For months, Reese Monson, who helps organize security for the hundreds of protesters who gather in downtown Portland, Ore., every night, has advised them to use shields made of plywood, pool noodles and 55-gallon drums — tools to deflect the riot-control measures used by the police. Now, Mr. Monson said they were considering a new kind of shield when they go out to demonstrate against racial injustice: bulletproof vests. “Whatever body armor you can find, we need that,” Mr. Monson said. “Whatever you can protect yourself with, we need that. Right now is a time of either life or death.” For months, as protests by Black Lives Matter and other groups have erupted across the country, the persistent confrontations have been largely between protesters and the police, with the conflict playing out in tear gas volleys and lobbed projectiles. But in recent days the protests in Portland and in Kenosha, Wis., have taken a more perilous turn — right-wing activists have arrived, bent on countering the racial justice protests with an opposing vision of America. Violent street clashes between the two sides have broken out over the past two weeks, leaving three people dead. The arrival of firearms has escalated the political debate over policing into precarious new territory. President Trump, scheduled to visit Kenosha on Tuesday, warns that America’s cities are out of control, while Portland’s mayor blames the president for stoking the unrest.  [full article]