COIN Leadership Team members Tim Bailey and Teresa Safay attended the large rally and march in south Portland Jan. 31 that culminated in federal agents firing tear gas, pepper balls, and other chemical munitions into the mixed crowd when protesters (apparently) got too close to the ICE facility there.
The otherwise peaceful event was organized by labor unions to protest the ongoing immigration enforcement actions by the federal government.
As reported by KPTV Fox 12, police estimated there were “well into the thousands” of protesters involved. These included families with children and the elderly who were taking the chemical attacks, with representation of more than 30 unions.
Fortunately, Bailey and Safay saw the tear gas pellets coming. They were able step back mostly out of harm’s way when federal agents attacked the protesters from the rooftops.
When asked what it was like being in such a terrifying event, Safay said she was “more mad than terrified. Watching those cowards strut around the rooftop and then taking aim at the crowd made my blood boil…
“Fortunately Tim saw the infiltration and warned [us] to step back. So we didn’t get that close to the fumes, although it was definitely in the air.”
This report sources the Feb. 1 OregonLive (Oregonian) article “Anti-ICE protest draws massive crowd at South Portland facility, feds deploy tear gas” by Austin De Dios and Allison Barr, and the Jan. 31 KPTV Fox 12 article “Union workers protest ICE at Portland facility; City leaders decry use of tear gas” by Abby Davis and Fox 12 staff.