Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search

swag

(26,480 posts)
Thu Aug 6, 2020, 01:42 PM Aug 2020

More stories of Portlanders kidnapped off the streets by the Feds

https://www.portlandmercury.com/blogtown/2020/08/05/28708420/more-portlanders-share-experiences-of-being-snatched-and-detained-by-federal-police

by Alex Zielinski and Blair Stenvick

When Tetra thinks back to the night he was kidnapped by federal police in downtown Portland, he can't help but laugh.
“It was such a mess,” said Tetra, 24, who asked the Mercury to use only his first name out of privacy concerns. “These officers had no idea what they were doing, which was both comforting and terrifying."

Tetra is one of the unknown number of protesters who has been chased down on the streets of Portland by federal police, forced into an unmarked van, and held for hours without being charged with a crime.

This practice was first made public in July, when protester Mark Pettibone detailed his experience with what felt like a kidnapping in an interview with OPB, drawing immediate national attention. Pettibone’s story inspired Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum to file a lawsuit against the federal law enforcement agencies involved, suggesting that this “disturbing” tactic had likely been used to detain other Portlanders.

Tetra’s experience confirms that assumption. His story and others from people arrested by federal police during recent demonstrations further illuminates the unorganized, heavy-handed, and potentially unconstitutional tactics employed by officers sent to Portland to defend federal buildings.

July 14 wasn’t Tetra’s first time attending the protests that have become a nightly fixture in Portland since the death of George Floyd in late May. He’d attended numerous demonstrations over the past month, many of which ended with police using violence to disperse the crowd of protesters. But that Tuesday night was the first time he heard a rumor from others in attendance that demonstrators were being picked up by people in unmarked vans.

. . . more
Latest Discussions»Issue Forums»Editorials & Other Articles»More stories of Portlande...