• About
  • Advertise
  • Careers
  • Write for us
  • Contact
  • Terms of service
Saturday, May 21, 2022
The Millennial Source
TMS
Home WORLD

Are the police really abducting people in Portland, Oregon?

byJoseph Lyttleton
July 20, 2020
in WORLD
Are the police really abducting people in Portland, Oregon?

Source: John Rudoff/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on Linkedin



Last week, a video of unidentified law enforcement officers in Portland, Oregon grabbing a protester off the street appeared online. In the video, two men dressed in military camouflage with the word “Police” on the front of their uniforms approach a person in black, seize them and drive them away in an unmarked van with tinted windows. The “police” display no other visible identification and never speak on video.

After the video went viral, some questioned its legitimacy while others warned it was evidence of an authoritarian, military takeover by the federal government. With President Donald Trump having repeatedly vowed to use military force to quell nationwide protests, observers fear the events in Portland may represent a willingness to embrace dictatorial tactics to squash social unrest.

Secret police in Portland

On July 15, Twitter user @Matcha_chai uploaded a 39-second video of two unidentified officers taking away a presumed protester. Of the content of the video, she says, “These federal officers (?) just rushed up and arrested someone for no reason.”

These federal officers (?) just rushed up and arrested someone for no reason pic.twitter.com/xcFVuoMZmN

— Matcha chai (@matcha_chai) July 15, 2020

The officers do not respond to repeated questions asking what they are doing, but approach a person with their hands up and put them into an unmarked van. The law enforcement officers, whose uniforms have no personal identification, never speak.

The license plate on the van cannot be made out in the video and at no point is the person who is presumably being arrested informed of their rights. Someone in the background can be heard saying, “Kidnapping people.”

Protests have been taking place in Portland for nearly two months. They began in response to the police killing of George Floyd but have expanded to include a broad range of grievances related to racial inequality as well as police overreach. 

While most protests have been peaceful, some have involved “unidentified protesters taking part in violent demonstrations that devolve into arson and vandalism.”

Was the Portland video real?

The video was soon picked up by other accounts and spread across social media. One group, The Sparrow Project, claimed, “Militarized Federal Agents from a patchwork of outside agencies have begun policing Portland (in rented minivans vans[sic]) without the explicit approval of the mayor, the state, or local municipalities.”

Some viewers were skeptical, with one asking, “is this whole thing staged? There is way too much going on here to believe, but if it is true, it’s appalling on every level.” Most commentators, however, accepted the veracity of the video and expressed dismay at practices they deemed similar to those of the Nazi secret police and other authoritarian states.

This is it folks. The final solution. The coup d’etat now has an army. SS disguised as DHS. Russian assets aligned with Nazis. A white supremacist army directed by the “Justice Department.” The civil war has begun. And only one side is fighting it. @SteveSchmidtSES @MalcolmNance https://t.co/K6IE3AmosB

— Stevie Van Zandt (@StevieVanZandt) July 18, 2020

Army veteran Fred Wellman expressed concern that the apprehended person had no way of knowing who was arresting them and that there was every possibility the uniformed agents were not law enforcement at all, but simply two people pretending to be law enforcement. Without identification, the two camouflaged men could have been anyone.

In Portland, a suspect in a crime must be read his or her Miranda rights “prior to questioning about the crime, if the suspect is in custody or is not free to go.”

Verification of federal agents

On July 17, the United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) released a statement verifying that the viral video was real.

“CBP agents had information indicating the person in the video was suspected of assaults against federal agents or destruction of federal property. Once CBP agents approached the suspect, a large and violent mob moved towards their location. For everyone’s safety, CBP agents quickly moved the suspect to a safer location for further questioning. The CBP agents identified themselves and were wearing CBP insignia during the encounter. The names of the agents were not displayed due to recent doxing incidents against law enforcement personnel who serve and protect our country.”

That same day, Mark Morgan, the acting Commissioner of CBP said in a tweet that the agency would “continue to arrest the violent criminals that are destroying federal property & injuring our agents/officers in Portland. CBP will restore and maintain law & order.”

.@CBP will continue to arrest the violent criminals that are destroying federal property & injuring our agents/officers in Portland. CBP will restore and maintain law & order. pic.twitter.com/fYgzpTwPWh

— CBP Mark Morgan (@CBPMarkMorgan) July 17, 2020

Two days later, Trump tweeted, “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.”

Is Portland the beginning of an authoritarian dictatorship?

Democrats and liberals swiftly condemned the actions of the CBF agents in Portland.

US Representative Joaquin Castro, a Texas Democrat, tweeted the video on Sunday, saying, “This is what dictators do. These authoritarian actions have no place in our democracy.”

Trump’s use of unidentified and unwanted federal agents in Portland, pulling protestors into unmarked vans without cause, is not only unconstitutional—it’s dangerous.

This is what dictators do.

These authoritarian actions have no place in our democracy.pic.twitter.com/MTnjfBqJrN

— Joaquin Castro (@JoaquinCastrotx) July 19, 2020

Likewise, Senator Kamala Harris said what was happening in Portland was “right out of the authoritarian playbook,” while Senator Bernie Sanders warned, “Now is the time to come together and defeat Trump’s authoritarian policies.”

Writing for Esquire, the liberal author Charles P. Pierce called the Portland events a “dress rehearsal” for a nationalized federal takeover of American cities, similar to what was seen in Chile under Augusto Pinochet.

Many have criticized the actions in Portland as an overreaction to graffiti. However, some Republicans have voiced support for the actions, saying they’re restoring law and order in a city overrun by anarchists and criminals.

Representative Dan Crenshaw, a Texas Republican, tweeted on Friday, “Democrats are openly accepting mob violence, while disparaging law enforcement as ‘stormtroopers’ … Americans must understand that voting Democrat is a vote against safety and order.”

Crenshaw also included a link to arrests made in Portland on July 16. Other than one assault of a public safety officer, most of the arrests were for “Disorderly Conduct II” or “Interfering with a Peace Officer.”

In Oregon, disorderly conduct in the second degree is a Class B misdemeanor in which a person causes “public inconvenience, annoyance or alarm, or recklessly creating a risk thereof.” Infractions under this category range from violence to obstructing traffic to making “unreasonable noise.”

Have a tip or story? Get in touch with our reporters at tips@themilsource.com

Like TMS? Subscribe to our free daily newsletter

Related

Tags: Longer readNorth AmericaPolitics
ShareTweetShare

Latest Posts

SEC Wall Street

The US SEC investigates Wall Street over use of unapproved messaging apps

May 19, 2022
US recession

There is a “very, very high risk” of a US recession, says Goldman Sachs Chairman Lloyd Blankfein

May 17, 2022
Philippines

US, China, Russia congratulate Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. on Philippine election win

May 13, 2022

Securing 1,416 votes, former security chief John Lee is now Hong Kong’s new leader

May 9, 2022

What you need to know about the Philippine presidential election right now

May 9, 2022

US hikes rates by half-percentage point, rules out bigger future rate increases

May 5, 2022

What is the US Supreme Court abortion law leak, and why does it matter?

May 4, 2022

What you need to know about Pelosi’s secret trip to Kyiv

May 2, 2022

Warren Buffett is on a spending spree putting US$41 billion to work this quarter

May 2, 2022

SUBSCRIBE TO THE TMS NEWSLETTER

By providing your email, you agree to our Privacy Policy

The Millennial Source Ltd. 2021

No Result
View All Result
  • Your daily briefing
  • About us
  • Explore
    • Startups
    • Climate change
    • Tech giants
    • Crypto
    • The future of work
    • Banking giants
    • Economy
  • Lifestyle
  • TMS archives
  • Write for us
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy & Terms

© 2022 The Millennial Source Ltd.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Add New Playlist

We are using cookies to give you the best experience on our website.

You can find out more about which cookies we are using or switch them off in settings.

string(24) "jsonld single post debug"
The Millennial Source
Powered by  GDPR Cookie Compliance
Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.

Strictly Necessary Cookies

Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.

If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again.