20,000 signatures reached
To: Donald Trump and Homeland Security Acting Secretary Chad Wolf and Acting Deputy Secretary Ken Cuccinelli
Remove federal law enforcement from Portland, Oregon
Respect the autonomy of the Portland government and remove all federal law enforcement sent in to police the city. Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler and other local officials didn’t ask for help from federal law enforcement and want them to leave the city immediately.
Why is this important?
Federal officers in camouflage and tactical gear filled Portland streets with tear gas, shot at protesters, and used unmarked vehicles to arrest and detain protesters.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Oregon calls it “flat-out unconstitutional” that protesters in Portland are being “shot in the head, swept away in unmarked cars, and repeatedly tear-gassed by uninvited and unwelcome federal agents.”
Federal authorities have no right to police an American city against the wishes of local leaders.
Sources:
1. “Feds Vowed to Quell Unrest in Portland. Local Leaders Are Telling Them to Leave.” The New York Times, July 17, 2020
https://act.moveon.org/go/141155?t=10&akid=268993%2E23524057%2EFCty61
2. "It was like being preyed upon’: Portland protesters say federal officers in unmarked vans are detaining them,” The Washington Post, July 17, 2020
https://act.moveon.org/go/141156?t=12&akid=268993%2E23524057%2EFCty61
3. “Tear gas, unmarked cars are used in protest arrests in Portland,” Los Angeles Times, July 17, 2020
https://act.moveon.org/go/141157?t=14&akid=268993%2E23524057%2EFCty61