Federal Troops Overstep in Oregon

From LA Progressive

By Margaret Flowers & Kevin Zeese

Black Lives Matter protest draws thousands in Brooklyn
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Today is the 60th day of protests since the murder of George Floyd. This weekend, people marched in cities across the country in solidarity with Portland and in opposition to the US becoming a police state.

President Trump sending troops to cities added fuel to the nationwide uprising against racist police violence. Protests have grown not only in Portland but in Seattle, Chicago, Philadelphia, Minneapolis, Omaha, Austin, Oakland, San Francisco, New York, and Washington, DC, among other cities.

Trump is not a "law and order" president, he is a chaos and disorder president. He is mistaken to think that increasing conflict in cities throughout the country will save his failing 2020 campaign. Just as his hyped attack on Central American caravans backfired before the 2018 mid-term elections, this escalation is also backfiring as people are mobilized to stand against Trump's authoritarianism.

While Trump's actions are the focus of current protests, Portland demonstrates there is a long history of police violence that preceded Trump. Mayors have allowed police violence and Joe Biden, when he was Chair of the Judiciary Committee, authored legislation that led to over-policing and encouraged police militarization. While Trump sending in militarized troops to cities needs to be opposed, police violence is bigger than Trump.

While federal officers protect federal buildings across the country that is not what Trump is doing. He is using the excuse of protecting federal buildings as cover for sending in federal troops to dominate cities.

On June 1, President Trump made his plan clear, warning governors that if they did not get control of the cities, he would send in troops. He told governors "You have to dominate, if you don't dominate you're wasting your time."

June 1 was also the day that National Guard troops in Washington, DC fired tear gas, pepper spray and rubber bullets into non-violent protesters in Lafayette Park across from the White House so Trump could walk across the park for a widely denigrated photo-op holding a bible in front of St. John's church. Trump said last week that he sent personnel to Portland because "the locals couldn't handle it."

The presence of federal troops in Portland and being sent to other cities is based on an executive order signed on June 26 to protect "Federal monuments, memorials, statues, or property." Homeland Security director, Chad Wolf, created a task force made up of Border Patrol, Coast Guard, U.S. Marshals, and other agencies. Three different operations have been announced: Wolf's "Protecting American Communities Task Force," the Department of Justice's crime-fighting "Operation Legend" announced on July 8; and "Operation Diligent Valor," which includes the Portland police mission.

Legal analysts and commentators are debating whether the actions of federal troops in Portland are legal. The government argues they are merely protecting buildings and when they go blocks away they are investigating who damaged buildings. The Oregonian questions that writing, "Even if the federal agencies have legitimate license to defend the courthouse, the real question is: 'Is it being used as a pretext?'"

It is evident from federal troop actions in Portland that this generalized federal policing is beyond federal authority. Reports and videos of unidentified Border Patrol agents in camouflage grabbing people off the street, stuffing them into unmarked vehicles, and driving off are unconstitutional, illegal actions.

Oregon officials, including the governor and Portland mayor, have asked Homeland Security to keep its troops off of Portland's streets but Chad Wolf has refused. Oregon's senators have also opposed Trump sending paramilitary squads to Portland.

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