Oregon Attorney General Files Lawsuit to Block Suppression of Protest by Federal Forces
Demonstrations continue to grow in Portland
despite state repression, July 22, 2020.
Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum filed a
lawsuit against federal forces July 18, asking for
a restraining order to stop federal agents from
making arrests. The suit accuses federal agents of
arresting protesters without probable cause,
whisking them away in unmarked cars and using
excessive force. It is directed against agents
with Homeland Security, including U.S. Customs and
Border Protection, the Federal Protection Service
and the U.S. Marshals Service.
 The lawsuit states
that federal officers "have been using unmarked
vehicles to drive around downtown Portland, detain
protesters, and place them into the officers'
unmarked vehicles, removing them from public
without either arresting them or stating the basis
for an arrest, since at least Tuesday, July 14."
"The identity of the officers is not known, nor
is their agency affiliation, according to videos
and reports that the officers in question wear
military fatigues with patches simply reading
'POLICE,' with no other identifying information,"
the lawsuit continues. It says that such actions
compel citizens who are "reasonably afraid of
being picked up and shoved into unmarked vans --
possibly by federal officers, possibly by
individuals opposed to the protests" from
exercising their First Amendment right to
assembly.
The lawsuit is mainly focussed on the issue of
arrests so it remains to be seen whether even with
an injunction, the violence against the
demonstrators and their suppression by the federal
forces will continue. Rosenblum has so far not
said that her office will take action to arrest
federal officers involved in the illegal arrests
and excessive use of force. To date, only the
District Attorney for Philadelphia has said he
will make such arrests.
This article was published in
Volume 50 Number 27 - July 25, 2020
Article Link:
Oregon Attorney General Files Lawsuit to Block Suppression of Protest by Federal Forces
Website: www.cpcml.ca
Email: editor@cpcml.ca
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