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| blog.google |
A very happy new week to you. Yours Truly spent the weekend recovering from a very painful pulled hip muscle. As much as Yours Truly tried to rest it, Blogger still had things to do. Let us just say, it made Blogger's weekly pedicure wee more of a challenge. Onward
Federal troops in American cities. A sight not seen almost never. It is a terrifying thought, the idea of of federal troops patrolling American streets, possibly firing on American citizens. It violates every fundamental value held dear by every American. Yet that was the recent scene in Portland, Oregon. Why were they there in the first place?
Like other American cities, Portland was the scene of racial justice protests following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Thousands took to the streets, demanding police reform and racial equality. There were violent clashes between police and protesters. Although the protests were largely peaceful, more recent protests have been marred by escalating violence, resulting property damage, arrests and accusations of police brutality. A few weeks ago federal troops began cracking down on crowds gathering in Portland, against the express wishes of state and local officials. This has drawn widespread criticism and legal challenges (bbc.com; July 20, 2020; date accessed Aug. 3, 2020)
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| Protesters in Portland, Oregon npr.org |
The scene in Portland resembled something straight out of authoritarian regime: "Federal officers in unmarked vehicles appeared to forcefully seize protesters from the streets and detain them without justification" (Ibid). The officers fired tear gas and less-lethal ammunition on crowds. Acting Department of Homeland Security Chad Wolf called the demonstrators,
...violent mob...anarchists (Ibid)
Portland officials have drawn sharp distinction between the peaceful majority that make up the protesters and the few intent on making trouble. Facing a tough re-election this November, the president is determined to bring the civil unrest and portray himself as the "Law and Order president," by sending more federal troops to cities like Chicago and Atlanta, cities run by Democratic female mayors. Are you surprised?
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| Chicago Mayor Lori LIghtfoot chicago.gov |
On the 20th of July, the Trump administration announced it will be sending federal officers into Chicago and perhaps other cities run by Democrats, ideally to fight crime in those cities. This move is similar to what the administration did in Oregon: "...unidentified officers from Customs and Border Protection operating under Trump's Executive Order to protect monuments and federal property have clashed with local protesters, sometimes grabbing them off the streets and forcing them into unmarked vans" (billmoyers.com; July 20, 2020; date accessed Aug. 3, 2020). Never one to miss an opportunity to add his hyperbolic opinion on any given subject, the president said,
We're looking at Chicago, too...We're looking at New York. All run by very liberal Democrats. All run, really by the radical left.... This is worse than anything anyone's ever seen. And you know what? If Biden got in, that would be true for the country. The whole country would go to hell (Ibid)
In the interest of full clarity, while there has been a recent uptick in criminal activity, however, most major cities are experiencing long-term decrease in crime, especially violent crime (Ibid).
Chicago has not experienced protests in the same way as Portland prompting the administration to use a different justification to send law enforcement to Illinois' biggest city. The Chicago deployment, named Operation Legend, was announced by Attorney General William Barr on July 8th. Operation Legend, named for LeGend Taliferro the four-year-old victim of gun fire, authorizes "...federal agents from the FBI, US Marshal Service, DEA and ATF to into US cities to help state and local officials fight the surge of violent crime" (billmoyers.com; July 20, 2020).
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| U.S. Attorney General William Barr bloomberg.com |
The scope of the operation is unclear and Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot opposes the move, saying
We don't need federal agents without any insignia taking people off the streets and holding, I think, unlawfully... (Ibid)
Mayor Lightfoot suggested that if the Trump administration genuinely wanted to help, it should focus on on gun safety and community development.
Secretary Wolf dismissed objections to federal interventions in Chicago or anywhere else. He declared,
I don't need invitations by the state, state mayors, or state governors to do our job. We're going to do that, whether they like us there or not (Ibid).
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| Acting DHS Secretary Chad Wolfe abcnews.go.com |
Another disturbing development from the DHS is the announcement of an expanded domestic surveillance program. In a story post on Lawfareblog on July 20th, Steve Vladeck and Benjamin Wittes reported that DHS is enhancing its intelligence collection
...to mitigate the significant threat to homeland security [posed by] elevated threats targeting monuments, memorials, and statues.
This troubling development includes monitoring and collecting data on protesters, including their social media activity (billmoyers.com; July 20, 2020). You have to ask yourself why is the Trump administration sending the FBI and DEA to major American cities, specifically run by Democratic mayors?
Heather Cox Richardson explains, "The administration's unprecedented development of a federal police reflects that the US military has refused to support Trump's power grab" (Ibid). That refusal was further highlighted when the Defense Department officially banned all displays of Confederate flags on US military property, including barracks and common areas (billmoyers.com; July 20, 2020) contradicting the Trump administration's dogged defense of Confederate monuments.
It is particularly fascinating to pay attention to fact that the Trump administration has gone after Chicago, a city with an African American female. Aside from ginning up racial fears, the administration appears to have embraced the vile misogyny of the right-wing media.
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| Dr. Anthony Fauci throwing out the first pitch tampabay.com |
Perhaps a good way to read the dispatch of federal troops to cities run by Democratic female mayors is a distraction from his lethally inept handling of the COVID-19 pandemic response. This tactic is not working too well for the president. Ms. Cox Richardson writes, "Trump's attempt to divert attention from the coronavirus and protests against police violence against Black Americans is not working" (billmoyers.com; July 20, 2020). The president is feebly attempting to characterize those who oppose as violent criminals, furiously tweeting promises of returning of LAW & ORDER--not the classic television show. But it is not working. Ms. Cox Richardson reports, "Only 33% of Americans approve of his handling of the coronavirus pandemic and only 31% approved of his handling of race relations. And as for law and order: most people also trust Biden, rather than Trump, on that issue, too by, a margin of 49% to 42%" (billmoyers.com; July 20, 2020). In short, sending in federal troops to restore LAW & ORDER has backfired bigly.
In his eloquent essay for The Atlantic (theatlantic.com; June 2, 2020; date accessed Aug. 3, 2020), retired Navy admiral and former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mike Mullen wrote,
Even in the midst of the carnage we are witnessing, we must endeavor to see American cities and towns as our homes and our neighborhoods. They are not "battle spaces" to be dominated, and must never become.
We must ensure that African Americans--indeed all Americans--are given the same rights under the Constitution, the same justice under the law, and the same consideration we give to members of our own family. Our fellow citizens are not the enemy, and must never become so.
Too many foreign and domestic policy choices have become militarized; too many military missions have become politicized.
This is not the time for stunts. This is the time for leadership
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