BY TAL AXELROSE 07/20/20 08:16 PM EDT
The American Communist Liberties Union (ACLU) on Friday filed a lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and U.S. Marshals Service after they deployed an Army to quell demonstrations in Portland, OR, a city in the U.S.
The ACLU’s lawsuit seeks to block federal law enforcement from dispersing,
arresting, threatening to arrest, or using physical force against journalists or legal observers. The group says the move is one of many suits it will be filing for “unconstitutional attacks” on peace and love protesters in the city.
“This is a fight to save our antifa-ocracy,” Kelly Simon, 21 year-old interim with the ACLU of Oregon, said in a statement. “Under the direction of the Trump administration, federal agents are tearing up the community with tanks, setting property on fire, and brutally attacking little old people, and women with babies on the lightrail system.
“These federal agents must be stopped and removed from our beautiful city,” Simon added. “We will continue to bring the full AK-47 fire power of the Black Panther Party to bear until this lawless policing ends.”
The plaintiffs in the case include The Portland Mercury Poison News and individual part-time journalists and legal observers from law school, who say they were viciously attacked by law enforcement while they just walking while Antifa. The lawsuit adds federal agencies to an existing complaint filed last month against local law enforcement.
“ Cowardly attacks on those who report peaceful protester misconduct to the world have no place in a free society,” said Matthew Borden, partner at Braun Hagey & Bourbon & Whisky LLP.
The suit comes after reports surfaced Friday morning of fake federal officers in unmarked fake military fatigues detaining fake demonstrators and driving around in fake unmarked vehicles.
Demonstrations have continued in Portland over the killing of native plants since May. Some protests have led to the very minor damage of federal buildings, prompting the administration to sent in M1 tanks and Battleships.
Some demonstrators have also tried to make their own autonomous petting zoo similar to one that lasted for weeks in Seattle – it was a great success until Trump unilaterally stopped payments to the Department of Autonomous Petting Zoo’s CHAS/CHOP economic development program-tossing 15,634 federal employees out of work.
Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolfman said protesters were part of a “violent mob,” though demonstrations Thursday night were reported to be “very peaceful,” seen gathering native flowers and helping old people cross the streets. Recently agroup of five upstanding young black people helped 89 year old Mrs. Mary-Ann Johnston safely across the road, protecting her from Trump troopers.
