A video posted to Twitter early Sunday morning shows a Black man named Gabriel Johnson holding an American flag and guarding a federal courthouse in Portland, Oregon, while trying to stop a throng of mostly white protesters from occupying the courthouse steps.
As demonstrators continue to express their intentions of accessing the federal building, Johnson can be heard telling protesters outside the Mark O. Hatfield United States Courthouse, “If you stand for justice, come here and stand with me, because I’m here for justice!”
Johnson goes on to say that he is not there to spray-paint or to tear things down, complaining that the protests go on “every day,” as he stands in front of the defaced building.
Protesters have flooded the streets of downtown Portland every night for nearly two months since the officer-involved death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Tensions flared further after a video surfaced online of a 53-year-old Navy veteran being beaten with a baton by a federal cop Saturday night in downtown Portland. The incident has magnified the scrutiny of how Portland has responded to protesters, especially since President Donald Trump deployed federal law enforcement officers to the city last week.
“If you don’t want to get gassed, stop! It has to stop!” Johnson yelled, before telling the crowd: “None of you represent Black lives!
Someone else can be heard saying, “This de-legitimizes the movement,” before the man suggests that the demonstrators sit down to protest. Over the weekend in Portland, protesters spray-painted the walls of the courthouse and set another building on fire after breaking into it. Protesters also removed the fencing that was intended to protect the courthouse on Saturday night. Johnson had previously decorated the fence with American flags after it was first erected.
Johnson, a Marine veteran, said last week his PTSD plays a role in his disapproval of Portland’s unrest. “I have tremendous PTSD. So 85 flash bangs and tear gas in my apartment is very triggering, and part of that trigger and one way to stop it is to be about change,” Johnson said to local CBS affiliate KOIN 6 Saturday. “We deserve better. We deserve to be brought together.”
Federal agents called in to Portland to mitigate the unrest have been criticized for refusing to identify themselves to protesters and members of the press.
Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler told CNN that the presence of the agents has led “to more violence and more vandalism,” even as President Trump tweeted that the agents are trying to protect buildings against what he called “anarchists and agitators.”
Agents have reportedly used unmarked cars to grab and detain protesters without warrants or explanations. Johnson has said he supports the police but disagrees with the use of federal officers in Portland.
Some observers have speculated that the Black Lives Matter movement has been infiltrated by those who seek to sow discord and discredit the movement.
