Donald Trump's federal cops used batons and tear gas to fight off Portland's moms last night as protests entered day 55 in the city amid a growing backlash against the president's troops.
Armed with assault rifles, federal cops pushed back against the helmet-wearing 'Wall of Moms' who were protesting their presence in the city and acting as human shields for Black Lives Matter protesters.
Footage showed the cops dispersing protesters with their bare hands and shoving some of the women in the chest while using tear gas to break up the crowds on Tuesday night.
The group of mothers and fathers have been forming a human barrier between demonstrators and police at protests this week, amid allegations of brutality by the federal agents.
As well as the backlash in the streets, the Trump administration is also facing one in the courts, with several lawsuits filed in the last week in efforts to force the federal agents out of the city.
This comes as Trump continues to plow ahead with his law and order takeover in Democrat-run states, as he vowed to send in 150 agents to tackle the wave of violence and ongoing protests in Chicago.
Armed with assault rifles, federal cops pushed back against the helmet-wearing 'Wall of Moms' who were protesting their presence in the city and acting as human shields for Black Lives Matter protesters
Crackdown: A federal law enforcement officer pushes a mother back during a demonstration against the presence of Trump's federal cops in Portland last night
Defense: One of the women holds a makeshift shield with messages urging the federal cops to 'please go home' - as Donald Trump threatens to extend his intervention in Portland into other Democratic-led cities
A protester is pinned to the ground and detained by heavily-armed federal law enforcement officers in Portland last night
Enforcement: Tear gas hangs in the air as federal officers attempt to bring order to Portland on the 55th consecutive night of the protests that erupted after the death of George Floyd
The 'Wall of Moms' lead protests outside the Multnomah County Justice Center Tuesday night
The group linked arms in peaceful protest for the fourth night while holding peace symbols and banners reading: 'Don't mess with mama bear' and 'Mother Mary lost a son to state violence'
Federal police deployed tear gas and crowd munitions during the protests in Oregon on Tuesday night (pictured, a US flag is waved in front of a fire during the demonstrations)
Retired US Army major intelligence officer Jenine Betschart (center) protests outside the Multnomah County Justice Center along with the 'Wall of Moms' as night fell on the city
Hundreds of protesters gathered in the streets of Portland Tuesday night, holding banners aloft as they marched peacefully through the city.
The 'Wall of Moms' led protests outside the Multnomah County Justice Center, sporting their signature yellow t-shirts.
The group linked arms in peaceful protest for the fourth night while holding peace symbols and banners reading: 'Don't mess with mama bear' and 'Mother Mary lost a son to state violence'.
Most were pictured wearing face masks and cycle helmets, and several held aloft flowers.
Outside the central police precinct, demonstrators waved their cell phone lights as they sang a rendition of We Shall Overcome.
But the situation turned ugly after midnight as a small group of people moved toward the federal courthouse and tried to remove the fence around the building.
Trump's federal cops and Portland's moms faced off again Tuesday night as protests entered day 55 in the city and the president's men face a growing pushback from demonstrators and local officials
The self-proclaimed 'Wall of Moms' took to the streets of the Oregon capital to protest the presence of federal agents in the city and act as human shields between them and Black Lives Matter protesters
As well as the backlash in the streets, the Trump administration is also facing one in the courts, with several lawsuits filed in the last week in efforts to force the federal agents out of the city
The Wall of Moms and federal agents square off in front of the Mark O. Hatfield federal courthouse Tuesday night
Without warning, federal enforcement officers began streaming out of the building, throwing tear gas canisters and firing rubber bullets and sting balls to disperse the crowd.
One masked demonstrator hurled an expletive at the officers while others tossed back some of the gas canisters.
'Stay together, stay tight,' the protesters chanted, backing away from the tear gas. 'We do this every night.'
Protests demanding an end to racism and police brutality have taken place across Portland for almost two months - ever since the death of black man George Floyd at the hands of a white cop in Minneapolis during an arrest over a fake $20 bill.
But the yellow-clad activist moms have only taken to the streets since Saturday, driven by a need to protect fellow protesters after Trump sent in federal troops.
Mardy Widman, a 79-year-old grandmother of five, said she had stayed away from the protests against racial injustice for fear of contracting coronavirus but she felt compelled to act when federal agents arrived in the city.
'It's like a dictatorship,' Widman said Monday, holding up a sign that read: 'Grammy says: Please feds, leave Portland.'
'I mean, that he can pick on our city mostly because of the way we vote and make an example of it for his base is very frightening.'
Protesters are seen protecting themselves with makeshift shields and umbrellas as they faced off with federal agents Tuesday night
Federal officers disperse Black Lives Matter protesters outside the Mark O. Hatfield United States Courthouse early Wednesday morning
Federal agents faced off with protesters Tuesday night who have demanded the officers leave their city
Federal agents fire munitions into the crowd of protesters in front of the Mark O. Hatfield federal courthouse
Federal officers use chemical irritants and crowd control munitions to disperse Black Lives Matter protesters near the Mark O. Hatfield United States Courthouse early Wednesday morning
A federal officer is seen pinning down a Black Lives Matter protester outside the Portland courthouse on Tuesday
Federal agents detain a protester in front of the Mark O. Hatfield federal courthouse Tuesday night
The crowd is seen reacting as multiple munitions are launched their way during Tuesday night's demonstration
Protesters were seen Tuesday night holding up makeshift shields to keep them safe from rubber bullets
A protester reacts during a demonstration against the presence of federal law enforcement officers and racial inequality in Portland on Tuesday
Federal forces were deployed to Portland early July, and tensions have arisen between law enforcement and protesters ever since with claims their deployment has sparked more violence and reignited demonstrations that were dwindling in size.
'Right or left, I think here in the Pacific Northwest, we're all very much opposed to the federal government taking over our streets,' said Carlos, a demonstrator marching late Monday who asked to be identified only by his first name.
'When you send federal troops here, you're incensing the entire region.'
On July 11, a protester was hospitalized with critical injuries after a US Marshals Service officer struck him in the head with a round of less-lethal ammunition.
Anger flared again over the weekend after video surfaced of a federal agent hitting a Navy veteran repeatedly with a baton while another agent sprayed him in the face with pepper spray.
A statue of President Thomas Jefferson is defaced with paint and graffiti reading 'Slave owner and rapist' in the Chinook Land Autonomous Territory outside the Multnomah County Justice Center
Protests in Portland continued for the 55th night Tuesday as tensions escalate between federal agents and peaceful demonstrators
Protests demanding an end to racism and police brutality have taken place across Portland for almost two months - ever since a white cop 'murdered' black man George Floyd during an arrest over a fake $20 bill
But the yellow-clad activists have only taken to the streets since Saturday, driven by a need to protect fellow demonstrators after Trump sent in federal troops. Pictured the moms call on the federal agents to 'go home'
Protestors at the Mark O. Hatfield federal courthouse which has been covered in graffiti following weeks of protests
Demonstrators are seen chanting during Tuesday night's protest against police brutality
A group of federal agents are seen walking toward protesters during a demonstration on Tuesday night
Federal agents launched munitions into a crowd Tuesday night, but a protester used a tennis racquet to launch a munition right back
Richard Cline, principal deputy director of the Federal Protective Service, told reporters Tuesday that the officers are part of the Marshals Service and that the Justice Department's inspector general is investigating.
The US Department of Homeland Security’s Customs and Border Protection (CBP) arm confirmed on Tuesday it has deployed officers from three paramilitary-style units to join a federal crackdown on protests in Portland.
'We have agents and officers from our special operations groups deployed,' a CBP official said in an email. The official did not respond to questions about the number of officers deployed.
CBP, which patrols land borders and operates checkpoints for people arriving at US airports and other transportation hubs, has three specially trained units that have deployed officers to Portland, the official told Reuters.
According to the CBP’s website, one of these units, the Border Patrol Tactical Unit, 'provides an immediate response capability to emergent and high-risk incidents requiring specialized skills and tactics'.
CBP said it also sent agents from its Border Patrol Search, Trauma and Rescue and Special Response teams to Portland.
Senator Ron Wyden, an Oregon Democrat, criticized the Trump administration’s deployment of such forces.
'Donald Trump has no justification for deploying paramilitary troops to the streets of Portland or any other American city,' Wyden said.
'These occupying forces are creating conflict, attacking peaceful protesters and making my hometown more dangerous. For Portland to find peace, Trump needs to pull unwanted federal agents out of our city immediately.'
Demonstrators are seen barricading the doors of the Mark O. Hatfield federal courthouse Tuesday night
A protester is seen holding a 'go home' sign near others carrying makeshift shields outside the Portland courthouse
Demonstrators are seen carrying umbrellas and makeshift shields during a face-off with federal agents
Myke Tabarres is seen leading a Wall of Moms in chants during Tuesday night's demonstration
Protesters duck behind makeshift shields while wearing helmets and other guards to protect them from rubber bullets
Federal agents are seen standing outside the courthouse as they observe protesters Tuesday night
Protesters are seen entering the perimeter of the courthouse during a demonstration on Tuesday night in Portland
Allegations have also surfaced of federal agents whisking people away in unmarked cop cars without probable cause.
On Monday, video showed federal agents in Portland firing tear gas at protesters pulling down fencing around the federal courthouse.
Federal agents again used force to scatter protesters early Tuesday and deployed tear gas and rubber bullets as some banged on the doors of the Mark O. Hatfield Federal Courthouse and tried to pull plywood off the shuttered entryway.
The boarded-up courthouse, which has been a focus of protests, is now covered with graffiti.
Portland police said some protesters lit fires in the street and tried several times to set them at the courthouse doors.
Oregon's governor and Portland's mayor have expressed anger over the presence of the federal agents, saying the city's protests had started to ease just as the federal agents started taking action and stoking up more hostility.
'It is time for the Trump troops to go home and focus their attention on other activities,' Democratic Gov. Kate Brown told MSNBC.
The 'Wall of Moms' march heads to the justice center as night falls Tuesday, with many linking and wearing face masks and helmets
Hundreds of protesters wearing yellow gather along the Portland waterfront as the 'Wall of Moms' march begins
Protesters pose for chalk outlines on the ground in remembrance of black lives lost in police custody
The moms have gathered demanding the federal agents go home as several lawsuits have also been filed against the Trump administration over the move to send in troops
Crowds in Portland had recently numbered fewer than 100 people but swelled to more than 1,000 over the weekend as outrage grew at the federal agents' presence and their heavy-handed tactics.
While outrage has been building in the streets over the move, lawsuits have also been filed against the Trump administration.
One suit filed Tuesday claims federal agents are violating protesters' 10th Amendment rights by engaging in police activities designated to local and state governments.
The legal action was filed by the Portland-based Western States Center, which helps organize and promote the rights of communities of color and low-income people.
This comes after Oregon's attorney general sued last week, asking a judge to block federal agents' actions.
The state argued that masked agents have arrested people on the street, far from the US courthouse that's become a target of vandalism, with no probable cause.
Trump is showing no signs of backing down after he said Monday he would also send federal agents to other cities including Baltimore, Chicago, New York and Philadelphia to crack down on protests there.
No comments:
Post a Comment