[conspire] Federales in Portland?

[paulz at ieee.org]

 Ruben,
One thing I like about Conspire is that it is not an echo box.   Very different opinions are exchanged.
The way my contact explained the situation in Portland is:
There is a particular park in downtown Portland that occupies several blocks.  Across the street on one side is the Multnomah County Courthouse.  Across the street on the other side is a federal courthouse and other federal office buildings.  For several weeks there have been daily protestors in the park.  They were often loud, but generally peaceful.  The biggest offense was some graffiti on the plywood covering up nearby stores which were closed because of the virus (not the protestors).  

Mostly the demonstrators were seeking redress of grievances with the local police.  It was in the local news everyday.   

At the end of last week, suddenly people were being "kidnapped" by men in unmarked uniforms driving unmarked cars and not telling their victims why they were  being detained.  

It is the total lack "due process" that I find most disturbing.
Only then did the national news cover the story. Naturally they used the most exciting clips they could find.  Meanwhile there was an announcement by the chief Toddler that he was fixing the problems in Portland.  Meanwhile the mayor blamed the Federales for escalating the situation and injuring several of the protestors.



Paul

    On Monday, July 20, 2020, 7:34:34 AM PDT, Ruben Safir <ruben at mrbrklyn.com> wrote:  
 
 When I read this initially, I made a consciousess decision NOT to
comment on it, althought, the initial post was so ripe for critism,
seperate from any issue that was being raised.

But now you leave me with one particular aspect that is too delicious
not to comment on.  With regard to the balence of police power between
the Fdederal and State governments, I am not amused by the back and
forth that people take positions upon this depending on if the issue
folds into there political prespective.  Clearly the left wants federal
intervention when it comes to matters of civil rghts enforcement, and
poverty programs, but not when it comes to enforcing drug laws and
illegal alien laws.  But I don't really want to argue about that either,
although we can wingding that topic for another month.

Instead. let me just remiond everyone of this wonder art imitates life
or something like this -- see below


On Mon, Jul 20, 2020 at 04:28:41AM -0700, Rick Moen wrote:
> Quoting Paul Zander (paulz at ieee.org):
> 
> > A phone call from Portland alerted me to some heavy handed activity by
> > people who are most likely federal officers in unmarked cars and
> > uniforms with no insignia detaining people.  The people were never
> > told who the agents were or why they were being detained.  One man was
> > not told what was happening until he was released outside of the
> > federal courthouse.
> 
> And worse things.  Another such detainees friends were told by the
> unidentified men in cammo uniforms stuffing the detainee into an
> unmarked car that, if they followed the car, they would be shot.
> 
> It's a little unclear (at least to me) which laws are being violated by 
> having alleged peace officers conducting detentions without any evident
> probable cause, refusing to identify themselves, having no badges or
> insignia, and driving unmarked cars -- but, if your police officers
> _literally_ cannot in any way be distinguished from kidnappers, and
> cannot be held accountable for anythng because there's deliberately no
> record of who they were and what they did, then your country has a
> problem.
> 
> Back fifty years ago, we didn't need to have specific fundamental laws
> to the effect of 'Never be observed to be relying on Gestapo tactics for
> your police forces', because the memory was still fresh.  But now, DHS
> and their boss the short-fingered vulgarian seem to be actively _trying_
> to get the citizenry to decide that the Feds are an alien, enemy
> faction.  This goes beyond merely reckless and dangerous.  It's
> (oonstructively) enemy action against state and local governments and
> the American people.
> 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tdCot34--pc
INT. AN ABANDONED WAREHOUSE - DAY

    Snyder stands in the middle of a dusty old machine room,
    surrounded by four or five Federal Agents.  Visible around
    the room are several folding cots and portable lockers.  The
    agents have obviously been quartered here temporarily.  They
    all wear white skimmers, save for one, a portly man, Captain
    Polk, who paces the room smoking.  There is something long-
    suffering about him, as if he wondered how he ever got in a
    service that thought white skimmers were classy.

                    SNYDER
            What is this?  I got work to do.

                    POLK
            Sit down and shut up, will ya.  Try
            not to live up to all my
            expectations.
                (not in the mood to
                screw around)
            We were told you know a hustle
            artist named Johnny Hooker.

    Snyder doesn't answer.

                    POLK
            Do ya know him or don't ya?

                    SNYDER
            Yeh, but I don't know where he is.

                    POLK
            Well we do.  He's chummin' around
            with a Big C named Henry Gondorff.
            Ring any bells?

                    SNYDER
            Sure.  Every bunco man in the
            country knows Gondorff.

                    POLK
            There's word he's gonna run a con
            on the North Side here.  We got a
            year-old Florida warrant on him,
            but it's a thin beef, and he can
            beat it in court unless we catch
            him cold.  All we want you to do is
            pick up Hooker for us.

                    SNYDER
            Why don't you pick him up yourself?

                    POLK
            Cause the stoolies are used to
            street dicks jumpin' him.  If word
            gets around that Feds are in on it
            too, Gondorff'll fold up the whole
            thing.

                    SNYDER
            Wouldn't that be too bad.  You'd
            hafta move outa this nice office ya
            got.

                    POLK
                (enraged)
            Don't crack wise to me, flatfoot.
            I spent a lotta time in dumps like
            this, eatin' Gondorff's dust while
            the bunco squad gets rich tippin'
            him off.  But it's not gonna happen
            this time.  We're not even gonna
            let the police know we're here.  If
            you keep your mouth shut and do a
            job, there'll be a promotion in it
            for ya.  And you better take it,
            cause I can make ya work for us
            without it.

                    SNYDER
            What the hell good is Hooker to ya?

                    POLK
            He's gonna set up Gondorff for us.

                    SNYDER
            He'll never do it.

                    POLK
                (self-satisfied)
            I think he will.


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