President Donald Trump. (Photo: Kevin Sanders for California Globe)
President Trump Threatens Federal Law Enforcement Intervention In Oakland
‘City police failed to prevent damage, so so we sent federal officers’
By Evan Symon, July 22, 2020 6:26 am
Press play to hear a narrated version of this story, presented by AudioHopper.
On Monday, President Donald Trump noted that he may be sending federal law enforcement officials similar to those deployed in Portland, Oregon to Oakland and other cities across the U.S.
Growing unrest and violence in Portland, Ore.
Officials have noted that protesters have been threatening federal buildings and property, most notably the federal buildings in downtown Portland.
“City police failed to prevent damage, so so we sent federal officers,” said an unnamed Department of Homeland Security (DHS) representative in an interview with the California Globe on Tuesday. “They are unmarked, but they are being defensive. Any action you’ve seen from them has been in defense of the buildings.”
On CNN on Monday, Department of Homeland Security Acting Deputy Secretary Ken Cuccinelli noted that the unmarked officers were no different that local police officers who also use little to no markings.
“Literally, every police department in America has them,” said Cuccinelli.
However, those covering the ‘Battle of Portland‘ have seen and recorded acts of violence from both protesters angered by unmarked federal officer intervention in their protests against police brutality, racial injustice, and lack of police accountability, as well as federal officers and Portland police officers who have been trying to maintain order and disperse crowds.
While Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum and Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler have been trying to push federal officers out as they came “without invitation or warrant,” President Trump has said that he might expand federal officers to other cities across the U.S., including Oakland.
Possible federal intervention in Oakland
“I’m going to do something, that I can tell you,” said President Trump earlier in the week. “Because we’re not going to let New York and Chicago and Philadelphia and Detroit and Baltimore and all of these – Oakland is a mess. We’re not going to let this happen in our country.”
California and Oakland officials responded negatively to Trump on Monday and Tuesday, noting that Oakland did not have any civil unrest like Portland or New York has had.
“Oakland needs COVID relief – not troops – from our President,” noted Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf in an e-mailed statement. “He should stop slandering diverse, progressive cities like Oakland in his racist dog whistles and divisive campaign tactics.”
“While we are not experiencing any civil unrest right now, I can think of nothing more likely to incite it than the presence of Trump-ordered military troops into Oakland.”
Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA), who represents the Oakland area, agreed.
“This administration’s abuse of power in Portland can’t be further from the ideals of a democracy,” said Congresswoman Lee in a Tweet. “Trump needs to be reminded that: He’s not a dictator. People have a constitutional right to protest. Stay away from Oakland.”
This administration's abuse of power in Portland can't be further from the ideals of a democracy. Trump needs to be reminded that:
-He's not a dictator
-People have a constitutional right to protestStay away from Oakland. https://t.co/W2Fz0u2OTA
— Rep. Barbara Lee (@RepBarbaraLee) July 20, 2020
In a short statement, California Governor Gavin Newsom simply said “The answer is no, and we would reject it.”
Riots, protests, and federal officer murders in Oakland this year
While Oakland has not seen any large-scale riots or continuous protests, there have been several protests in and around Oakland since the George Floyd incident in late May. Protests on May 30th in Oakland ended with a federal officer being shot and killed with another wounded. The Oakland riots, which also included mass property damage, were widely denounced for being violent, with the DHS even calling the federal officer shootings an act of terrorism. While the protests in Oakland have largely been peaceful since June, Oakland was included on the intervention list largely because of the murder of the federal officer.
“Oakland has seen many protests since then, especially with Black Lives Matters (BLM),” said Darren Gates, a BLM protester in and around the Bay Area, to the Globe. “But after the fed was killed, things clicked differently. And they didn’t forget what happened here.”
“We were out there July 4th staging a peaceful protest. We’ve been non-violent. But they didn’t forget. That’s why Trump is sending [federal officers] out. The cities he mentioned all have high African-American populations, but I admit that those are the areas that have seen larger protests because of that too.”
It is currently known when, or if even, Trump sends out federal officers to Oakland and the other cities he mentioned, although many believe that the result of what happens in Portland will be the deciding factor.
“If Portland is quelled, then we won’t see troops here,” explained Gates. “But if it isn’t, then we may see them. That’s the general feeling right now.”
“And we don’t want feds here.”
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Oakland needs COVID relief – not troops .
LMMO
(Laughing my mask off)
We also have a Constitutional right to gather in Churches and homes to worship and praise our God…doesn’t seem to matter to Barbara Lee that the governor has taken that right away from WE THE PEOPLE.
Our AWOL Governor just bought a 24 million dollar house so he has more important things on his mind than to do anything about the thugs in Oakland.
Libby has been terrorized by the BLM mob and her home attacked yet she still does not get it. There is no hope for brain dead liberals like her and by extension her city.
Berkeley leftest thinking spread into Oakland a long time ago. It is probably the most far left city outside of Berkeley, San Francisco and Marin. The Oakland Mayor is to the left of left, she may come off as a rational politician but she is not! I think it is disgusting that she used the black community in her statement to justify letting things get out of control. Oakland has been unsafe for decades. She is just looking for a federal handout, she could care less about the safety of her community. Get a grip Mayor Schaff or the feds will be paying you a visit and they will not graffiti or send you threatening messages as your dear BLM friends have. Who do you want to partner with Mayor?
Gavin Newsom is buying his multi million dollar dream home with all that China money. Gavin will purchase his own school so his kids don’t have to wear masks and do what he has enforced on the rest of the state. Then Newsom will buy his own police force to protect his little compound, paid using our tax dollars after they de-fund the police. Unbelievable.
She is dancing with the devil. As Kyle Reese said in the Terminator – “It (BLM, Antifa) can’t be bargained with. It can’t be reasoned with. It doesn’t feel pity, or remorse, or fear. And it absolutely will not stop, ever, until you are dead!”