ReportageMothers come together to form a human barrier between the demonstrations and the police, whose violence they denounce.
Like protective spirits, they say they were shocked by the last words of George Floyd, who called his mother for help as he suffocated under the knee of a white policeman when he was arraigned on May 25 in the city of Minneapolis, Minnesota. Since Friday, mothers have been gathering in the city of Portland (Oregon) to form a human barrier between anti-racist protests and the police, whose violence they denounce.
“When you are a mother you have a vital need to protect children, not just yours, but all children, explained to Washington Post one of the organizers, Jennie Vinson. Seeing a grown man call his mother, I think it was a transformative moment for many of us. “
Moms sing lullaby “hands up please don’t shoot me” https://t.co/GJhj8ymn12
– MrOlmos (@Sergio Olmos)
In Portland, as in many other cities in the United States, the death of George Floyd sparked a protest movement against racism and police violence. The anger of the street was however on the way to appeasement at the beginning of July, but everything changed when the federal police officers, nicknamed the “Trump soldiers” by Kate Brown, Democratic Governor of Oregon.
This is when the “Wall of Moms” (mother’s wall) was formed, attracting a little more people to its ranks every evening. In other large Democratic cities, such as New York, Chicago or Philadelphia, also threatened by the arrival of federal agents since the announcement of President Donald Trump, demonstrators are organizing.
![Protesters in Portland, Oregon, July 20.](https://i0.wp.com/magazine.com.co/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/In-the-protests-in-Portland-a-wall-of-mothers-against.jpg?w=696&ssl=1)
![The determination of the protesters was reinvigorated by the dispatch, at the initiative of the Trump administration, of federal agents who were instructed to restore order, if necessary in a forceful manner.](https://i0.wp.com/magazine.com.co/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/1595533207_793_In-the-protests-in-Portland-a-wall-of-mothers-against.jpg?w=696&ssl=1)
![Mardy Widman, a 79-year-old grandmother, carries a](https://i0.wp.com/magazine.com.co/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/1595533207_455_In-the-protests-in-Portland-a-wall-of-mothers-against.jpg?w=696&ssl=1)
![Mothers brandish “peace and love” symbols to show their anger at police violence in Portland on July 21.](https://i0.wp.com/magazine.com.co/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/1595533207_906_In-the-protests-in-Portland-a-wall-of-mothers-against.jpg?w=696&ssl=1)
![Mothers form a human barrier between anti-racist protesters and law enforcement on July 20 in Portland.](https://i0.wp.com/magazine.com.co/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/1595533207_707_In-the-protests-in-Portland-a-wall-of-mothers-against.jpg?w=696&ssl=1)
![Donna Boyd, a “Wall of Moms” participant, in Portland on July 20.](https://i0.wp.com/magazine.com.co/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/1595533208_205_In-the-protests-in-Portland-a-wall-of-mothers-against.jpg?w=696&ssl=1)
![The](https://i0.wp.com/magazine.com.co/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/1595533208_240_In-the-protests-in-Portland-a-wall-of-mothers-against.jpg?w=696&ssl=1)
![Typically, an evening in Portland begins with rallies and marches in arteries whose businesses protect their storefronts with boards, and ends with clashes, protesters clubbed or targets of tear gas.](https://i0.wp.com/magazine.com.co/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/1595533208_688_In-the-protests-in-Portland-a-wall-of-mothers-against.jpg?w=696&ssl=1)
![Criticizing “anarchists and agitators” in Portland, Donald Trump has announced his intention to send federal agents to other cities, such as Chicago, amid a resurgence of urban crime.](https://i0.wp.com/magazine.com.co/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/1595533208_824_In-the-protests-in-Portland-a-wall-of-mothers-against.jpg?w=696&ssl=1)
![Mothers, July 22, Portland.](https://i0.wp.com/magazine.com.co/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/1595533208_856_In-the-protests-in-Portland-a-wall-of-mothers-against.jpg?w=696&ssl=1)
![The large crowd of demonstrators, mostly women, on July 22 in Portland.](https://i0.wp.com/magazine.com.co/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/1595533208_772_In-the-protests-in-Portland-a-wall-of-mothers-against.jpg?w=696&ssl=1)
Our selection of articles on the death of George Floyd
Find all our articles on the death of George Floyd in our heading.