Portland protests are so peaceful they are telling protesters how to make shields.
Because everybody knows you need a good ‘shield’ when you’re peaceably assembling for systemic change.
Look at this:
Heading downtown tonight? Here's a primer on Portland's protest shields! ? Where are they coming from, how are they made and who is making them? ? A thread: ? pic.twitter.com/esmnhoCeEY
— Cata Gaitán (@catalinagaitan_) July 26, 2020
This looks like it came from some LARP group.
Keep going.
(Quick note: to protect that anonymity of volunteers and organizers, faces and tattoos are not included in any of the photographs in this thread unless consent was given. We’re using first names only here, too.)
— Cata Gaitán (@catalinagaitan_) July 26, 2020
Oh, good.
Glad they hid tattoos and stuff.
If you’ve seen photos and video of protests happening in downtown Portland, you’ve probably spotted one of @ghostmobpdx’s and @viv___________'s shields in action. ? (Maybe you saw this video where a police baton bounces right off? https://t.co/niIJKCW6kP – by @ricosroughneck3)
— Cata Gaitán (@catalinagaitan_) July 26, 2020
Peaceful.
(Or perhaps this one, where a shield deflects a munition? https://t.co/yjxDx8GSN0 – by @tuckwoodstock)
— Cata Gaitán (@catalinagaitan_) July 26, 2020
Super peaceful.
Two weeks ago, these shields were getting built by 3 people in a garage. Today, an assembly line of over 25 volunteers (and two dogs ?) gathered at Clinton Park in Southeast Portland to help put them together.
— Cata Gaitán (@catalinagaitan_) July 26, 2020
It strikes us how they’re incapable of realizing these are riots and not protests.
Using Twitter to coordinate, volunteers gather 3 times a week (location announced the night before) to build these shields. All materials – including duct tape, power tools and pool noodles – are donated (along with everything on this extremely packed snack and supply table). pic.twitter.com/I5RFsBzJKH
— Cata Gaitán (@catalinagaitan_) July 26, 2020
Gotta have the popcorn and Mt. Dew.
So how does a protest shield get made? ?
— Cata Gaitán (@catalinagaitan_) July 26, 2020
Step 1.) Acquire a 55-gallon barrel. (In the beginning, Ghost (@ghostmobpdx) was buying these barrels – which once carried liquids like soy sauce and canola oil – off of Craiglist. Now all of the barrels are donated.)
— Cata Gaitán (@catalinagaitan_) July 26, 2020
Step 2.) Get a sh*t-load of glitter glue.
Step 2.) Remove the barrel lid. Using a circular saw, a volunteer slices the barrel into four sections. You now have five soon-to-be shields! ?????
— Cata Gaitán (@catalinagaitan_) July 26, 2020
Step 3.) Using a hand drill, a different volunteer makes 6 holes in the center of the plastic. (Shield building sessions are BYOPT: Bring Your Own Power Tools.?️?) pic.twitter.com/guwZ0JSDsN
— Cata Gaitán (@catalinagaitan_) July 26, 2020
A hand-drill.
Alrighty.
These holes will be used to attach bolts, padding and straps so the shield can be carried like this: pic.twitter.com/puJDxwATWh
— Cata Gaitán (@catalinagaitan_) July 26, 2020
(A plan is in the works to upgrade to drilling 8 holes so the shields can have backpack-style straps. This will help protesters avoid dropping their shields when they have to move fast.)
— Cata Gaitán (@catalinagaitan_) July 26, 2020
Step 4.) A volunteer adds the aforementioned bolts. ?BOLT FACT? Since starting, Viv (@viv______) estimates they’ve used over 1,200 bolts. That’s a lot of bolts. ? (Can you spot the faded NLG number on this volunteer's arm?) pic.twitter.com/jsQAKnN9Hg
— Cata Gaitán (@catalinagaitan_) July 26, 2020
Step 5: Another volunteer adds foam and straps. The straps are made from strips of sturdy ratchet tie material. Foam also gets added over the bolts on the front of the shield to protect people from hard edges. pic.twitter.com/c9IP72e0VW
— Cata Gaitán (@catalinagaitan_) July 26, 2020
Step 6: It is ~noodle time.~ A different group of volunteers slices pool noodles lengthwise and fits them along the rough edges of the shield material. This is to protect the protester and anyone they might bump into. pic.twitter.com/2F858tFMb5
— Cata Gaitán (@catalinagaitan_) July 26, 2020
NOODLE FACT: The volunteers who do this part of the process are called the “noodlers.” (!!!) Here is a noodler in action: pic.twitter.com/EbBvxcCUvG
— Cata Gaitán (@catalinagaitan_) July 26, 2020
Noodlers.
Adorbs.
Step 7: Another group of volunteers adds a layer of duct tape around the entire shield (except for the foam/strap section). Each shield needs about 2 rolls of duct tape, and Viv estimates they’ve used 400-500 rolls so far. pic.twitter.com/zqoFMeUFvJ
— Cata Gaitán (@catalinagaitan_) July 26, 2020
After volunteers have attached the pool noodles, bolts, foam, straps and duct tape to the plastic barrel material, you arrive at the final step of shield building…
— Cata Gaitán (@catalinagaitan_) July 26, 2020
Step 8: Spray paint and stencil the shield. Ghost spray paints the surface of each shield black. From there, individuals can add their own unique designs. One volunteer brought these handmade stencils that included images of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery. pic.twitter.com/MhibcU23NZ
— Cata Gaitán (@catalinagaitan_) July 26, 2020
Super important that each shield is spray painted.
Heh.
As a final touch, this message is spray painted onto the interior of every shield: “THIS SIGN WAS PROVIDED FREE OF CHARGE AND IS NOT INDICATION OF ANY GROUP AFFILIATION” (sometimes accompanied by a protective sigil from local witches or a stencil of Portland's elk statue). pic.twitter.com/YX8iQzrl27
— Cata Gaitán (@catalinagaitan_) July 26, 2020
In total, each shield takes about 3 hours to make and requires passing through multiple groups of volunteers before it’s finished. All materials and time to produce them is donated, and the shields are offered free of charge to BIPOC protesters and $10 for everyone else.
— Cata Gaitán (@catalinagaitan_) July 26, 2020
Ghost, Viv and the volunteers have made about 250 shields so far, and build between between 30 and 55 shields made per session.
— Cata Gaitán (@catalinagaitan_) July 26, 2020
Imagine if these people actually had jobs.
How does it feel to see the shields in action? Ghost: “My heart is so warmed, just every time. I’m so proud. There was one time – God, it was beautiful – where a tear gas canister full on exploded off the damn thing and the person is still running away. And the shield was fine." pic.twitter.com/PMSIZ09xuU
— Cata Gaitán (@catalinagaitan_) July 26, 2020
Craft projects with mom. lol pool noodles & pads with duct tape.
— ♥️?? (@AirFuelsTheFire) July 26, 2020
Totes adorbs.
***
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