Thread by @letsgomathias

NEW: Unidentified cops tossed a protester into an unmarked van in Spokane.

The arrest of Jeremy Logan — co-chair of his local @DemSocialists — appears politically-motivated, by a sheriff hostile to "antifa."

In jail, feds tried to interview Jeremy. huffpost.com/entry/jeremy-l…

Jeremy was on his way to protest. 2 friends witnessed the arrest & confirmed Jeremy's story to @HuffPost.

6 or so officers, most in plainclothes, some armed, refused to name their law enforcement agency.

They told Jeremy he had an outstanding warrant. huffpost.com/entry/jeremy-l…

Jeremy admits he has a 2013 warrant for unpaid fines in another county.

@HuffPost confirmed the officers belonged to Spokane County Sheriff's Office, which would not explain why it felt suddenly compelled to arrest Jeremy on an old out-of-county warrant huffpost.com/entry/jeremy-l…

Sheriff's office spokesman said Jeremy had "made threatening public statements toward law enforcement in the past" but would not elaborate on the nature of those statements. (“I’ve been really critical,” Jeremy said, “but never made a threat of any kind.”) huffpost.com/entry/jeremy-l…

The sheriff's office did not respond to HuffPost questions about whether Jeremy's arrest was in retaliation for statements he's made critical of the police, or whether it was trying to pressure him to give up intel to the feds abt his fellow activists. huffpost.com/entry/jeremy-l…

Instead, the sheriff lashed out at HuffPost for writing this story at all. huffpost.com/entry/jeremy-l…

The Spokane County sheriff — like so many other law enforcement leaders this summer — tried to blame "antifa" members from out of town for property destruction at a demonstration in May. He never provided evidence for the claim. huffpost.com/entry/jeremy-l…

"They might have something good for you,” Jeremy says a sheriff's office employee told him abt the federal agents at the jail.

Jeremy saw this an attempt to pressure him to give up intel abt his fellow activists. He refused to talk to them. huffpost.com/entry/jeremy-l…

There have been multiple accounts this summer of federal agents attempting to interview arrested protesters about their political beliefs. Check out this @rdevro story for example: theintercept.com/2020/06/04/fbi…

Now @spokanedsa is calling on city gov to investigate Jeremy's arrest.

“We are deeply concerned that the proliferation of unaccountable, non-transparent policing and police-like activity mirrors historical patterns of authoritarianism," the group said. huffpost.com/entry/jeremy-l…

I should add that the sheriff's office confirmed that the federal agents attempted to interview Jeremy in jail.
huffpost.com/entry/jeremy-l…

I should also add that I found this story very scary & unsettling to report.

huffpost.com/entry/jeremy-l…

Lastly, I think we should be very very worried about law enforcement feeling emboldened to get away with whatever they want right now, and going after political opponents.

They know they have the support of the White House. huffpost.com/entry/jeremy-l…