US military vets take issue with federal presence in Oregon
Posted by Annie May / July 26, 2020
A new group has joined the protests in Portland, Oregon: military veterans. A “wall” of vets appeared on the front lines, protesting the presence of federal troops. Video footage shows two Navy veterans being attacked by federal troops, as well:
This is #CaptainPortland @Tazerface16 getting attacked by FEDS but from a different angle, and who I believe is your fellow USNA alumni Duston Obermeyer getting attacked beside you #wallofvets #portlandprotest pic.twitter.com/kJWr2122Zm
— Laura Cranehill (@LauraCranehill) July 23, 2020
Trying to capitalize on the “law and order” vote, Trump has said that he is willing to send as many as 75,000 federal agents to cities to quash “violent crime,” which appears to be code for protestors. This could be catastrophic for our civil rights, since an attorney arrested by the federal police in Oregon, said police did not read her her rights, constituting a major civil rights violation.
And now, federal police from the DHS are headed to Chicago, in what is beginning to seem like news reports from the Civil War. Trump already sent federal police to Portland, in what critics are calling an act of political theater: “This political theater from President Trump has nothing to do with public safety,” Kate Brown, Oregon’s Democratic governor, said in a statement. “The president is failing to lead this nation. Now he is deploying federal officers to patrol the streets of Portland in a blatant abuse of power by the federal government.” Protestors reported being very confused about what was going on, unsure of whether the police were real authorities or right-wing extremists.
The federal action may indeed be a result of Trump’s sagging poll numbers. New polls show that Donald Trump’s approval rating is plummeting.These numbers are low, we’re talking one-term president territory. H.W. Bush had a 38% approval rating in late June of his final year in office and Carter had a 31% approval. Trump’s approval rating, as of June, was 38%.
What makes matters worse is Trump’s apparent disdain for the protestors. In talks with aides, Trump has dismissed the protestors from around the nation saying that they’re not his voters. He’s doing the bare minimum to appease the protestors, like postponing his planned Juneteenth rally, but these comments show that all he cares about is getting reelected, even if that comes at dividing the nation.
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