The Department of Homeland Security has sent some entity of Federal law enforcement into Portland. No one knows who these guys are, as like the earlier incursion into DC, they are not wearing any identifying badges or insignia. Most likely these are Bureau of Prison and ICE agents who are snatching people off the street without charges or probably cause.
Trump, needless to say, is getting as close as he can get to an erection over this trampling of civil liberties. Legal scholars have basically agreed that this constitutes kidnapping, as you need probable cause to arrest and detain someone, and you need to identify yourself as law enforcement. This feels like the Breonna Taylor tragedy, when police used a no-knock warrant, didn't identify themselves, Taylor's boyfriend opened fire and she wound up dead. I can see a scenario where right wing militia kidnap a protestor, beat her nearly to death and then the next unmarked Federal agent tries to snatch someone off the street and then get shot himself. At which point, we have a little civil war in Portland on our hand. It's not clear to me that the Trumpists would not welcome that level of violence to augment their talking point about left wing violence.
I don't know where we are headed. Each day seems to bring some new horror. This newest escalation of Secret Police-style goonery is likely a test case for the rest of the country.
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