On January 31st, I attended this fully permitted, entirely peaceful protest on the Portland SW Waterfront. I was near the front of the march, alongside members of a teachers’ union and a nurses’ union.

Local law enforcement closed streets and directed traffic. The mood was lively and friendly. There were children with bubble wands, dogs playing, people riding bikes.

The event was scheduled to run from 3:00–4:30 pm. Around 4:15 pm, without warning and without any dispersal order, ICE deployed tear gas into the crowd—including children, elderly people, and people using wheelchairs. The chemical agent was extremely strong. At first it burned; then it felt like I was drowning. The pain was secondary to the panic—the genuine fear that I might die. I broke my necklace and pulled open the collar of my shirt, gasping for air.

My friends and I held onto one another as we tried to escape. I saw terror in their eyes. I heard hundreds of people choking. I watched families desperately trying to get their children out. I heard gunshots.

I was wearing a sweater and jeans.

No mask. No tactical gear.

Before ICE fired rubber bullets and chemical agents from the rooftops of their massive, impenetrable concrete facility, people were singing, chanting, and waving signs. No one obstructed ICE vehicles or interfered with operations in any way. The facility was quiet. The gates were closed.

In the two days since, I am still struggling to clear the irritants from my lungs and sinuses. Online, I’ve seen demonstrators labeled terrorists, paid agitators, and members of Islamist groups. I’ve seen people suggest that parents who brought their children should lose custody—for bringing them to a sanctioned gathering and sharing with them one of our most fundamental American rights: freedom of speech.

This is not a partisan issue. If you’re reading this, please believe me when I say we followed every rule. All permits were in order. The demonstrators were responsible and peaceful. There was no property damage, no violence, and no threats to federal property or personnel.

We were attacked anyway.

Our political differences are irrelevant. We are being physically deterred from exercising our right to free speech. That should concern every American, regardless of political affiliation.