/V9057Ch8eM
There was a quick volley of pepper balls at least as DHS agents came out to play stand around the fire and look like jabronies in need of bolognas
— Dr. Juniper L Simonis; The Professor (@JuniperLSimonis) January 28, 2021
Protesters forming back up. Chanting. At the crosswalk maybe 30 feet from the driveway. Some press closer pic.twitter.com/q1EXFrHsYY
— Laura Jedeed, Space Professional (@LauraJedeed) January 28, 2021
“Fuck your concentration camps!!” pic.twitter.com/i2xFfPeDf9
— Laura Jedeed, Space Professional (@LauraJedeed) January 28, 2021
Shift change arrives. Line pushes protesters well back from the driveway. New standoff
— Laura Jedeed, Space Professional (@LauraJedeed) January 28, 2021
Not very many of them in the police line tonight pic.twitter.com/X8HeDSdtOE
More reinforcements in cars arrive and enter the building
— Laura Jedeed, Space Professional (@LauraJedeed) January 28, 2021
I’m starting to suspect they weren’t prepared for this action. Doesn’t seem possible. It was quite public
Still, here we are
A squad in green chem lights joins the line, who has red chem lights. Wonder what the lights designate
— Laura Jedeed, Space Professional (@LauraJedeed) January 28, 2021
Still a standoff
They’ve already lost. Surely they know this. Optically, there’s nothing they can do that won’t make them look like shit
— Laura Jedeed, Space Professional (@LauraJedeed) January 28, 2021
It’s why we haven’t been gassed yet pic.twitter.com/H91LpOgv1I
Id estimate maybe 75 protesters here. 25 facing the cop line mere feet away, the rest waiting well back on the sidewalks and street
— Laura Jedeed, Space Professional (@LauraJedeed) January 28, 2021
(Not relevant to the tactical situation but I can make a fist with the hand they shot and also move my fingers just fine can I get a W in the chat)
2258 – Standoff for quite sometime now between antifascist protesters and DHS Officers in front of the ICE facility. #PortlandProtests #pdxprotests pic.twitter.com/B4dAUAkP1r
— Clementson Supriyadi (@cdsupriyadi) January 28, 2021
Some DHS agent tries to stop @2_legz from lighting up a blunt and suddenly shit gets very, very tense
— Laura Jedeed, Space Professional (@LauraJedeed) January 28, 2021
Apparently the officer is complaining that the smoke bothers him
They are all wearing gas masks
I cannot
A Portland Police riot van arrives at the ICE facility with reinforcements at 11:04 pm.
2304 – Riot van arrives to reinforce riot line at ICE
— Clementson Supriyadi (@cdsupriyadi) January 28, 2021
Current scene in front of the ice building in portland. PPB riot van just pulled up they are now holding the line with DHS pic.twitter.com/kZmzRxI7Kh
— Alissa Azar (@R3volutionDaddy) January 28, 2021
Still a standoff
— Laura Jedeed, Space Professional (@LauraJedeed) January 28, 2021
Despite the reinforcements the dumpster fire still has not been put out or moved pic.twitter.com/7KzMw5Yzif
At about 11:15 pm a firetruck arrives to put out the dumpster fire that had been rolled into the driveway of the facility.
For those of you worried about the dumpster fire I have some good news: the fire department is here pic.twitter.com/1L99ncdxw8
— Laura Jedeed, Space Professional (@LauraJedeed) January 28, 2021
DHS Police and PPB holding the line while the fire department takes care of the dumpster fire that pic.twitter.com/NMTegvRxqs
— Alissa Azar (@R3volutionDaddy) January 28, 2021
Now that they’ve neutralized the existential threat of smouldering trash, DHS retreats behind the ICE building gates with bursts of impact munitions
— Laura Jedeed, Space Professional (@LauraJedeed) January 28, 2021
Imagine this clip but for like 3 minutes, on and off pic.twitter.com/zx8Z2cn368
At about 11:25 pm federal officers declare the gathering an unlawful assembly.
Unlawful assembly declared. Protesters ordered to leave North on Moody or east on Bancroft
— Laura Jedeed, Space Professional (@LauraJedeed) January 28, 2021
No sign of that happening
After retreating back into the facility about 10 minutes ago, federal officers and Portland Police have returned to the street to once again standoff with protesters.
Police and feds retreated and are back out again, currently in a standoff. Their return was unprovoked
— Alissa Azar (@R3volutionDaddy) January 28, 2021
Officers begin pushing protesters away from the ICE facility.
ICE agents and riot vans emerge and push
— Laura Jedeed, Space Professional (@LauraJedeed) January 28, 2021
Say anyone without press credentials must leave
Currently lined up on Moody and Bancroft pic.twitter.com/1rc9rQr8tk
A push, a charge, a bullrush. Holocaust Remembrance Day 2021 pic.twitter.com/t6reiiFiI1
— Laura Jedeed, Space Professional (@LauraJedeed) January 28, 2021
After the rush, the cops did another standoff, then slowly retreated. Somewhere along the line they lit up @2_legz with pepper balls
— Laura Jedeed, Space Professional (@LauraJedeed) January 28, 2021
They have just retreated back into the ICE building again. Riot van loaded up and drove off
All’s quiet
PPB and DHS have retreated after making a targeted arrest and firing a lot of pepper bullets… this DHS officer has a thin blue line patch on his helmet pic.twitter.com/ES298e4H6M
— Alissa Azar (@R3volutionDaddy) January 28, 2021
A weird end to the evening: someone shines a laser pointer and then a flashlight at protesters from the hills behind ICE. I guess someone was filming from there the other night? I’m not sure, it definitely spooked people though pic.twitter.com/HS3zwCIxOd
— Laura Jedeed, Space Professional (@LauraJedeed) January 28, 2021
By 12:20 am the demonstration has come to an end.
After that people left, which was frankly awesome. No waiting around while the thing sputters out, no gradual sleepy attrition, just a spontaneous acknowledgement that the action is done
— Laura Jedeed, Space Professional (@LauraJedeed) January 28, 2021
Solidarity to the few people who remained out there!
Media Present
- Alissa Azar @R3volutionDaddy – CashApp: $pdxalissa / Venmo: @R3volutionDaddy
- Clementson Supriyadi @cdsupriyadi
- Dr. Juniper L Simonis @JuniperLSimonis
- Laura Jedeed (Misanthrophile) – CashApp/Venmo: misanthrophile / PayPal: askmisanthrophile@gmail.com
Police
Agencies Present
- Department of Homeland Security – Federal Protective Services
- Portland Police Bureau
Munitions
pepper balls