The Lincoln Project celebrates Portland's Wall of Moms. The Wall of Moms is splintering.


The Lincoln Project released a new ad Sunday praising the group of yellow-shirted mothers that sprang up after President Trump sent militarized federal agents into Portland, Oregon, forming a wall between anti-racism protesters and Trump's "faceless paramilitary thugs."
"Moms," the new ad says. "They're working moms, soccer moms, stay-at-home moms; Black, white, Latina, and Asian, straight, gay; moms who will fight for a country where their kids won't have their fundamental freedoms trampled by faceless paramilitary thugs just for speaking out against a country where random arrests and beatings are the rule of the day."
By the time the Lincoln Project released this ad, the federal agents had retreated from Portland's streets, the protests had grown much calmer, and the moms had started to break into factions. The original Wall of Moms group announced on Facebook Saturday that it had "fired" one of its primary organizers, Bev Barnum, for unspecified "violations of our social policies between Wall of Moms and the Black Lives Matter community." The tensions in the group bubbled to the surface as some moms left to form a second group, Moms United for Black Lives.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Demetria Hester, one of the Moms United for Black Lives leaders, suggested to The Oregonian that Barnum wasn't focused enough on Black Lives Matter.
Wall of Moms filed to become a nonprofit public benefit organization on July 24, then started paperwork to become a political action committee and 501c3 federal nonprofit, the Portland Tribune reports. Barnum, listed as Wall of Moms president in at least one filing, apologized on Facebook for "not being transparent" or including all "WOM voices" in "the decision-making process."
"WOM was formed out of necessity," Barnum wrote. "The 501c3 was formed out of necessity. And finally, the WOM PAC was formed out of hope — hope that we as WOM's could impact Oregon not only with our yellow shirts, but also by supporting candidates that support human rights — most especially Black human rights."
The Lincoln Project isn't necessarily wrong about the Portland moms, but as is always true, life is more complicated than it appears in political ads.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
Quiz of The Week: 6 – 12 September
Quiz Have you been paying attention to The Week's news?
-
The week’s best photos
In Pictures A palace on fire, a shopping cart protest, and more
-
The Week Unwrapped: Why is horse-racing going on strike?
Podcast Plus, will the South Korean women who worked in state-run brothels set up for US soldiers succeed? And what’s behind a surge in leg-lengthening surgery?
-
House posts lewd Epstein note attributed to Trump
Speed Read The estate of Jeffrey Epstein turned over the infamous 2003 birthday note from President Donald Trump
-
Supreme Court allows 'roving' race-tied ICE raids
Speed Read The court paused a federal judge's order barring agents from detaining suspected undocumented immigrants in LA based on race
-
South Korea to fetch workers detained in Georgia raid
Speed Read More than 300 South Korean workers detained in an immigration raid at a Hyundai plant will be released
-
DC sues Trump to end Guard 'occupation'
Speed Read D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb argues that the unsolicited military presence violates the law
-
RFK Jr. faces bipartisan heat in Senate hearing
Speed Read The health secretary defended his leadership amid CDC turmoil and deflected questions about the restricted availability of vaccines
-
White House defends boat strike as legal doubts mount
Speed Read Experts say there was no legal justification for killing 11 alleged drug-traffickers
-
Epstein accusers urge full file release, hint at own list
speed read A rally was organized by Reps. Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie, who are hoping to force a vote on their Epstein Files Transparency Act
-
Court hands Harvard a win in Trump funding battle
Speed Read The Trump administration was ordered to restore Harvard's $2 billion in research grants