Confrontations between protesters and federal agents in Portland, Oregon, have become a national flashpoint as Donald Trump’s law-and-order-focused re-election campaign has run up against protests over police brutality and systemic racism. Eager for continued confrontation, the president has now turned his attention to other cities.
Here’s an updated explanation of what’s going on and why:
What is happening in Portland?
Since the killing of George Floyd by police officers in Minneapolis on 25 May, protesters have been out on the streets every night in the largest city in Oregon, a bastion of progressive politics but with a dark history of police violence towards African Americans.
Why are federal agents involved?
Seeking to focus his re-election campaign on law and order – and, many would argue, to exploit racial tension and division – Trump has sent in officers from agencies under the Department of Justice and Department of Homeland Security (DHS), to reinforce and in some cases replace local police. The White House has repeated the justification that the agents have been sent to protect federal property.
What does Trump hope to gain?
The president has been accused of indulging in “performative authoritarianism” and “made-for-TV fascism”, but as he trails Joe Biden in national and battleground state polls he is hoping to rev up his base. Trump has painted the protests as fueled by “anarchists” whom Democrats are afraid to take on. Agents are already in Kansas City and will be sent to Chicago, where gun violence has risen sharply , and Albuquerque, New Mexico. Other cities could follow. As in Portland, the Chicago move sparked confrontation with a Democratic mayor.
Portland protests: why Trump has sent in federal agents – video report
Why is Trump targeting other cities?
On Wednesday, Trump announced a “surge” of federal officers to Chicago ostensibly to combat gun crime and other violence. In response the mayors of Chicago, Los Angeles, Atlanta and 11 other cities wrote to the administration, accusing the president of an abuse of power and alleging that “federal law enforcement is being deployed for political purposes”.
“Unilaterally deploying these paramilitary-type forces into our cities is wholly inconsistent with our system of democracy and our most basic values,” they wrote.
What are the agents doing?
Many have operated without identification and in camouflage gear, using tactics denied to police by the courts: firing teargas or, according to witness accounts provided to the Guardian, seizing protesters and holding them without due process. Like police officers, agents have been accused of using undue violence. According to Trump press secretary Kayleigh McEnany, the White House “always encourage[s] the appropriate use of force”.
The mayors who wrote to Trump also said they were disturbed at the actions of federal agents in Portland, calling their failure to wear proper identification and the snatching of protesters “chilling”.
“These are tactics we expect from an authoritarian regime – not our democracy,” the letter said.
Are protesters violent?
The demonstrations evolve each night. Large protests that begin around dusk, which have been swelling by the day, are invariably peaceful and generally keep the focus on the Black Lives Matter cause. They are held in front of the county Justice Center and jail, on the block next to the federal courthouse. Authorities have not interfered.
After that, many protesters go home while others move across to the courthouse guarded by federal paramilitaries. Some have attempted to break boarding on the courthouse windows, barricaded the entrance and lit fires under the building’s portico. Demonstrators repeatedly tore down fencing erected around the courthouse until authorities put up a steel barricade backed by concrete blocks. Protesters’ attempts to move this barrier, along with the setting of small fires and the shooting of fireworks, usually prompt a response from the federal agents.
Agents from the Federal Protective Service, the DHS security police division, claim to have had lasers shone in their eyes.
A small hard core of protesters, kitted out in helmets and gas masks, turns out each night looking for a fight and have been criticised by some black leaders for distracting from the Black Lives Matter cause. However, the federal intervention has boosted support for the protests, which had been dwindling. Crowds are now swelling into the thousands each evening.
The action is confined to one area of downtown. Local media report that for most residents in Portland, life goes on as usual – though under pandemic restrictions.
What do Trump’s opponents say?
Portland’s mayor, Ted Wheeler, has said the agents are making the situation worse. After he was caught up in a teargassing, he said its use was unjustified and unprovoked. Critics pointed out that Portland police, over whom Wheeler has authority, have regularly used teargas against Black Lives Matter protesters.
A US senator from Oregon, Jeff Merkley, described the use of federal paramilitaries as “an all-out assault in military-style fashion”, while Governor Kate Brown filed the first of a barrage of lawsuits. Oregon’s attorney general, state lawmakers, social justice groups and others have filed legal actions over the federal agents’ failure to wear identifying insignia and detention without proper procedure or charge.
What does this mean for America?
Experts have said Trump risks precipitating a constitutional crisis by circumventing state and city governments and denying basic rights of assembly, free speech and lawful arrest.
Ron Wyden, the other US senator from Oregon, said the wider deployment of federal agents meant the US is “staring down the barrel of martial law” as it approaches a presidential election.
“The violent tactics deployed by Donald Trump and his paramilitary forces against peaceful protesters are those of a fascist regime, not a democratic nation,” Wyden said in a statement.
Will it work for Trump?
Recent polling suggests not, putting Biden as the candidate Americans trust more to handle law and order. But it’s going to be a long, hot summer. Protesters show no sign of backing down. Nor does Trump.
