Black Lives Matter activists accused the “Wall of Moms” group, which has appeared at protests in Portland, Oregon, of racism and of attempting to exploit  ongoing demonstrations for the benefit of their own leadership.

The Oregonian reported Wednesday:

Portland Wall of Moms, a group formed in recent weeks and quickly recognized as a staple of nightly downtown protests, was accused publicly Wednesday of “anti-Blackness” by leaders of an existing, Black-led community group.

Wall of Moms, whose members said they aimed to support and protect other Black Lives Matter protesters near the fence in front of the federal courthouse, announced Friday that its white leadership had rescinded their positions to allow women of color to be in charge.

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But less than a week later, Don’t Shoot Portland took to Instagram to urge people against supporting the Wall of Moms, saying that it was no longer working with the moms group.

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The Wednesday post alleges that Wall of Moms founder Bev Barnum filed for business registrations without consulting the newly instated Black leaders and that the safety of Black members at the nightly protests in downtown Portland was overlooked.

The details of the dispute are explored further at the Oregonian here.

 

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EDIT FOR EVERYONE UPSET ABOUT THIS POST: WE ARE NOT AGAINST MOMS! EVERYONE HAS A PLACE IN ORGANIZING. WE ARE NO LONGER IN SUPPORT OF WOM LEADERSHIP. ANTI-BLACKNESS. DO NOT SUPPORT @wallofmoms #WALLOFMOMS. . After leaving vulnerable Black women downtown after marching, failing to support those on the ground that put trust in them, @wallofmoms leadership also found time to make THREE registrations through Oregon’s Secretary of State. This was all done in privacy and without the knowledge of the Black leadership WOM was claiming to implement. The lies are finally clear and we are sad but ultimately not surprised that anti-Blackness showed it’s ugly face with Wall of Moms. This all came to light over the last 24 hours – We began having safety concerns within the group because Black women started saying they were not protected by WOM leadership. Too frequently would be in communication for safety, transport etc and when the time came, there would be zero response and no leadership to rely on. It’s put many on the ground in direct danger. Once these registration filings with Secretary of State came out, it became more clear – WOM was not started for BLM, but to get the feds out of PDX. None of the Black leadership WOM claimed to implement knew about this. Combined with a lack of care for and disregard of Black women, we were used to further an agenda unrelated to BLM. Please do not support this organization anymore. We need everyone to show up against racism, but it’s even more crucial to prioritize transparency and accountability. . The Wall of Moms . http://egov.sos.state.or.us/br/pkg_web_name_srch_inq.show_detl?p_be_rsn=2147737&p_srce=BR_INQ&p_print=FALSE The Wall of Moms PAC http://egov.sos.state.or.us/br/pkg_web_name_srch_inq.show_detl?p_be_rsn=2148001&p_srce=BR_INQ&p_print=FALSE AND Wall of Moms as an entity name: http://egov.sos.state.or.us/br/pkg_web_name_srch_inq.show_detl?p_be_rsn=2147267&p_srce=BR_INQ&p_print=FALSE

A post shared by Don’t Shoot PDX (@dontshootpdx) on Jul 29, 2020 at 9:06am PDT

The group has apparently changed its name and is being referred to as “Moms United for Black Lives Matter.”

Byron York noted at the Washington Examiner that the media has celebrated the “Wall of Moms” as an idealistic group that turned out in Portland to shield demonstrators from federal law enforcement officers. Many reports downplayed the fact that the “demonstrators” were attacking the officers and the federal courthouse they have been protecting.

“Wall of Moms” groups have been launched in several other cities.

Breitbart News reported in 2011 that left-wing activists affiliated with the Occupy Wall Street movement had developed the practice of using human shields in violent confrontations with police, hoping to create embarrassing media moments for law enforcement.

Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). His new book, RED NOVEMBER, tells the story of the 2020 Democratic presidential primary from a conservative perspective. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.