Trump announces 'surge' of federal officers to Chicago

Authored by independent.co.uk and submitted by ohnoh18

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Donald Trump has announced he will “surge” federal law enforcement officers to Chicago “immediately” to quell violence there, building on a similar force already operating under legally questionable orders in Portland.

Democratic lawmakers have accused the president of using the federal police deployments as a campaign tactic, targeting cities with Democratic leadership. Part of his sales pitch for a second term, despite trailing former vice president Joe Biden nationally and in most key swing states, is that he is a “law-and-order president”. But majorities of American voters, according to multiple polls taken in recent weeks, oppose Mr Trump’s response to violence across the country, a large portion of which is linked to the killing of George Floyd and other black people by white police officers.

The FBI, ATF, Drug Enforcement Agency, US Marshals Service and Department of Homeland Security will send “hundreds” of what he called “very skilled” officers to Chicago “immediately”, he said during an East Room ceremony.

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The president said violent protesters in Chicago and other cities are breaking “multiple federal laws”, and he expects the federal police forces to make many arrests as Chicago’s mayor offered a lukewarm reaction.

“If those agents are here to actually work in partnership ... not trying to play police in our streets, then that’s something different, and that may add value,” said Democrat Lori Lightfoot. “But the proof is going to be in the pudding.”

Amid reports Kansas City is next, the president said additional deployments to other cities are coming soon. Specifically, he pointed to Albuquerque, New Mexico.

He accused Democratic officials at the local, state and national level of trying to defund the police and catering to violent undocumented immigrants as the announcement turned into yet another campaign event.

“Opportunity cannot thrive where there is violence,” he said. “Security cannot exist where there are violent criminals.”

Attorney general William Barr, who spoke after the president, added Kansas City to the list, saying others will be added to the list “in the weeks ahead”.

Mr Barr said recent violence is directly related to an “attack” on police, presumably the “defund the police” slogan pushed by some black activists and a number of Democratic lawmakers.

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When that slogan went viral earlier this year, many House and some Senate Democrats repeated it publicly. But they quickly were forced to scramble and explain they meant not to completely strip monies from police departments, explaining that they wanted to transfer some of their funding to other social programmes.

"This rampage of violence ... shocks our nation. ... We will not stand by and watch it," Mr Trump added, criticising Democratic leaders

“Shocking explosion of ... murders ... and heinous crimes,” the president said, vowing to “bring violent perpetrators to justice”.

“We just started this process and, frankly, we have no choice but to get involved,” he added, vowing to make “every city” safe. “We will bring that safety. You will see,” he said.

Shape Created with Sketch. Portland protesters clash with federal police Show all 17 left Created with Sketch. right Created with Sketch. Shape Created with Sketch. Portland protesters clash with federal police 1/17 A group of moms stands between federal agents and demonstrators during a Portland protest REUTERS 2/17 A group of moms link arms to stand between federal officers and demonstrators in Portland. The call themselves the 'Wall of Moms' REUTERS 3/17 Teal Lindseth reacts to tear gas after federal officers dispersed protesters from in front of the Mark O. Hatfield U.S. Courthouse in Portland, Oregon Getty Images 4/17 Federal officers disperse protesters at the Mark O. Hatfield United States Courthouse in Portland, Oregon, during demonstrations in favour of racial justice and against militarised federal officers making arrests AP 5/17 A protester flies an American flag while walking through tear gas fired by federal officers during a protest in front of the Mark O. Hatfield U.S. Courthouse in Portland, Oregon Getty Images 6/17 A federal officer pepper sprays a protester in front of the Mark O. Hatfield U.S. Courthouse in Portland, Oregon Getty Images 7/17 Federal police disperse a crowd of about a thousand protesters at the Mark O. Hatfield U.S. Courthouse in Portland, Oregon Getty 8/17 Federal officers use crowd control munitions to disperse Black Lives Matter protesters outside the Mark O. Hatfield United States Courthouse in Portland, Oregon AP 9/17 A protester reacts to milk poured on his eyes after being tear gassed during a protest against racial inequality in Portland, Oregon REUTERS 10/17 A Black Lives Matter protester carries an American flag as teargas fills the air outside the Mark O. Hatfield United States Courthouse in Portland, Oregon AP 11/17 Orion Crabb holds his head back while a medic rinses tear gas from his eyes after federal officers dispersed a crowd of about 1,000 protesters from in front of the Mark O. Hatfield U.S. Courthouse in Portland, Oregon Getty Images 12/17 Federal officers use crowd control munitions to disperse Black Lives Matter protesters in Portland, Oregon AP 13/17 A protester kicks in temporary boarding at the Mark O. Hatfield United States Courthouse in Portland, Oregon AP 14/17 A protester holds his hands in the air while walking past a group of federal officers during a protest in front of the Mark O. Hatfield U.S. Courthouse in Portland, Oregon Getty Images 15/17 Hundreds of Black Lives Matter protesters hold their phones aloft during a demonstration in Portland, Oregon, where militarised federal police have been arresting demonstrators AP 16/17 Federal police walk through tear gas while dispersing a crowd of about a thousand protesters at the Mark O. Hatfield U.S. Courthouse in Portland, Oregon Getty Images 17/17 KaCe Freeman chants during a Black Lives Matter protest outside the Mark O. Hatfield United States Courthouse in Portland, Oregon AP 1/17 A group of moms stands between federal agents and demonstrators during a Portland protest REUTERS 2/17 A group of moms link arms to stand between federal officers and demonstrators in Portland. The call themselves the 'Wall of Moms' REUTERS 3/17 Teal Lindseth reacts to tear gas after federal officers dispersed protesters from in front of the Mark O. Hatfield U.S. Courthouse in Portland, Oregon Getty Images 4/17 Federal officers disperse protesters at the Mark O. Hatfield United States Courthouse in Portland, Oregon, during demonstrations in favour of racial justice and against militarised federal officers making arrests AP 5/17 A protester flies an American flag while walking through tear gas fired by federal officers during a protest in front of the Mark O. Hatfield U.S. Courthouse in Portland, Oregon Getty Images 6/17 A federal officer pepper sprays a protester in front of the Mark O. Hatfield U.S. Courthouse in Portland, Oregon Getty Images 7/17 Federal police disperse a crowd of about a thousand protesters at the Mark O. Hatfield U.S. Courthouse in Portland, Oregon Getty 8/17 Federal officers use crowd control munitions to disperse Black Lives Matter protesters outside the Mark O. Hatfield United States Courthouse in Portland, Oregon AP 9/17 A protester reacts to milk poured on his eyes after being tear gassed during a protest against racial inequality in Portland, Oregon REUTERS 10/17 A Black Lives Matter protester carries an American flag as teargas fills the air outside the Mark O. Hatfield United States Courthouse in Portland, Oregon AP 11/17 Orion Crabb holds his head back while a medic rinses tear gas from his eyes after federal officers dispersed a crowd of about 1,000 protesters from in front of the Mark O. Hatfield U.S. Courthouse in Portland, Oregon Getty Images 12/17 Federal officers use crowd control munitions to disperse Black Lives Matter protesters in Portland, Oregon AP 13/17 A protester kicks in temporary boarding at the Mark O. Hatfield United States Courthouse in Portland, Oregon AP 14/17 A protester holds his hands in the air while walking past a group of federal officers during a protest in front of the Mark O. Hatfield U.S. Courthouse in Portland, Oregon Getty Images 15/17 Hundreds of Black Lives Matter protesters hold their phones aloft during a demonstration in Portland, Oregon, where militarised federal police have been arresting demonstrators AP 16/17 Federal police walk through tear gas while dispersing a crowd of about a thousand protesters at the Mark O. Hatfield U.S. Courthouse in Portland, Oregon Getty Images 17/17 KaCe Freeman chants during a Black Lives Matter protest outside the Mark O. Hatfield United States Courthouse in Portland, Oregon AP

He singled out Chicago, saying so many people have been shot there – including 23 on Tuesday – that recent crime numbers there “are not too be believed. Over Father’s Day weekend, 104 people were shot and 15 were killed, including five young children.”

“It’s just so sad to see ... how these lives have been just torn apart,” the president said, reading slowly and sombrely from an autocue, appearing to ad-lib at times.

The new deployments, expected to be carried out by federal officers under the wing of the Department of Justice, follow a controversial one to the Oregon city.

“We had a contained [situation], we were using our deescalation strategies. We were engaged in limited arrests of people who were engaged in illegal activity, that’s modern policing. And then these guys came in like a bulldozer,” Portland mayor Ted Wheeler said. “And what it did was re-energised Portlanders, it brought people back into the streets.”

Mr Wheeler and other Oregon Democrats are accusing the president of using the deployment there to help his bid for a second term. He has lost ground with suburban and older voters; Democrats claim he is trying to win back security-minded voters in a handful of battleground states experts say will decide the election on 3 November.

Legal experts and Democratic officials are questioning the legality of the deployments, saying they raise a raft of questions – although there is no serious push on Capitol Hill to try limiting or stopping them. Senior lawmakers are focused on trying to broker another coronavirus recovery deal.

One expert said some aspects of the federal police operations are probably legal, while others may not be.

“There’s definitely reason to be alarmed about what’s going on in Portland. And even if the federal officers are technically complying with the relevant statutes, there’s something more than just unseemly about camouflaged officers who refuse to identify themselves or their employer purporting to conduct arrests on the streets of American cities,” according to Steve Vladeck, a professor at the University of Texas School of Law. “Whether these officers are in fact abusing their authorities or not remains to be seen, but either answer would be deeply troubling.”

ReedRoy on July 22nd, 2020 at 21:56 UTC »

Protestors need to start bringing and waving large American flags at these protests and any veterans (EDIT:Not currently serving or else UCMJ will come down on you) need to show up in their non combat uniforms dress uniform. The ones that they take their pictures in.

The imagery alone of federal units ordered by trump to shoot holes into the American flag, gas those carrying it, and baton men in uniform would anger a lot of people who previously didn't pay much attention to this

Jvncvs on July 22nd, 2020 at 21:34 UTC »

What the fuck.

Deploying this new secret police to not just Portland and Chicago, but Kansas City too. With “more to be added to the list” from Barr.

This is outright authoritarianism and fascism, he has unlawfully seized the police, militarized them, deployed them against our own citizens, and shrouded them with anonymity and impunity.

This is not okay.

benning_17 on July 22nd, 2020 at 20:37 UTC »

Keep those phones charged, Chicago. Stay online.