George called out for his Mama, it's time for the Feds to go home
They’ve left Seattle, now it’s time for Portland. “Why can't we all just get along”, as the ACLU charges that law enforcement has targeted journalists at the Portland protests. Trump continues to hope for more atrocities to distract from his other failures.
Anti-racism protesters have repeatedly clashed with federal officers in the US city of Portland, Oregon in recent days. They have continued nightly protests ever since the killing of George Floyd at the hands of police in May.
The Guardian’s Chris McGreal is in Portland and tells Anushka Asthana that to understand what is happening in the city you have to look back at Oregon’s history – and at the politics of the present. Portland is one of the least diverse cities in the US and has a history of segregation and racially divisive policies. But it is also home to thousands of young people incensed by racial inequality and the politics of Donald Trump.
Meanwhile, in the White House, Trump is eyeing the worsening election polls and is desperate to live up to his claim of being a ‘law and order’ president. As he sanctions the highly unusual deployment of federal troops to the Democrat-run city against the wishes of its mayor, protesters in other cities are taking to their own streets in solidarity.
— ChuckModi (@ChuckModi1) July 29, 2020
— Joshua Potash (@JoshuaPotash) July 29, 2020
— Laura Jedeed (Misanthrophile) (@1misanthrophile) July 29, 2020
— Laura Jedeed (Misanthrophile) (@1misanthrophile) July 29, 2020
— SafetyPin-Daily (@SafetyPinDaily) July 29, 2020
— Reuters Politics (@ReutersPolitics) July 29, 2020
— Portland Strong. BLM. Vote!! (@mycroft16) July 29, 2020
— Dara Lind (@DLind) July 28, 2020
- A former senior Border Patrol agent described a federal unit deployed in Portland, Oregon, as one of “the most violent and racist in all law enforcement.”
- Jenn Budd, who worked at the agency for six years before leaving in 2001, described her experiences with the Border Patrol's elite unit, known as Bortac, to The Guardian.
- “They don't do normal vehicle stops. They will rip drivers from their seat, throw him against the side, put him in handcuffs — the same tactics you are now seeing Bortac agents use in Portland,” Budd said.
- Bortac, short for Border Patrol Tactical Unit, is typically summoned for high-risk missions such as drug raids.
— John Fugelsang (@JohnFugelsang) July 27, 2020
In NYC:
— Joshua Potash (@JoshuaPotash) July 28, 2020
— Brad Lander (@bradlander) July 29, 2020
— Peter Sterne🌹 (@petersterne) July 29, 2020
— Jordan Zakarin (@jordanzakarin) July 29, 2020
— harron walker (@HarronWawker) July 29, 2020
In Minneapolis:
— Frank Figliuzzi (@FrankFigliuzzi1) July 29, 2020
— Rep. Ted Lieu (@RepTedLieu) July 28, 2020
<
p class=”is-empty-p”>
