Portland police declared riots on Saturday night after the police union building was raided and a fire started. It was the 51st night of protests in Portland, where federal authorities have been dispatched despite opposition from state and local officials.
Federal officials deployed tear gas once again on Saturday night when fences were pulled down around federal court, where officers and protesters clashed earlier, CBS Portland affiliate KOIN reported. The fence around the courthouse had fallen on Friday night, was repaired and replaced on Saturday, and then pulled down again.
Portland protests It erupted in June after George Floyd’s death at the hands of police in Minneapolis, but lately, they have become the presence of federal authorities in the city.
Under an executive order from President Trump in June, federal agents have been deployed to protect federal monuments and buildings in cities like Portland, Seattle, and others. The federal courthouse in Portland is also under its jurisdiction.
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An Oregon Public Broadcasting report earlier this week found that federal officials from various agencies have been driving and arresting people. Personal accounts and video posted on social media show federal officials detaining people without explanation, according to the OPB. A protester, Mark Pettibone, told OPB that he was “basically thrown” into a van and driven to the center without explanation.
Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum said Friday that the state is filing a lawsuit against several federal agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security, for participating in “the illegal application of the law in violation of civil rights” of the protesters and arresting people without probable cause.
The New York Times reported Saturday that a memo from the Department of Homeland Security, which has sent officers to Portland, had warned that the officers were not properly trained. In a statement Friday, Customs and Border Patrol, a division of Homeland Security, said that at least one of the arrests was made by its officers.
Oregon authorities have been asking federal authorities to leave, and on Saturday, Portland police told federal authorities that they could no longer use their command center.
Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler said on CNN’s “State of the Union” Sunday that the presence of federal officials “is actually generating more violence.”
“They are not wanted here, we have not asked for them here and, in fact, we want them to leave,” Wheeler said.
Wheeler and other Oregon officials have blamed the Trump administration for the escalation of violence.
“The tactics that the Trump administration is using on the streets of Portland are horrible,” Wheeler said. “As you indicated, people are literally being taken off the street and into unmarked vans, apparently renting cars. They are denied probable cause and due process. They don’t even know who is taking them to the vans, people don’t identifying. As far as I can see, this is completely unconstitutional. “
Mr. Trump tweeted Sunday that “we are trying to help Portland, not hurt him.”
“His leadership, for months, has lost control of the anarchists and agitators,” he continued. “They’re not in action. We must protect federal property, AND OUR PEOPLE. These were not just protesters, they are the real deal!”
In an interview with Chris Wallace on Fox News on Sunday, Trump said that “we have arrested many leaders” in Portland.
“If we didn’t take a position right now, it would have a problem,” Trump said. “They’re going to lose Portland.”
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