Under the orders from President Trump to defend Federal property Federal agents from various departments have been sent to cities around the country to ‘defend’ federal property….
The federal people have trained to deal with armed criminals….
Not unarmed protestors….
They are not under the control of the local law enforcement ….
They have no identification….
They are NOT sensitive to local areas…..
They have been told to get ‘tough’…
They report to the Trump admin….
Their actions , just like local and state police?
ARE subject to video captures and media ….
They have developed into a problem that local officials will have to clean up…
Friday night saw additional clashes, as federal agents used tear gas, rubber bullets, and flash bangs to disperse a group of protesters. At least one person was arrested.
The unrest intensified in the early morning hours, as some protesters hurled water bottles and set off smoke bombs and fireworks aimed at courthouse and police buildings.
“I wonder what country I’m living in,” said protester Beth Fernandez. “Having the feds come in and try to quench this anger is not the right approach and we want them out.”
Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler called the federal agents Trump’s “personal army” and said they should leave the city.
“This is part of a coordinated strategy of Trump’s White House to use federal troops to bolster his sagging polling data, and it is an absolute abuse of federal law enforcement officials,” Wheeler said. “As we were starting to see things de-escalate, their actions last Saturday night and every night since have actually ratcheted up the tension on our streets.”
Portland, a city with a long history of clashes between protesters and law enforcement, has been gripped for roughly 50 days by unrest since the death of George Floyd after he was arrested by police in Minneapolis. While other cities saw flashes of such conflict, Portland’s clashes have been more intense and persistent….
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“The idea that they are leaving the perimeter of that federal property and going out in the streets of Portland gives me a lot of personal angst about their concept of policing in general,” said David Gomez, a former FBI official. “Policing is essentially a contract with the community. That’s why a lot of these communities are erupting, because they feel the police have effectively violated the contract. When you have the federal government coming in there, acting as state police, you’re effectively pushing the community away.”
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On Friday night, Oregon state law enforcement officials said they and the local district attorney’s office had opened an investigation into the July 12 incident….
Note…
There could be a situation developing where state law enforcement COULD end up looking up to press criminal charges against Federal agents who where supposed to guarding federal property and ended up dealing with protestors away from their area’s in the streets on their own violating their operational orders…
Update…
The continued pushback against Trump’s efforts again after the same situation in Lafayette Park in DC….
Oregon officials plan to sue several federal agencies they say are sending masked, camouflaged agents to detain and seize protesters without probable cause, according to a report.
Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum said her office will also begin a criminal investigation into an incident of force by federal officers, the Oregonian reported.
“The federal administration has chosen Portland to use their scare tactics to stop our residents from protesting police brutality and from supporting the Black Lives Matter movement,” Rosenblum said. “Every American should be repulsed when they see this happening. If this can happen here in Portland, it can happen anywhere.”
Oregon’s lawsuit in federal court will name the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, US Marshals Service, US Customs and Border Protection and the Federal Protection Service as defendants, officials said.
Portland protesters have been demonstrating against racial inequality and police brutality for the last 50 nights.
Oregon’s governor, Portland’s mayor and a US senator all decried the arrests, calling them authoritarian.
“Authoritarian governments, not democratic republics, send unmarked authorities after protesters,” tweeted US Sen. Jeff Merkley, a Democrat representing Oregon…
More…