Tag: Trump fake law and order

Portland protests peaceful after federal officers scale back presence

“We came with one objective: to lift up the problems we’ve been going through and come with a solution,” one protester said.

Thousands of peaceful protesters marched in the streets of downtown Portland this week, much as they have for the last 60 days, chanting familiar slogans like “Black lives matter” and “defend Black lives.”

Conspicuously missing from the demonstrations Thursday and Friday nights were dozens of federal officers who have used tear gas and non-lethal munitions against protesters gathered outside the U.S. courthouse since early July.

Tensions have largely calmed since Wednesday’s announcement that federal agents would take a step back from policing the Mark O. Hatfield Federal Courthouse — a deal that Oregon officials hoped would ease friction between law enforcement officers and protesters who vowed to continue demonstrating until the agents left. Continue reading.

Chaos is all Trump has, as he hopes ‘law and order’ appeal will work in GOP’s favor

Will Americans demanding justice be heard? Or will fear once again prevail?

The Queen of Soul sang it clearly. The “Respect” Aretha Franklin was craving — yes, demanding — in that classic is still in short supply for black Americans. More protesters have been arrested than police officers involved in the death of George Floyd, the black Minneapolis man who died after now-former officer Derek Chauvin held his knee on the handcuffed man’s neck for nearly nine minutes while three fellow officers stood by or assisted.

Would there have been protests across the country and the world if Chauvin and his fellow officers had been charged immediately? There is no way to know for sure. But it is clear that the anguished reaction has been about much more than the death of one man, and has been generations in the making.

In 1967, Aretha’s anthem blared from radios and record players, the soundtrack for African Americans frustrated with the disconnect between the lofty words of equality in the country’s founding documents and the reality. Sound familiar? If history doesn’t repeat itself, it certainly rhymes. And as citizens fill the streets, demanding justice in the face of police brutality, not enough has changed. Continue reading.