What you need to know on the federal response in Portland and the legal questions it raises
WASHINGTON – As in many cities across the country, sustained demonstrations against police brutality erupted in Portland following the May 25 death of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody.
Nearly two months later, the nightly clashes prompted by Floyd’s death have been largely overtaken by a bitter politically-charged struggle pitting Oregon officials against the federal government and its deployment of dozens of agents to local streets.
The federal action has raised difficult legal questions about local control in Portland and the tactics employed by federal agents largely attired in combat camouflage and whose agency affiliations are not always known. It has also drawn comparisons to an aggressive federal response to largely peaceful protests last month in the shadow of the White House.
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Analysts, however, have sharply criticized the insertion of immigration enforcement officers from their largely rural border assignments to an unfamiliar urban environment.
“It’s just not their role or expertise,” said Gil Kerlikowske, a former Customs and Border Protection commissioner in the Obama administration. “I was shocked that (the Border Patrol Tactical Unit) BORTAC would be used. All of these guys are totally a bad fit."
“These teams are not doing anything more than providing political theater for an audience of one,” Kerlikowske said, referring to President Donald Trump. “Policing in an urban area and policing civil disturbance is not anything they have experience or training for.”
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/what-you-need-to-know-on-the-federal-response-in-portland-and-the-legal-questions-it-raises/ar-BB1742O3?li=BBnb7Kz
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