Think federal cops in Portland are scary? Cops use 'jump-out boys' all the time
Think federal cops in Portland are scary? Cops use 'jump-out boys' all the time
Brandon Soderberg and Baynard Woods
Plainclothes police ‘jump-out boys’ terrorize American cities. Sometimes they become all-out criminal gangs
Wed 29 Jul 2020 06.16 EDT
People in Portland, Oregon, have protested against racism and policing for more than 50 consecutive nights, following the police killing of George Floyd on 25 May. The violence of the police response has further stoked the anger of protesters, as it has around the country.
In response, President Trump has empowered federal agents under the Department of Homeland Security to detain and arrest protesters. Many around the world were shocked when Oregon Public Broadcasting reported that federal agents wearing camouflage were driving around in unmarked vehicles, snatching up protesters and speeding away.
That description sounded all too familiar. We’ve spent much of the last five years reporting on the Baltimore police department. In reporting our new book, I Got a Monster: The Rise and Fall of America’s Most Corrupt Police Squad, we found that police units in unmarked cars have long used terror and confusion to destabilize communities.
During the uprising following the death of Freddie Gray in police custody in 2015, the national guard snatched up one protester and police attacked another on live television. Away from the cameras, we witnessed other agencies with unmarked uniforms rounding citizens onto school buses, for mass detention, often without ever formally charging them.
More:
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/jul/29/think-the-federal-cops-in-portland-are-scary-police-use-these-tactics-all-the-time
