conuly | Wait, what the hell is going on in Portland?

conuly

The fuck?

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

kengr

????

(I haven't been watching the news lately)

From:

dine

political theatre, the Cheeto's hope to prop up his self-proclaimed "law& order president" status. basically, federal forces are behaving as if this is an occupied zone, and their actions are actually escalating things

From:

heron61

My guess is it's more than theater - it's a test to see if what amounts of secret police (the nazis doing this crap seem to be Border Patrol) who lack anything like actual jurisdiction are free to kidnap and terrorize people to "restore order" - if this works and isn't stopped by either mass protests or Congressional action (meaning mass protests, since the Republinazis in the Senate clearly have no trouble with this sort of thing), I'm absolutely certain we'll see it in other places, and some of the people who are disappeared won't show up again (the later might already be true).

From:

cynthia1960

The regime tried using force in DC the day of 45's bible stunt. Since DC isn't a state, there was some ambiguity. Now, 45 is trying it in one of the 50 states, you are absolutely right. ICE has already sucked up citizens in their grip for years as they torment our undocumented neighbors, but now, it looks like they are tasked with crushing dissent. It may very well entail taking to the streets in as many places as possible.

From:

dine

sadly, that thought's been in the back of my mind for a few days now. unfortunately, it is so totally realistic, given 45 and the complete disregard his administration has for little things like the law

From:

sovay

My guess is it's more than theater - it's a test

That was my read also and I am worried about the people who have been disappeared. That verb does not traditionally end well.

From:

siderea

The fascism seems to have gotten started for real. Men in fatigues and no identifying information claiming to be law enforcement snatching protestors off the street and taking them away in unmarked rental cars.

Now I've heard at least one account from someone who was subsequently released. But, yeah, this is some gestapo level bullshit.

From:

heron61

Agreed. Also if they get away with this, I expect we'll see this in every major city in a swing state on election day (and a few days beforehand, to try to stop early voting).

From:

the_siobhan

Welp. This is terrifying.

From:

cynthia1960

I think they are going to target more major cities in blue states, not just to prop up appeal in swing states or play to the base, but unfortunately to appeal to red counties in blue states. I know of far too many places in California who would be delighted to see the feds go through my city (San José) or Oakland, just to name two.

From:

mtbc

I was glad to see the Oregon AG bringing a suit. These violations so badly need to be challenged. I hope the ACLU's getting plenty of donations.

From:

sabotabby

It's horrifying af. Finally made the news here today but I've been seeing shit on social media for days.

From:

moxie_man

Da orange-haird fuhrer has sent in his brown shirts. Be sure you have your papers ready, citizen, and make sure you have a very good forgery of your R-membership mixed in to them.

From:

wpadmirer

Seriously! No markings to identify which agency. People have said their uniforms don't match, that they appear to be geared up differently.

I'm wondering if it's some militia shit that Trump is funding. I wouldn't put it past him.

From:

conuly

Taking to the streets, taking to the barricades, same diff.

From:

conuly

Lawsuits presume that the people you're suing care about the law.

From:

conuly

JFC.

From:

cynthia1960

Yeah. I think it may be time to shift from listening to Hamilton to listening to Les Miserables for my musical theater fix. I also am trying to finish the source material, but, damn, Victor Hugo makes for a far different reading experience than Jane Austen.

From:

thewayne

Yeah. Definitely WTF. Our Beloved Leader is turning his private police force loose on mostly/entirely peaceful protesters and kidnapping them without the alleged law enforcement identifying themselves. I'd like to see some football teams out there as rapid-response kidnap attempt foilers: if they're not producing ID showing themselves as LEO, then a dozen big guys with attitudes will stop two unidentified potential kidnappers.

They're doing 'catch and release'. They take them away, lock them in a holding cell at the court house for 45 minutes, tell them their Miranda rights, ask them if they want to answer some questions, and they never identify themselves or produce ID. If the kidnap victim never cooperates, they're released. Apparently they're never processed in terms of fingerprinting, photographing, etc.

From:

kengr

It doesn't matter if *they* care about the law. What matters is if the *courts* do. and if there are still people will carry out the judgements of the courts.

I'm fairly sure the answer to both is still "yes".

Trump may be able to ignore rulings (though that's debatable), but the folks *doing* this could wind up in jail *themselves* if state and local law enforcement has a ruling to back them up.

From:

chomiji

‘It was like being preyed upon’: Portland protesters say federal officers in unmarked vans are detaining them - WaPo

Edited Date: 2020-07-18 08:12 pm (UTC)

From:

conuly

Or civil war.

From:

sgatazmy

It’s terrifying and only a few hours drive from here. I think Trump is using us as a testing ground of what he can get away with.

From:

silveradept

An occupying force that refuses to identify themselves in a state, engaging in fascist tactics. They deserve whatever response they get from the people who don't want them there.