I'm surprised that someone hasn't been shot yet. Unmarked camouflage officers in unmarked vans that do not identify themselves as officers sounds like they might get shot at if they try detaining the wrong person.
It's a no-win situation. If they fight back, they get labeled as terrorists. If they don't fight back, it provides positive feedback for the behavior and is likely to continue.
Oregon, Journalists Sue U.S. over Portland Arrests, Violence
181–190 of 217 posts
Re: Oregon, Journalists Sue U.S. over Portland Arrests, Violence
#182It's a perfect Kafka trap, by resisting arrest by secret police in unmarked vehicles you can be labeled as a "domestic terrorist" later, justifying the arrest post-hoc. It's especially concerning they have no ID or agency badges, as right wing extremists have been using the protests to dress up like soldiers.
Do you have source(s) for this claim?
Re: Oregon, Journalists Sue U.S. over Portland Arrests, Violence
#183Earlier quoted context omitted.
Because they're being conducted by unidentified agents of the state and there isn't a thorough public record of it. The idiom refers to state records, not to public knowledge or visibility.
The uniform clear says "POLICE" on it.
Re: Oregon, Journalists Sue U.S. over Portland Arrests, Violence
#184Earlier quoted context omitted.
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insurrection_Act_of_1807 2. Attempting to burn down the federal courthouse would probably violate federal law, one would think. 3. You’re just speculating. There’s no reason to think the arrestees aren’t being mirandized and given access to counsel.
>1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insurrection_Act_of_1807 Before invoking the powers under the Act, 10 U.S.C. § 254 requires the President to first publish a proclamation ordering the insurgents to disperse. So if this is your precedent and there is no Presidential proclamation, then you would agree Trump has engaged in illegal acts? >2. Attempting to burn down the federal courthouse would probably violate federal l…
2. It’s easy to trim videos to remove the incriminating parts. You can make anyone look like the bad guy with selective editing.
3. Maybe they mirandized them as soon as they were in the van? We have no idea. Anyway, failure to mirandize doesn’t make an arrest illegal—it just means that if the suspect says something incriminating before the Miranda warnings, it can’t be used against him later.
The fact that you haven’t seen anyone bonded out is meaningless.
Re: Oregon, Journalists Sue U.S. over Portland Arrests, Violence
#185These are authoritarian scare tactics to make the protestors stop protesting police violence, so that they can go back to the violent status quo and maintain the blue wall of silence. The outcry from the pro-militants about public property damage is a day late and a dollar short: the point of the protests is about the murder of innocent blacks by out of control police. Murder >> Vandalism.
Want the protests to stop? Address police brutality, don't escalate with random acts of surreal violence.
Re: Oregon, Journalists Sue U.S. over Portland Arrests, Violence
#186Earlier quoted context omitted.
I wouldn't call it hyperbole. Men in fatigues, who decline to identify themselves as law enforcement, are grabbing protesters off the streets and putting them in unmarked minivans. There are videos of this. From the article: > On July 12 a peaceful protester was struck in the head with an “impact weapon” and sustained severe injuries, according to the AG’s office. On Thursday, it says, “an unmarked minivan with under…
"decline to identify themselves as law enforcement" while wearing agency patches, and a patch that reads "police"?
Also, having "police" on their uniforms is meaningless. If you want to know where they disappeared someone to, are you going to look up "police" in the phone book and give them a call? Give me a break.
Re: Oregon, Journalists Sue U.S. over Portland Arrests, Violence
#187Earlier quoted context omitted.
The exterior walls are stone - the entire interior and roof are wood, as well as most the interior walls, floors, ceilings, and furniture/carpeting. It is absolutely flammable.
Carpeting is treated with fire retardant. Interior structures are built to fire code. Solid wood is flammable, yes, but difficult to ignite. Treated oak has even been used as a spacecraft re-entry heat shield - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fanhui_Shi_Weixing . After the Oklahoma City bombing, federal buildings were made more resistant to terrorist attacks. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_federal_building…
Re: Oregon, Journalists Sue U.S. over Portland Arrests, Violence
#188Earlier quoted context omitted.
Agreed. No rights for the suspected criminals! Let's round them up all of the suspects and put them in a dark hole with no records of the detainment
The process of arrest and bringing them to court is literally the process by which the gov't shows the court the evidence against them. So you have a few videos of their arrest... what's the problem?
If they've truly done something wrong, issue a warrant or do a normal arrest like every other criminal. It's hard to see this as anything less than extra judicial intimidation.
Re: Oregon, Journalists Sue U.S. over Portland Arrests, Violence
#189I'm surprised that someone hasn't been shot yet. Unmarked camouflage officers in unmarked vans that do not identify themselves as officers sounds like they might get shot at if they try detaining the wrong person.
They aren't unmarked - their camouflage uniform clearly says "POLICE" on the front. To be clear, do not shoot someone with POLICE written on their uniform, or even anyone you suspect might be a police officer, because you will spend the rest of your life in jail.
Re: Oregon, Journalists Sue U.S. over Portland Arrests, Violence
#190I see a lot of comments on HN, and elsewhere along the lines of "America is so terrible! Look how the police treat their own citizens!" The difference between the United States and many (most?) other countries is in the article's title: The word "sue." In America, aggrieved citizens have the right to correct their government. It's not always easy. It's rarely quick. But it can be done, and it has been done hundreds o…
But it is quick for them to become bad actors.