Battle of Portland: Why Democrats Condemn Trump's Use of Federal Police Against Protesters

In Portland, Oregon, riots have continued for more than 50 days, beginning in late May as protests against racism and police brutality. On the evening of July 19, protesters broke into the police union building and set it on fire, according to CNN.

A few days earlier, federal law enforcement units had arrived in the city. Despite the ongoing pogroms, city and state officials, represented by Democratic politicians, criticize Donald Trump and the White House for sending federal agents to the city to restore law and order. 

So, the mayor of Portland, Democrat Ted Wheeler, in an interview with NPR radio station, said that in this way Trump wants to support not the rule of law, but his own falling ratings.

“As far as I can tell, this is the latest desperate attempt by a failed president with steadily declining ratings, who tries to keep his face in front of his constituents. He uses the federal police to support his candidacy, ”the radio station quoted the Portland mayor as saying.

In turn, Oregon Governor Keith Brown, also a member of the Democratic Party, called the agents of the federal services "secret police" who must leave the city.

“The Trump administration must stop using people's lives in its political games. There is no secret police in our country. This is not a dictatorial regime. Trump must get his people off the streets, ”NPR quoted her as saying.

Also, representatives of the state in the US Congress - Senators Jeffrey Merkley and Ronald Wyden, as well as Congressmen Earl Blumenauer and Suzanne Bonamichi - sent a letter to the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security demanding that the federal security forces be immediately removed from the state.

The letter says that the BIV agents violate the civil rights of the protesters, and the actions of the Democratic politicians are called "peaceful protests." Examples include the use of uniforms and unmarked vehicles by agents to “kidnap” protestors.

In turn, Donald Trump, responding to criticism of Democratic politicians, said that he wants to help the city, whose authorities have lost control over him.

We are trying to help Portland, not hurt it. Their leadership has, for months, lost control of the anarchists and agitators. They are missing in action. We must protect Federal property, AND OUR PEOPLE. These were not merely protesters, these are the real deal!

“We're trying to help Portland, not hurt. The city leadership has lost control of the anarchists and instigators for several months. It is completely inactive. We are obliged to protect federal property AND OUR PEOPLE. These were not just demonstrators, but a real threat! ”- wrote Trump on his Twitter.

Peaceful pogroms

In the United States, since the end of May, protests and riots have been taking place in different cities of the country, the reason for which was the death of African American George Floyd after being detained by police. The actions often escalated into pogroms, robberies and arson, during which many shops, restaurants and other establishments were damaged.

Since the beginning of the riots, Donald Trump has repeatedly criticized the authorities of some states (mostly democratic), where mayors and governors refused to give the order to suppress the riots to the police officers under their control and delayed the introduction of units of the US National Guard (a branch of the armed forces that are also subordinate to the state authorities) into the cities. ...

• Protester in downtown Portland
• Reuters
• © Caitlin Ochs

In the US law enforcement system, police departments are usually divided into two levels - the city police and the state police, the first being subordinate to the city and municipal authorities, the last being the governor. In addition, some cities and municipalities have their own sheriff's offices.

At the same time, in the United States there is no single national police or ministry that could coordinate the work of all these departments in the event, for example, of large-scale protests.

In early June, Donald Trump said that local authorities had failed to protect citizens from criminals and looters, and in this regard, he would send regular troops to quell the protests.

Such a move would be an unprecedented case for the United States of using force by the federal government - the American military is prohibited by law from performing police functions within the country, but there are some exceptions.

After this intention of the American leader was criticized by both Democrats and Republicans, including members of Donald Trump's cabinet (in particular, Defense Secretary Mark Esper condemned this idea), the US President abandoned such plans.

Federal supervision

At the same time, Donald Trump found a way to use federal law enforcement agencies to fight the protesters. After the rioters destroyed a number of monuments in various US cities, Trump signed a presidential decree introducing long prison sentences for vandalizing federal property. Some monuments, as well as the buildings of courts and various government services, which often became the target of protesters, fall into this category.

After that, the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) began to form "rapid reaction squads" from various security forces, which report directly to the federal authorities and the White House, and not to state and municipal leaders.

• Federal agents in Portland can be identified by their unmarked military uniforms
• Reuters
• © Caitlin Ochs

The New York Times reports that such units are formed from among the agents of the International Security Service, as well as the Customs Service, the Immigration Police, the Coast Guard, the Transportation Security Administration and the Federal Defense Service.

And about. BWI chief Chad Wolfe arrived in Portland on July 16 amid protests, where, like Donald Trump, said local authorities had lost control of the city. His statement, posted on the ministry's website, contained a long list of federal agencies that had been attacked by the rioters.

Mayor Ted Wheeler pointedly refused to meet with Wolfe, and demanded that federal agents and police be removed from Portland.

“We demand that the president withdraw additional forces, which he will send to our city. This does not help either control the situation or de-escalate it. Obviously, the result is exactly the opposite, "Wheeler quotes CNN.

Democratic politicians want to present Tampa as a dictator using the "secret police" in the form of the MIA forces, since effective suppression of riots will give it popularity in the elections, said Konstantin Blokhin, an expert at the Center for Security Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences. In addition, the political scientist added, the establishment wants to shift responsibility for the social problems that have arisen in the United States onto one person.

“Part of the establishment is interested in hitting Trump, to shift the arrows from the socio-political problems of the United States, which were the result of the activities of the administrations, both republican and democratic, to racial problems. It is easier to engage in the destruction of monuments and encourage "peaceful" protests than to spend trillions of dollars to fight social inequality and restore the middle class, which is now shrinking, "- said the expert.

The task of the Democrats is to show and prove the failure of Trump's power, political analyst Alexander Asafov said in a conversation with RT.

"They want to demonstrate this, risking the lives of city dwellers and prove that the power that Trump controls makes the wrong decisions that lead to a worsening of the situation," the political scientist said.

Protests in North #Portland continued for a 52nd night on Saturday with police declaring protests riots and asking protesters to disperse. # USApic.twitter.com / XYYcJ5kmHh

Alexander Asafov recalled that in pursuit of their pre-election goals, representatives of the Democratic Party agree with the populist demands of the protesters, including, for example, depriving the police of funding.

“Democrats are at risk in this regard, believing that it will deal a blow to Trump and help their candidate, who will come and solve all problems. All this is being done in the context of the upcoming presidential elections, ”the expert said.

The political scientist added that Trump could further strengthen the presence of federal security forces and the National Guard in Portland, but he is in no hurry to do this.

“Now he understands that any new forceful measures may affect his popularity. The use of force among the broad masses in so-called democratic societies is always viewed through a negative aspect, "concluded Alexander Asafov.