The nonsensical opposition to federal law enforcement in Portland and elsewhere

James Casey:

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The federal building and courthouse in Portland have been under assault by demonstrators for more than two weeks. In addition to the “mere graffiti” that opponents of the federal response have pointed to, there has been substantial damage to windows and doors; protesters have attempted to set fire to the facility; and federal agents attempting to stop the violence have been assaulted while the protestors blind them with laser lights. Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler has sided with the protesters and told Portland police to back down. Last week he told the acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf to send the federal agents away.

While all Americans cherish the right to peaceably assemble and petition the government for a redress of grievances, what’s happening in Oregon is not that. Most jurisdictions, Portland included, require protesters to apply for a permit and comply with laws and regulations relating to protest activity. But in recent weeks, police response in cities such as Seattle, Portland and New York has been to allow protesters to flagrantly break the law without recourse. A protester who assaulted the New York Police Department chief of department during a demonstration on the Brooklyn Bridge on Thursday leaving him bloodied, was released without bail.

The federal government is sovereign to the states and does not need a governor’s or mayor’s permission to enforce federal law. If local police will not protect federal property, the federal government can. Contrary to some media reports, the federal agents making arrests in Portland can be seen wearing identifying patches on their uniforms, with “police” emblazoned on their vests, and Acting Commissioner Mark Morgan has confirmed they are Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents. The agents have appeared in rented, unmarked vans because they are on temporary duty assignments in Portland; it’s not an effort to keep their identities secret.

Critics have pointed to arrests made by these agents away from the federal courthouse as evidence they are rounding up “innocent protesters.” Federal agents are not precluded from making probable-cause arrests, or arrests based on warrants, away from federal property. Since many of these federal teams have been in place for weeks, it is likely they have arrest packages on individuals accused of previously committing crimes who are now being identified through investigations. In several videos, agents can be seen bypassing individuals to arrest persons of apparent interest; these appear to be targeted operations, not the roundup of innocents.

All of law enforcement is accountable to the citizens by way of their elected officials. If the people of Portland, Seattle and New York are fine with having anarchy in their streets, they can continue to vote for politicians who handcuff the police and back them down. If the rest of the country wants federal law enforcement to look like that, too, they can vote that way in November. In the meantime, however, the hyperbolic references comparing U.S. federal agents to Guantanamo Bay, Stormtroopers and Nazis should stop.

The public officials in Portland have not been doing their job.  There is also a group of people in the area that are seeking the overthrow of the government and these officials are not willing to stop the nonsense.  They will find that their failure will not win them any support from the thugs on the street.  Ignoring crime does not make it go away.  It only leads to more crime.