What’s Happening in Portland Matters
Two things are happening in Portland, Oregon, that bear close attention in Chicago as events quickly unfold. First, as summarized on July 17 by Charlie Warzel, an opinion writer at large for The New York Times:
Thursday night [July 16] marked the 50th consecutive night of demonstrations in Portland, Ore. The protests began after the killing of George Floyd—tens of thousands of people took to the streets to protest police violence and racial injustice. Since then, the protests have grown smaller, but clashes between law enforcement officers and protesters have escalated—on July 12, videos circulated of a federal officer shooting a protester in the head with a nonlethal munition, resulting in a skull fracture. Coverage of the unrest has caught the attention of President Trump, who vowed to ‘dominate’ the protesters with federal law enforcement officers.
Next, came the uninvited unleashing of fatigue clad, unidentifiable federal agents – supposedly officers from the U.S. Marshals Special Operations Group and U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Border Patrol Tactical Unit – into a state by the Executive branch of the federal government. These agents have been sweeping protesters (or those they believe are protesters) into unmarked vans, destinations unknown.
Will these detainees be charged with crimes? At least 13 have. What might those crimes be? Unknown. Will they just be released back onto the street? Some have been—after several hours of detention.
On July 19, 2020, Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler told NBC News that the presence of federal agents was making things worse: “…They’re not wanted here. We haven’t asked them here. In fact, we want them to leave.” The Governor of Oregon, likewise, asked the President to withdraw these agents from her state. Request denied. Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum has sued to prohibit these federal agents from making further arrests and continuing to violate the Constitutional rights of protesters and those detained. “I think every American needs to be concerned about what’s happening here in Portland. These federal agencies are operating with no transparency and against the will of just about every leader in our state,” Rosenblum said.
What is happening in Portland should frighten every U.S. citizen. What is happening in Portland is anathema to our Democracy. It is contrary to the Rule of Law. It is contrary to the transparency and accountability of law enforcement to the populace it is sworn to protect and serve consistent with the Constitution. This is not what “law and order” means in the United States, regardless of which party retains power or who sits in the Oval Office.
It is becoming clearer every day that this misuse of federal law enforcement power will not stop with Portland. Several other cities have been threatened with the arrival of federal “assistance” to handle protests and crime. New York. Seattle. Philadelphia. Chicago. Cities with significant non-White populations who will, likely, be primary targets for threats and intimidation. Cities run by Democratic Mayors in states with Democratic Governors. In an election year. With a raging pandemic and a fast-rising U.S. death rate.
Chicago – apparently a high-priority – has already been assured that federal agents are on their way. According to ABC-Chicago, the federal government will “be focused on efforts to help the city with its pressing need to deal with gun violence, not with protesters;” Lightfoot’s response: “We welcome actual partnership, but we do not welcome dictatorship…We do not welcome authoritarianism.”
The rule of law must prevail over political opportunism. This is why Portland matters. We urge Portland, Chicago, and all other states and cities to resist this misuse of federal law enforcement. Our democracy demands no less.