Yes, this happened at a Black Lives Matter demonstration, and I think this picture and the unidentified woman is sending a powerful message.
On its face, this picture will cause many to shake their head in disbelief disappointment. Some will even accuse the woman of using Black Lives Matter to promote her hidden agenda. But I see none of that. I see a woman showing the world that in her most vulnerable state, she is more than willing to stand up against an army of thugs in riot gear and rubber bullets.
She emerged as an apparition from clouds of tear gas as federal agents fired pepper balls at angry protesters in the early Saturday darkness.
A woman wearing nothing but a black face mask and a stocking cap strode toward a dozen heavily armed agents attired in camouflage fatigues, lined up across a downtown Portland street. The agents, dispatched by the Trump administration over vociferous objections of state and city officials, are part of a force that has fired projectiles at and detained activists protesting nightly since the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police May 25.
Numerous photos and videos posted on Twitter show the unidentified woman as she halted in the middle of the street at about 1:45 a.m. She stood calmly, a surreal image of human vulnerability in the face of an overpowering force that has been criticized nationally by civil rights advocates.
The agents, in gas masks and helmets, continued firing pepper balls in a staccato “pop, pop, pop” heard on video, aiming low at the asphalt, where puffs of smoke mingled with clouds of gas. At one point, a fellow protester, clothed, carrying a homemade shield, darted in front of the woman, angling to protect her.
But the woman sidestepped him. He jumped out of the way, perhaps realizing that he made them both a target.
Before it was over, she struck ballet poses and reclined on the street. She also sat on the asphalt in a yoga-like position, facing officers, before they left.
