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Wall of Moms in Portland, Oregon, July 24, 2020

The Wall of Moms is a group primarily made up of women who identify as mothers, who have demonstrated in George Floyd protests in Portland, Oregon, as well as other groups in U.S. cities including Chicago, Seattle,[1] and Tampa, Florida.[2] The group's first protest was attended by approximately 40 women; hundreds to thousands have participated since then.[3][4][5]

Background

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Main articles: Murder of George Floyd; George Floyd protests; List of George Floyd protests in the United States; George Floyd protests in Oregon; George Floyd protests in Portland, Oregon; and 2020 deployment of federal forces in the United States
Further information: Black Lives Matter, Police brutality in the United States, Racism in Oregon, and United States v. City of Portland

Mothers, wives, and other female relatives have come together to protest state-sponsored violence and politicized police actions in multiple countries, including Argentina (Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo, Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo), China (Tiananmen Mothers), Cuba (Ladies in White), Iran (Mourning Mothers, Mothers of Khavaran), Mexico (mothers of the disappeared), Russia (Union of the Committees of Soldiers' Mothers of Russia), Sri Lanka (mothers of the disappeared), and Turkey (Saturday Mothers).[6][7]

Description and membership

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A demonstrator in Portland, Oregon, carrying a sunflower, July 24, 2020

Portland's Wall of Moms has been described by some journalists as "a group of mainly white, suburban mothers",[8] but also "includes those who are nonbinary and people who consider themselves mothers".[1] Participants gained national attention for locking arms and chanting during local George Floyd protests. NPR's Danielle Kurtzleben says the group demonstrates "the power of moms as activists".[1] The mothers are known for wearing yellow and acting as a barrier between federal agents and other demonstrators. The Catholic Sentinel and National Catholic Reporter have noted the participation by local Catholics.[9][10]

Affectionate nicknames for the group include "MomBloc" and "Momtifa".[11] Some participants also carry sunflowers.[12]

Bev Barnum has been credited for creating the Facebook event for the initial protest.[3] The private Facebook group has approximately 17,000 members, as of July 26, 2020.[13]

Reactions

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On July 26, President Donald Trump tweeted, "The line of innocent 'mothers' were a scam that Lamestream refuses to acknowledge, just like they don't report the violence of these demonstrations!"[14]

Raffi released "Portland Moms" as a protest song in support of the Black Lives Matter movement and Wall of Moms,[13][15] set to the tune of "Buffalo Gals".[16] He recorded the song with singer Lindsay Munroe and dobro player Ivan Rosenberg, after the idea struck him at 3am. According to Willamette Week's Matthew Singer, "It's a short, simple folk jam, shouting out Black Lives Matter and the Wall of Vets in addition to the song's namesake, with a refrain nodding the nightly protests downtown."[17]

The BBC called the Wall of Moms "a good example of mainly middle-class, middle-aged white women explicitly not being Karens. Instead, the Wall of Moms are seen by activists as using their privilege to protest against the very same systemic racism and classism that Karens actively seek to exploit."[18]

Similar groups

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The group inspired participation by similar groups such as "walls" of fathers (such as "DadBloc" or "PDX Dad Pod", a tongue-in-cheek reference to Dad bod, most known for wielding leaf blowers and wearing orange construction vests), ChefBloc (with pizza boxes), lawyers (Lawyers for Black Lives, in suits), nurses (in scrubs), teachers (Teachers Against Tyrants, in red or green shirts), and veterans (Wall of Vets).[19][20][21][22][23][24]

Lawsuit

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On July 27, 2020, the nonprofit organization Protect Democracy and Perkins Coie filed a lawsuit in Washington, D.C., on behalf of Wall of Moms, Don't Shoot Portland, and several individual protesters against the Department of Homeland Security, Customs and Border Protection, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the U.S. Marshals Service, the Federal Protective Service, the Department of Justice, and the heads of these federal agencies.[25][26][27][28] Don't Shoot Portland and the Wall of Moms coordinated efforts during the protests,[3] and the suit alleges that the defendants "violated [plaintiffs'] constitutional rights, went beyond legal authority and were directed by someone not formally confirmed in their role".[27][28] The suit also seeks to limit federal law enforcement to protecting federal property and to bar them from using specific actions, such as excessive crowd-control measures and custodial detentions without probable cause.[26] The case was ongoing as of January 5, 2021.[29][needs update]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c "What the 'Wall of Moms' Protests Say About Motherhood, Race in America". NPR.org. NPR. Archived from the original on July 29, 2020. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
  2. ^ "Trump in Tampa Friday, 'Wall of Moms' and Protests Planned". The Free Press. Tampa, Florida. July 28, 2020. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
  3. ^ a b c "A Group of Moms Formed a Human Wall to Protect Portland Protesters from Federal Officers". BuzzFeed News. BuzzFeed. Archived from the original on July 23, 2020. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
  4. ^ McGreal, Chris (July 21, 2020). "'I wanted to take action': behind the 'Wall of Moms' protecting Portland's protesters". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on July 23, 2020. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
  5. ^ Hardgrave, Alex; Nguyen, Ryan (July 24, 2020). "'Standing next to our sisters': Shared experiences with Portland's Wall of Moms". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on July 26, 2020. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
  6. ^ Barajas, Julia (July 23, 2020). "From Portland to Buenos Aires, mothers unite in protests". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on July 25, 2020. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
  7. ^ Taub, Amanda (July 25, 2020). "Mothers' Power in U.S. Protests Echoes a Global Tradition". The New York Times. Archived from the original on July 26, 2020. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
  8. ^ "Portland's Wall of Moms protest group describe the abuse they've received from federal officers". The Independent. July 23, 2020. Archived from the original on July 23, 2020. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
  9. ^ "A Catholic mother explains why she protests". Catholic Sentinel. Archived from the original on November 7, 2021. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
  10. ^ "Catholics join protests and 'Wall of Moms' in Portland, Oregon". National Catholic Reporter. July 28, 2020. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
  11. ^ Lang, Marissa J. (July 21, 2020). "'MomBloc' and protest first-timers march into Portland streets, moved by the aggressive tactics of federal agents". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on July 23, 2020. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
  12. ^ "In pictures: Portland's 'Wall of Moms'". BBC News. July 22, 2020. Archived from the original on July 22, 2020. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
  13. ^ a b "Raffi Wrote a Song About the Wall of Moms in Portland". Spin. July 26, 2020. ISSN 0886-3032. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
  14. ^ Baker, Sinéad. "Trump called the 'Wall of Moms' that formed to defend Portland protesters from federal agents a 'scam'". Business Insider. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
  15. ^ Perry, Douglas (July 27, 2020). "Raffi turns beloved Americana tune into Portland protest song". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on July 11, 2021. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
  16. ^ "Raffi shares ode to 'Portland Moms' in new Black Lives Matter protest song: Stream". Consequence of Sound. July 27, 2020. Archived from the original on July 11, 2021. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
  17. ^ "Legendary Children's Entertainer Raffi Has Written a Song About the Wall of Moms". Willamette Week. Archived from the original on July 11, 2021. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
  18. ^ "What exactly is a 'Karen' and where did the meme come from?". BBC News. July 30, 2020. Archived from the original on October 14, 2020. Retrieved October 12, 2020.
  19. ^ Reinicke, Carmen. "'Wall of vets' join Portland protests to protect free speech". Business Insider. Archived from the original on July 11, 2021. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
  20. ^ Baker, Mike (July 25, 2020). "A 'Wall of Vets' Joins the Front Lines of Portland Protests". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on July 26, 2020. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
  21. ^ Lang, Marissa J. "Leaf-blower wars: How Portland protesters are fighting back against tear gas and forming 'walls' of veterans, lawyers, nurses". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on July 26, 2020. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
  22. ^ Hardgrave, Alex (July 24, 2020). "Dad with leaf blower arrested Tuesday, says he was taken to ground by federal officers during Portland protest". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on July 25, 2020. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
  23. ^ Nattress, Katrina (July 26, 2020). "Raffi Wrote a Song About the Wall of Moms in Portland". Spin. Archived from the original on July 11, 2021. Retrieved July 29, 2020. They stand arm-in-arm in between feds and protestors, forming a "wall" of protection and have inspired other protection groups to form, like the Wall of Vets and PDX Dad Pod.
  24. ^ Mechanic, Allison (July 25, 2020). "Healthcare workers, union workers, teachers join Portland protests". Portland, Oregon: KATU. Archived from the original on July 11, 2021. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
  25. ^ Flanigan, Kaitlin (July 27, 2020). "Lawsuit: Trump using feds in Portland to create national police force". Portland, Oregon: KOIN. Archived from the original on March 11, 2021. Retrieved July 27, 2020.
  26. ^ a b Bernstein, Maxine (July 27, 2020). "Wall of Moms, Don't Shoot Portland sue federal Homeland Security Department". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on March 11, 2021. Retrieved July 27, 2020.
  27. ^ a b Miller, Ryan W. "Portland protesters, Wall of Moms sue Trump administration over use of tear gas, rubber bullets". USA Today. Archived from the original on July 11, 2021. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
  28. ^ a b Holcombe, Madeline. "'Wall of Moms' sues federal agencies over Portland protest violence". CNN. Archived from the original on July 11, 2021. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
  29. ^ Kempa, Emily (July 27, 2020). "Don't Shoot Portland v. Wolf". Michigan: Civil Rights Litigation Clearinghouse. Archived from the original on January 14, 2022. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
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