Leading Mayors Call Trump Deployments Reminiscent Of ‘Authoritarian Regimes’

PORTLAND, OR - JULY 20: A federal officer points to a protester while clearing the street in front of the Mark O. Hatfield U.S. Courthouse on July 20, 2020 in Portland, Ore. The federal police response to the ongoing... PORTLAND, OR - JULY 20: A federal officer points to a protester while clearing the street in front of the Mark O. Hatfield U.S. Courthouse on July 20, 2020 in Portland, Ore. The federal police response to the ongoing protests against racial inequality has been criticized by city and state elected officials. (Photo by Nathan Howard/Getty Images) MORE LESS
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Six big city mayors wrote to the Trump administration and Congress on Monday objecting to the unsolicited deployment of federal forces in their cities — which they said was political and reminiscent of authoritarian regimes.

In a letter to the attorney general and acting Homeland Security secretary, the mayors of Portland, Seattle, Atlanta, Chicago, Washington D.C. and Kansas City said the “unilateral” deployment was unprecedented and unconstitutional.

“This abuse of power cannot continue,” the mayors wrote.

Portland has been the scene of a dramatic federal police presence in recent days: Federal agents have detained demonstrators in unmarked cars, beaten protesters and used teargas on crowds. One man was shot in the head with a “less-lethal” munition, resulting in serious injury.

Administration sources have told reporters that around 150 ICE agents could soon be on their way to Chicago as part of a vaguely defined crime-fighting mission. Federal forces in D.C. caused a national uproar just weeks ago during demonstrations in the wake of the police killing of George Floyd. The President has spoken openly about sending federal forces to other cities despite local objections.

Citing the scene in Portland, the mayors wrote that they’d expect the feds’ tactics “from authoritarian regimes — not our democracy.”

The letter slammed the lack of oversight and training for the federal forces, “including critical crowd management and deescalation techniques,” and said the deployments hadn’t been requested in the first place.

“Furthermore, it is concerning that federal law enforcement is being deployed for political purposes,” the mayors wrote, adding: “We urge you to take immediate action to withdraw your forces and agree to no further unilateral deployments in our cities.”

In a separate letter to congressional leadership, the mayors said the federal deployments showed “a shocking disregard for the legitimate use of our U.S. military and federal resources, as well as the authority of local law enforcement.”

“The President’s decision to unilaterally deploy these paramilitary type forces into our cities mirrors the very tyranny our country has fought against and is wholly inconsistent with our democracy,” they wrote, urging congressional investigation.

“This abuse of power cannot continue,” the mayors said.

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Notable Replies

  1. Reminiscent?

  2. Realistic?
    Representative?

  3. It’s a Movie Villain move, in a movie where the Villain falls into a vat of acid at the end. Does this man not read comics or watch movies?

  4. Avatar for jrw jrw says:

    “…which they said was political and reminiscent of authoritarian regimes.”

    Which makes Bunker Boy happy.

  5. Straight up:
    banana
    This is why those farmers took up arms in Concord and Lexington. Actually, it’s worse.

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