I don't know how many people here read the gun thread, so I'm going to repost this over here too for coverage:
Things changed this morning. This is no longer just a protest. The Federal Agents have stepped up their tactics to literally kidnapping people off the streets, throwing them in unmarked civilian rental-vans, and disappearing into the pre-dawn darkness while throwing pipe-bomb looking devices out of the doors. They're preparing to sweep the park across from the federal building, and the snipers on the roof have been carrying live ammo for days now. Despite demands from the Mayor, the Governor, our Senators, and our Congressional Reps, the feds refuse to leave. In addition, the federal government is threatening to step up their involvement by sending elite CBP agents to all sanctuary cities. This is no longer a protest. This is an invasion. And this is all coming before next week's promised announcement by Trump that he's going to do something to quell protests in Democrat-held cities.
For head protection, we're going to go with the helmets that press and international observers wear into war zones. For armor, we're going to be going with plate carriers and level 4 plates, because that's what the medics are wearing. For eye protection, we have over-the-glasses impact-rated Honeywell safety goggles, and we have half-face respirators with OV cartridges. Add in knee and elbow pads, padded and cut-resistant mechanics gloves, steel-toed work boots, and moto-X lower-body armor, with additional improvised protection for fore-arms and potentially neck/throat coverage as well. Everybody has shields. There's a shield builder that made 36 of them yesterday alone. For right now, since we're hours away from Portland and raising a new hatch of ducklings and can't leave for long periods of time, we're only openly monetarily supporting the civilian response to this invasion; but once we can travel, we'll likely be in the streets, on the line - and depending upon how badly things have gone by then, may be armed as well.