Over the course of the last few days, Americans around the nation have had their eyes on the Pacific Northwest.
That’s on account of a brutal and worrisome scene playing out in Portland, Oregon, as unidentified federal agents continue to round up and detain protesters on the streets, snatching them away in unmarked rental vans to undisclosed locations.
The tactic was meant to reiterate the President’s stance on “law and order”, but the shocking nature of these “secret police” arrests have spooked much of the nation.
Last night, the situation was escalated again, as the Mayor of the City of Portland found himself in their crosshairs.
Portland, Ore., Mayor Ted Wheeler was among the protesters tear-gassed Wednesday evening by an assortment of Department of Homeland Security agents President Donald Trump has deployed to the city amid unrest and mass demonstrations against racial injustice and police brutality.
Videos of the protests circulating online show the mayor’s encounter with federal officers came after he waded into crowds of protesters and was confronted by calls for his resignation and various law enforcement reforms.
Wheeler then apparently walked to the city’s federal courthouse, which has become a focal point of the protests, where he and others were targeted by the officers with volleys of tear gas.
These “secret police” hail from a number of federal agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security and Customs.
President Trump has threatened to send these federal troops to other cities around the nation as well, including Chicago, where Mayor Lori Lightfoot has suggested that a lawsuit could be in the works over the intrusion.
