Portland woman labeled ‘Naked Athena’ as she opposed cops throwing pepper bombs wearing only mask and beanie
PORTLAND, OREGON: A woman demonstrator in Portland decided to go naked while protesting against police brutality and racism. The unidentified woman only wore a mask and beanie in front of anti-riot officers as she sat with her legs apart on Friday night, July 17.
The video of the incident has been shared on Twitter that showed the woman dubbed as ‘Naked Athena’ walking towards the cops, who were in heavy protective gear including gas masks and helmets, before laying down between the officers and other protesters in the road. The naked woman also struck a series of ballet and yoga poses in front of the officers on late Friday night.
Dave Killen, a photographer for The Oregonian/Oregon Live, said that everyone was shocked by the woman’s move. While journalist Donovan Farley who took the video of the incident and later posted it on Twitter, said: “And then? Naked Athena appeared and the little boys didn’t know what to do.” The video has gone viral on the social media site with more than 400k views and over seven thousand retweets and comments.
Protests have been happening in Portland nearly every day after the tragic death of George Floyd. The 46-year-old African-American man was allegedly killed by a former Minneapolis officer on May 25 after he knelt on his neck for over eight minutes. The alleged brutality has led to demonstrations across the country with people coming out on the streets despite the coronavirus pandemic.
The Oregonian/Oregon Live reported that the naked woman was shot with pepper balls at her feet. While another protester was caught in the video running in front of the woman with a makeshift shield. He reportedly wanted to protect the woman from the balls, but she shifted herself from behind the shield and even reclined onto the street at one point.
Killen said he did not hear a single word from the naked woman the entire time. He also said that the cops left around 10 minutes after the woman confronted them while wearing nothing. She left shortly after the cops did. "She was incredibly vulnerable. It would have been incredibly painful to be shot with any of those munitions with no clothes on,” Killen added.
Meanwhile, local police on Monday, July 20, provided details of the conflict between demonstrators and federal forces outside the US courthouse. “Dozens of people with shields, helmets, gas masks, umbrellas, bats, and hockey sticks approached the doors before federal law enforcement came out and dispersed the crowd. At 1.34 am people lit a fire within the portico in front of the federal courthouse. Others gathered around the fire adding wood and other debris to make it larger,” police said in a statement.
It added: “At 1.42 am federal law enforcement came out of the courthouse, dispersed the crowd and extinguished the fire.”
President Donald Trump has criticized the protestors. In a tweet on Sunday, July 19, Trump wrote: “We are trying to help Portland, not hurt it. Their leadership has, for months, lost control of the anarchists and agitators. They are missing in action. We must protect Federal property, AND OUR PEOPLE. These were not merely protesters, these are the real deal!”