Tragedy In Dallas: Four gunmen ambushed police during a Black Lives Matter protest in Dallas last night, killing five officers, and wounding more. It's being called the deadliest day for US law enforcement since 9/11.

Three suspects were arrested in the attack. A fourth was killed. That man, still unnamed, told cops he was upset over recent police killings, and specifically targeting white police officers, according to Dallas Police Chief David Brown. “The suspect said he was upset at white people; the suspect said he wanted to kill white people.” Cops killed him with a bomb they sent over with a robot(?).

The attack was well-coordinated, with gunmen "triangulating" their positions. At least one shot from the second story of a building. There's graphic footage (which we won't post) that shows a man charging an officer and shooting him. The NYT has this timeline.

Some of the victims' names are starting to emerge.

Former Illinois Tea Party Congressman Joe Walsh straight up called for violence (against President Obama? against Black Lives Matter? Both?) in a tweet following the attacks, then hastily deleted it when he began getting called out.

Michael Strickland, about to lose it.
Michael Strickland, about to lose it. Doug Brown

MEANWHILE, an otherwise peaceful protest here in Portland almost went terribly wrong when a right-wing activist, Michael Strickland, pulled a gun on protestors he felt were threatening him. There is crazy footage of it. Strickland looks for all the world like he might start shooting. He was quickly calmed by an activist who identified as a member of the Black Panthers and former mayoral candidate Jessie Sponberg.


The rest of the Portland demonstration was peaceful, though there was an hours-long standoff between cops and protestors at the west end of the Morrison Bridge. Earlier in the day, new Police Chief Mike Marshman had issued a memo to his officers, saying that anger over national police shootings "are a reality that we need to acknowledge."

"You have no right..." shout Portland residents who live near NE Glisan and 122nd. They're losing their shit because the county wants to put a 200-bed homeless shelter in a soon-to-be-empty county building. Remember, this is also an area of town where people are flipping out because more homeless people are on the streets in the area.

During a press meeting with Portland's new bike share operators a while back, I asked what would happen if people began parking their private bikes on the racks designated for orange Biketown bikes. They sort of shrugged it off, saying they hoped that'd be minimal. It's already happening.

The US Capitol Building was put briefly on lockdown this morning. Unclear why.

And in more horror, gunmen and a suicide attack near Baghdad have killed at least 37 people and wounded 62 more.

I don't know what the hell this weekend is thinking.

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