After seeing a fellow Navy Vet get struck by a Federal agent in front of the Federal courthouse there…
Other vets have come to join the protester….
There are reports that a group of federal agents had moved several blocks away from the courthouse there , which is NOT their supposed mission limits ….
As this gets more political could we see situations where the local cops get into it with the feds?
A week after federal officers in Portland, Ore., brutally struck a Navy veteran who said he had approached them simply to ask a question, a group of military veterans on Friday joined the front lines of the city’s growing protests.
Duston Obermeyer, a Marine Corps veteran, said he and other veterans were there to make sure federal officers did not infringe on the free speech of protesters, who numbered in the thousands.
“Our veterans are here specifically to support the rights of the protesters to protest,” said Mr. Obermeyer, who said he had deployed three times during a decade in the Marines.
The group of vets lined up in front of a fence erected outside the federal courthouse. They stayed together until a cloud of tear gas scattered much of the crowd.
While President Trump and the Department of Homeland Security have repeatedly labeled the protesters in Portland as “violent anarchists,” demonstrators have banded together in groups. A “Wall of Moms” has grown to include hundreds of women in yellow shirts linking arms. A “Wall of Dads” in orange shirts has included some with leaf blowers used to push tear gas away from the crowds. Many nurses on Saturday showed up in blue scrubs.
Local officials have demanded that federal agents leave the city, saying their presence has inflamed tensions and their tactics have been outrageous. One of those concerning cases was that of Christopher J. David, a Navy veteran who said he went to the protests for the first time last weekend to ask officers whether they felt their actions violated the Constitution.
As he stood still in front of the officers, one began hitting him with a baton. Mr. David said the attack broke his fingers.
Mr. Obermeyer cited that case as one of the motivations of the “Wall of Vets.”….
After flooding the streets around the federal courthouse in Portland with tear gas during Friday’s early morning hours, dozens of federal officers in camouflage and tactical gear stood in formation around the front of the building.
Then, as one protester blared a soundtrack of “The Imperial March,” the officers started advancing. Through the acrid haze, they continued to fire flash grenades and welt-inducing marble-size balls filled with caustic chemicals. They moved down Main Street and continued up the hill, where one of the agents announced over a loudspeaker: “This is an unlawful assembly.”
By the time the security forces halted their advance, the federal courthouse they had been sent to protect was out of sight — two blocks behind them.
The aggressive incursion of federal officers into Portland has been stretching the legal limits of federal law enforcement, as agents with batons and riot gear range deep into the streets of a city whose leadership has made it clear they are not welcome….
In Philly we may have an armed confrontation between local cops and feds….
After numerous reports and lawsuits in Portland regarding un-badged and un-uniformed federal officers arresting, beating, and detaining people in unmarked vehicles, the Trump administration’s response is that they’re going to do it even more, and in more cities. Saying that his federal agents are doing a “fantastic job,” Trump has suggested that he will also deploy agents in New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, Detroit, Baltimore and Milwaukee to do the same.
In one of those cities, the city prosecutor has already preemptively warned Trump’s police forces what he will do if they bring the same tactics to Philadelphia:
“My dad volunteered and served in World War II to fight fascism, like most of my uncles, so we would not have an American president brutalizing and kidnapping Americans for exercising their constitutional rights and trying to make America a better place, which is what patriots do,” saidPhiladelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner in a statement. “Anyone, including federal law enforcement, who unlawfully assaults and kidnaps people will face criminal charges from my office.”….
I’m going to be following these “cases” being made with interest.While they are making “federal” cases ,most that I’ve seen are very minor in nature.Some are the equivalent of misdemeanor trespassing.
Will the judges out there get a call from Trump’s people Jack?
Or will they just do the ‘time served’ and fine routine?
Like I say most of these cases are considered “minor” offenses in the federal system and are handled by Federal Magistrates.
Probably some community service or a short probation.
Portland Update…
Five people were arrested during a protest that started Monday night, seven people for Tuesday night’s incidents and six were detained in one than began Wednesday.
Four people are accused of assaulting an officer. Another faces an arson charge. Most are charged with failing to comply with a lawful order, according to the US Attorney’s office.
All have made a first court appearance and been released, prosecutors said….
More…
The Feds have NOT moved past the courthouse and the Portland Police seem to be keeping the protestors from directly engaging the Feds…