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NY Times, July 17, 2020
Feds Vowed to Quell Unrest in Portland. Local Leaders Are Telling Them
to Leave.
By Sergio Olmos and Mike Baker
PORTLAND, Ore. — Federal agents dressed in camouflage and tactical gear
have taken to the streets of Portland in unmarked vans, seizing and
detaining protesters and unleashing tear gas in what Gov. Kate Brown of
Oregon has called “a blatant abuse of power.”
Since their arrival with the goal of tamping down persistent unrest,
federal officers have shot one protester in the head with an apparent
impact munition, leaving the man with severe head injuries and producing
the image of blood dripping on Portland’s streets.
One of the people detained, Mark Pettibone, said in an interview that an
unmarked vehicle stopped right in front of him around 2 a.m. on
Wednesday and four people in camouflage jumped out. Given the lack of
markings or identification, he had no idea who they were.
“One of the officers said, ‘It’s OK, it’s OK,’ and just grabbed me and
threw me into the van. Another officer pulled my beanie down, so I
couldn’t see,” Mr. Pettibone said.
Mr. Pettibone said he was terrified and that at no point was he told why
he was arrested or detained, or what agency the officers were with. He
said he was ultimately held for about two hours before being released.
On Thursday night and into Friday morning — the 50th straight day of
demonstrations — a line of federal officers in gas masks walked down
Portland’s Third Avenue. They filled downtown corridors with tear gas,
which a federal judge has barred the Portland police from using except
in the case of a safety risk, and they also shot less-lethal munitions,
which left people limping in pain.
The aggressive federal posture has complicated the mission of the
Department of Homeland Security, an agency that has spent much of its
history focused on foreign terrorism threats and is supposed to build
collaborative relationships with local law enforcement partners. And it
raises questions of whether it is appropriate for federal authorities to
take up the policing of an American city against the wishes of local
leaders.
Mayor Ted Wheeler of Portland, who is also police commissioner, said the
federal response was “irresponsible” and asked for those deployed to
stay inside federal buildings or leave the city. The Multnomah County
sheriff, Mike Reese, called the federal response a “significant setback”
in efforts to calm tensions.
Gov. Kate Brown of Oregon called it a “blatant abuse of power by the
federal government.”
But federal officials, starting with President Trump, have continued to
stake a claim to the city’s law and order. The acting Homeland Security
secretary, Chad Wolf, arrived in the city on Thursday, calling the
protesters a “violent mob” of anarchists emboldened by a lack of local
enforcement.
Portland’s protests began in the aftermath of George Floyd’s death in
Minneapolis, drawing thousands of people to the streets to denounce
police violence and racial injustice. On some nights, protesters would
blanket the Burnside Bridge, each laying face down on the pavement for 8
minutes and 46 seconds in remembrance of Mr. Floyd.
Those mass demonstrations have waned, but hundreds have continued on,
clashing with the police almost nightly. They have set off fireworks,
lit fires and attempted to create an autonomous zone similar to one that
existed up Interstate 5 in Seattle.
The persistent unrest has frustrated city leaders, including Mr.
Wheeler, who has often been a target of the ire. Some Black leaders in
the community have also expressed disappointment, suggesting that the
predominantly white protest crowd was seizing an opportunity and
detracting from the vital efforts needed to reform policing.
City leaders have tried a variety of tactics to calm the tensions. Mayor
Wheeler has pleaded for calm. The city’s police chief resigned, to be
replaced with Chuck Lovell, who is Black. City commissioners have moved
to cut some $16 million from the police budget.
But the protests have continued.
Mr. Trump has taken aggressive posture against demonstrations, vowing at
one point to “dominate” protesters and mobilize federal agencies to
operate in cities. Mr. Trump said last week that he had sent Homeland
Security personnel to Portland because “the locals couldn’t handle it.”
“It’s a pretty wild group, but you have it in very good control,” he
told Mr. Wolf.
The next day, video appeared to show one protester, Donavan La Bella,
holding a sign across the street from the federal courthouse being
struck in the head by an impact munition, leading to a bloody scene on
the street. His mother has told local media that he suffered skull
fractures and needed surgery.
Members of Congress from Oregon have called for an investigation, and
the U.S. attorney for the District of Oregon, Billy J. Williams, said it
had been referred to the U.S. Department of Justice Office of the
Inspector General for further investigation.
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