Federal Agents Operating in American Cities

Another day, another myth busted.  We are living in a Police State.  Which police should we fear?  City, State, or Federal?  The idea that police are here to serve and protect citizens is being crushed.  As protests continue across America, it is becoming increasing clear that the police are being deployed and commanded to protect federal and private property.  This is being done at the expense of civil liberties that most Americans have come to expect.  Black people already know that most of their encounters with police have nothing to do with protecting civil liberties.  Now the federal government is taking the gloves off and using tactics typically reported in other countries around the world considered authoritarian by American standards.
 
It has been reported that a suspected protestor in Portland, Oregon was “arrested” walking down the street some time after protests had ended.  Mark Pettibone was videoed being “arrested” by agents clad in military clothing.  See video…

​This protestor and others are reporting that they were shoved into an unmarked vehicle, blindfolded and driven to an undisclosed location.  In Pettibone’s case, he was read the Miranda warning and asked if he would answer questions.  He requested a lawyer.  He was then photographed and processed for arrest.  He was subsequently released without any record or paperwork given to him and found out he had been taken to the Federal Courthouse.  He doesn't know if he was charged with any offense.  This would appear to be an unconstitutional detainment of an American citizen by federal agents. Homeland Security stated that U.S. Custom and Border Protection agents had taken this action because they “had information indicating the person in the video was suspected of assaults against federal agents or destruction of federal property.

​Black people, we know that this kind of thing happens when dealing with local (city and county) police.  Homeland Security is now acting with similar tactics used previously under the Patriot Act – extraordinary rendition.
 
Extraordinary rendition, also called irregular rendition or forced rendition, is the government-sponsored abduction and extrajudicial transfer of a person from one country to another with the purpose of circumventing the former country's laws on interrogation, detention and torture.
 
As Black Americans continue to push for social justice and changes to policing, we can expect people to disappear.  To simply vanish and be declared an enemy of the State.  This is why I am repeatedly stating that we are living in a police state.  There is an enormous force of police agencies operating all over America.  They will tire of protests and acts of civil disobedience.  That’s when we can expect that these types of tactics will escalate and people will simply vanish.

​The race war is escalating.  They will start attacking the allies of the movement first with the intention of instilling fear to remove them from the field.  Next step will be to come after Black people working to organize and consolidate the various factions of the movement.  This behavior from the federal government must be expected and plans and tactics to mitigate its impact must be taken.