It looks to me from reports like one of the houses (likely the rented-out building that was initially a theater) was where the actual violent protest preparations were happening. Whether the other four houses of people were planning to participate in that violent protest or not is not entirely clear; I've seen video of people saying they weren't but that's not necessarily something to take at face value.

It's certainly true that legitimate objects can be used in illegitimate ways, from guns to nailguns to nails. My point about that list is that I live in a house full of twentysomethings and own most of the things on the list and am the sort of person who might have been planning to go to a nonviolent protest. I don't actually know this know this, because I'm not there, but I doubt the I-Witness people were involved with the caltrops people. It's hard to figure out what's going on because reports don't tend to keep the five raids as distinct occurrences for the most part.

One of the things that disturbs me the most, even assuming that all of the people in the houses were planning violent protest, is the way journalists and lawyers were allegedly treated. Admittedly, one of the interviewed lawyers was a little out there, but still... it makes me very nervous.

Thanks for the alternate account, though. It's interesting what details different people leave out when they tell the story.