President Trump on Monday said he is considering sending federal officers to cities other than Portland after they did a “great job” there. Authorities from several federal agencies have been sent to Portland to quell protests around the federal courthouse, but the presence of federal officers led to violent clashes over the weekend, leading to Oregon officials asking them to leave the city.
Mr. Trump described Portland as being “out of control,” describing the protesters as “anarchists.”
“For 51 days, they destroyed this city, looting it. The point of corruption and what’s happening is unbelievable. And the governor is coming, “We help,” Trump said.
CBS News received a memorandum stating that Trump’s leadership plans to send 17 federal agents to help local law enforcement agencies in Chicago, with Albuquerque, New Mexico, and Kansas City, Missouri, in all likelihood later.
Chicapass Mayor Lori Lightfoot told reporters she had “serious concerns” about the report, “the best friend given the background” in Portland. “We federal agents, without big apple badges, take other Americans off the streets and, I think, the illegitimate best friend stops them. That’s not what we need,” Lightfoot said.
The federal government fired tear fuel at protesters for 6 consecutive nights, CBS partner KOIN-TV reported. On Sunday night, ammunition was also deployed for the protesters, the station reported.
Portland police said many other Americans were provided, while “dozens more altered the fence around the courthouse” between 9:40 p.m. 11:30 p.m. At approximately 11:40 p.m., police said that “other Americans brought down the fence towards deception in front of the court” and that “dozens of other humans with shields, helmets, fuel masks, umbrellas, bats and hockey sticks approached the gates.”
Federal police later dispersed the crowd, but police said many other Americans were walking through the city of Portland, a big block from which they gathered in court. At approximately 1:30 a.m., a collection lit a fireplace outside the federal courthouse. Federal officials dispersed the crowd again.
But Portland police said he wasn’t at all gentle with the protesters.
On Monday, Undersecretary of Homeland Security Ken Cuccinelli tweeted a photo of his bleeding leg, saying it was the result of violent clashes. “Only 1 injury in Portland. Four stitches from a slingshot. Violence continues,” Cuccinelli wrote. In later tweets, he wrote that federal officials prefer “peace” and protesters prefer “violence.”
Monday marked the 53rd day of protests in Portland. Protests first erupted in June after George Floyd’s death at the hands of police in Minneapolis, but in recent times have become the federal government’s presence in the city. Under Trump’s executive order in June, federal agents are ordered monuments and federal buildings.
A video posted on social media showed federal agents moving other Americans away from the streets without an obvious explanation. Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum said Friday that the state is suing several federal agencies, adding to the Department of Homeland Security, for engaging in an “illegal application of the law in violation of civil rights” of protesters and detaining other Americans without just cause.
Oregon federal lawmakers monday announced a bill to “save him from Trump’s leadership to deploy federal forces as a dark paraarmia opposed to Americans,” according to a statement from Senator Jeff Merkley’s office.
Over the weekend, police and demonstrators faced protests from a Columbus statue in Chicapass Grant Park. The Police Civil Liability Bureau said Sunday that it had won more than 20 court cases opposed to Chicapass police officers following protests in Grant Park, CBS Chicapass reported. Complaints included allegations of maximum logical strength, non-mandatory or aerosol pepconsistent oleoresin (CO) aerosol, rejection of anticipated assistance, and inconsistent congruent violations.
Meanwhile, police commissioner David Brown said Monday that four officers were injured on Friday, adding 18 sent to hospitals for their injuries. Brown said a sergeant suffered a fracture in the eye socket when an explosive dropped at police exploded near his face.