‘Wall of Moms’ spreads from Portland protests to Chicago
CHICAGO — Inspired by protesters in Portland, Ore., a new group of mothers in the Chicago area plans to offer a human wall of protection for those protesting police brutality and broader racism.
Moms attracted widespread media coverage last weekend when they linked arms at Black Lives Matters protests in Portland, and got sprayed with tear gas and pushed away by federal agents who said they were protecting the courthouse.
Following that example, Wall of Moms Chicago attracted more than 5,000 members on Facebook in its first days of existence this week.
Group members said they do not organize protests, but join those led by Black, Indigenous and people of color (abbreviated as BIPOC).Organizers said the group will be nonviolent and will wear yellow clothing, bike helmets and the word “mom.”
On its Facebook page, organizer Katje Lilith Sabin, of Rogers Park, earlier this week announced, “IT’S GO TIME!”
The group has planned its first collaboration for Saturday afternoon in Grant Park with Tikkun Chai International, whose president, Rabbi Michael Ben Yosef, welcomed the support at an event that will call for defunding police.
Yosef emphasized that it will be a peaceful event, unlike last weekend’s demonstration at the Christopher Columbus statute in Grant Park, which devolved into violence.
“It’s a brilliant idea,” he said of the moms group. “It helps to show diversity and to show the world we can get along and coexist in a world that seems to be decaying in craziness.”
The moms’ entry into the political arena comes as the streets have recently become more dangerous.
Chicago police Superintendent David Brown said that a small group of “agitators” hijacked a July 17 peaceful protest by thousands in Grant Park, throwing frozen water bottles and rocks, and injuring some 49 police officers.
The “mob” tried to tear down the statue, he said.
Video of that clash also appeared to show an officer striking a female protester in the face, knocking out at least one of her teeth, resulting in one of more than 20 complaints filed against police.
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot temporarily removed two Columbus statues, including the one at Grant Park, early Friday.
Activists, angered by federal agents’ actions in Portland, are concerned about President Donald Trump’s announcement this week that he planned to send an influx of agents into Chicago to combat street violence. Lightfoot has said she welcomes added resources but does not want to see the type of force that has been used against protesters in Portland. Agents there have used rubber bullets and tear gas.
Wall of Moms organizers acknowledged the danger. Group member Terry Henderson offered safety training, warning the moms on their website to bring shields because they may get beaten. “This is dangerous,” she posted. “It