Thread by @kazweida

This #SundayMorning , we're diving deeper into Portland. There's every reason to believe DHS acting as on occupying force & kidnapping citizens off the street is a trial run for fascist crackdowns nationwide.

But why Portland? And can the feds be stopped?
thecut.com/2020/07/portla…

(2) DHS's Chad Wolf claims federal forces are in Portland waging a campaign of intimidation because they're protecting federal buildings (specifically the courthouse) from graffiti.

Local & state officials have asked the feds to leave. They've refused.

aclu.org/news/criminal-…

(3) Here's where it's tricky. Feds are using Trump's executive order to "protect" monuments & coronavirus emergency powers to justify moving beyond the federal courthouse & into Portland's streets.

ACLU & Oregon AG have sued to remove DHS from the city.
voanews.com/usa/aclu-us-fe…

(4) @JeffMerkley is introducing legislation to resolve confusion about the scope of federal law enforcement. His bill limits deployment to federal property, requires visible identification, and mandates feds have permission from state & local authorities.

npr.org/transcripts/89…

(5) This still begs the question of why the DHS chose Portland to wage this authoritarian war. Portland is pretty progressive and they have Democratic leadership at both the state & local level that generally supports BLM & police reform.

Why Portland?
oregonlive.com/opinion/2020/0…

(6) Despite Portland's progressive vibe, the city has a police force well known for their brutality.

Portland police are currently being sued by the ACLU for deploying tear gas against journalists and legal observers in defiance of the Governor's orders.

wweek.com/news/city/2020…

(7) The feds are stepping into a simmering bed of tensions in this city and essentially lighting the fuse. Previously protests had calmed & were confined to a one-block radius downtown.

As expected, the actions taking by DHS have worsened the situation.

cbs58.com/news/protester…

(8) But you can't talk about what's happening in Portland without understanding why the city is considered the home of clashes between right-wing and left-wing ideologies.

Why is there such a powerful white militia presence in Oregon?

latimes.com/world-nation/s…

(9) Recall that previously, Oregon Republicans have been accused of working directly with militia groups in the state to encourage and organize armed insurrection.

The capital was shut down & state police were called in 2019 after escalating threats.

theguardian.com/us-news/2017/m…

(10) The answer to this charged atmosphere lies in Oregon's history back when it petitioned for statehood as a white separatist state.

Oregon's original Consitution actually banned black people from entering the state & it became a KKK stronghold.

rollingstone.com/politics/polit…

(11) When we talk about feds invading the streets of Portland & sweeping up BLM protesters, we can't divorce it from this history of white supremacy.

By choosing Portland for an authoritarian crackdown the Trump administration is signaling to white supremacists & the far right.

(12) These boys in camo are a dog whistle to militias that they can step out of the shadows & terrorize citizens without consequences

They are waging war in American streets not against graffiti but in support of the idea that property matters more than the lives of black people

(13) DHS promising this campaign will go nationwide is a declaration that the armed, white minority can hold American cities hostage.

Let's hope our democracy, under the stress of a wildly mismanaged pandemic, isn't too anemic to fight back.

(END) Thanks to @CarlyleBlkwl18 for the #SundayMorning thread suggestion. Come back next week and we'll do this again.

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