Following the death of George Floyd on May 25, 2020, thousands of residents in Portland, Oregon began to march. Like many other cities, the protest started peacefully, until police began using force. Now on the 52nd day of protest, they are dealing with the deployment of unidentified federal troops.
Furthermore, Judge Andrew Napolitano reports, “they have to confine their activity to federal property”(Kaplan). He is referring to federal agents. President Trump deployed these unmarked agents some of whom include FBI agents, the United States Department of Homeland Security, the United States Border Protection Service, and the United States Marshal Service. Protesters have been hauled into unmarked vehicles, kidnapped, held for hours, and then released without warrants.
Originally, the agents were sent to cities to protect federal property. However, evidence shows protesters are nowhere near federal property including courthouses and statues. With claims that federal forces will be deployed in Chicago, NYC, and other cities with Democratic leadership, mayors have called on Trump to remove federal forces from Portland.
Trump has repeatedly ignored all pleas from mayors to withdraw federal forces from their cities. Nonetheless, Trump has planned to continue deploying agents in “democratic cities”.
Written by Reginae Echols
Edited by Cathy Milne-Ware
Sources:
FOX NEWS: ‘They have to be restrained’: Judge Napolitano on what federal agents in Portland can and cannot do
Inline Image Courtesy of Chad Davis’s Flickr Page-Creative Commons License
Featured Image Courtesy of Gage Skidmore’s Flickr Page-Creative Commons License
