Portland protests: Mayor demands federal troops leave city

Federal officers face protesters in Oregon on 18 JulyImage copyright
Reuters

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Portland’s mayor said the presence of federal troops was leading to more violence

The mayor of Portland in Oregon has renewed his call for federal troops to leave the US city, accusing them of abusive tactics against protesters.

“They are sharply escalating the situation,” Mayor Ted Wheeler told CNN on Sunday.

There have been nightly protests against police brutality in the city since the killing of African American George Floyd in Minneapolis in May.

The federal government has said it is trying to restore order in Portland.

Speaking to CNN on Sunday, Mayor Wheeler said there were “dozens if not hundreds of federal troops” in the city, adding: “Their presence here is actually leading to more violence and more vandalism.

“They’re not wanted here. We haven’t asked them here. In fact, we want them to leave,” he said.

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His comments echoed those of Oregon Governor Kate Brown, who described the presence of federal troops in the city as “purely political theatre” from the Donald Trump administration.

Ms Brown told MSNBC that she had asked the federal government on Tuesday to remove the troops, saying: “You are escalating an already challenging situation.”

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Portland on Friday. There have been nightly protests against police brutality

Their comments came after Oregon’s attorney general filed a lawsuit against the federal government, accusing it of unlawfully detaining protesters.

In the lawsuit, Ellen Rosenblum requested a restraining order to stop agents from the Department of Homeland Security, US Marshals Service, US Customs and Border Protection and the Federal Protection Service from making any more arrests in the city.

“These tactics must stop,” Ms Rosenblum said in a statement.

The lawsuit said the actions of federal officers violated protesters’ ability to exercise their constitutional First Amendment right to assembly and, by seizing and detaining people without a warrant, also breached the Fourth and Fifth Amendment right to due process.

What’s happening in Portland?

Federal agents, deployed by President Trump, have fired tear gas into crowds of demonstrators. Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf previously called the protesters a “violent mob”.

Late on Saturday, protesters were seen dismantling a fence around the federal courthouse, hours after it was put up.

The US Attorney’s office in Oregon said on Twitter that the fence aimed to “de-escalate tensions” between protesters and law enforcement officials and asked people to leave it alone.

Officers declared a riot outside the Portland Police Association building. It was set on fire.

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Federal officers have been accused of seizing protesters and driving away with them in unmarked vans

The last week has seen a violent escalation between protesters and federal agents, deployed two weeks ago by Mr Trump to quell civil unrest.

A report from Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB) this week contained detailed accounts of witnesses who had seen federal law enforcement officers dressed in camouflage emerge from unmarked vehicles, grab protesters without explanation, and drive off.

Video checked by the broadcaster shows a protester, Mark Pettibone, describe how on 15 July he was “basically tossed” into a van containing people in body armour.

Mr Pettibone said he was taken to a holding cell in a federal courthouse, where he was read his arrest rights. After he declined to answer questions, he was released without any citation or arrest record.

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According to OPB, federal officers have charged at least 13 people with crimes.

What has the Trump administration said?

In a tweet on Sunday, President Donald Trump defended the actions of the federal government.

“We are trying to help Portland, not hurt it. Their leadership has, for months, lost control of the anarchists and agitators,” he said.

Earlier in the week, the president said officers in the city had done a “great job”.

“Portland was totally out of control, and they went in, and I guess we have many people right now in jail,” he said on Monday. “We very much quelled it.”

Chad Wolf arrived in the city on Thursday and defended the agents against the assembled “anarchists”.

He blamed state and city authorities for failing to “restore order”, saying the “city of Portland has been under siege for 47 straight days”.

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Reuters

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People in Portland have been hanging banners aimed at federal officers from their balconies

source: bbc.com