Annoying Protester Unnecessarily Gassed by Retreating Feds in Portland
Federal officers deployed to “protect” the federal courthouse in Portland, Oregon used unnecessary force when they needlessly gassed an annoying protester last night. The protester was standing at SW 4th and Salmon across the street from Lownsdale Square which had been cleared out by the feds, so they took up a perimeter defensive position around the square. Lownsdale Square is federal property, so that is why they have no problem kicking people out by any means necessary and guarding the place. After the gas had largely cleared and people were not doing much of anything an annoying man started taunting them. He claimed to be associated with Jeffrey Epstein’s whistleblowers, Portland Mayord Ted Wheeler, and Oregon Governor Kate Brown. He told them to “look it up on Twitter” (we did and could not find anything) and said “shoot me.” Then they shot tear gas at him and retreated back to the courthouse.
What threat did this guy pose to them? He was not threatening them or standing in a place they needed to get to, in fact they were leaving when they attacked him. Does he deserve to be gassed just for being annoying? We don’t think so.
Federal agencies involved include the Department of Homeland Security, Federal Protective Service, Border Patrol, and U.S. Marshals. They were deployed under Donald Trump’s order to protect federal buildings and monuments. The sidewalk across the street and the ears of people in that area are not federal buildings or monuments. His attack on their ear drums and mental health is not an assault in the legal sense and does not justify using force to defend against.
Published at Wed, 22 Jul 2020 15:49:37 +0000