Flying Monkeys
By Nobody
11 Mar 2011 1:42 pm in No Holds Barred Political Forum
19 Jul 2020 11:18 am
FYI. Ducky Boy.
Protesting peacefully is not against the law.
It is a right guaranteed to us in the First Amendment.
Most of the protests have been peaceful, even though you pinheads who watch FOX News are ignorant about that, since they keep showing videos of the same few bad actors on a loop.
What law was this guy breaking?
19 Jul 2020 12:55 pm
Breaking News: An internal DHS memo warned that the federal agents deployed in Portland, Oregon, were not specifically trained in riot control or managing protests.
Rather than tamping down persistent protests in Portland, Ore., a militarized presence from federal officers seems to have re-energized them.
PORTLAND, Ore. — The federal agents facing a growing backlash for their militarized approach to weeks of unrest in Portland were not specifically trained in riot control or mass demonstrations, an internal Department of Homeland Security memo warned this week.
The message, dated Thursday, was prepared by the agency for Chad F. Wolf, the acting secretary of Homeland Security, as he arrived in Portland to view the scene in person, according to a copy of the memo obtained by The New York Times.
It listed federal buildings in the city and issues officers faced in protecting them.
The memo, seemingly anticipating future encounters with protesters in other cities as the department follows President Trump’s guidance to crack down on unrest, warns: “Moving forward, if this type of response is going to be the norm, specialized training and standardized equipment should be deployed to responding agencies.”
The tactical agents deployed by Homeland Security include officials from a group known as BORTAC, the Border Patrol’s equivalent of a S.W.A.T. team, a highly trained group that normally is tasked with investigating drug smuggling organizations, as opposed to protesters in cities.
Alexei Woltornist, a spokesman for the Department of Homeland Security, said on Sunday the missions of the federal agents in Portland “aligned with their appropriate training” and that officers received “additional training for their deployment in the city” to assist the Federal Protective Service.
The statement did not specifically mention the memo that said the agents lacked sufficient training in riot control or mass demonstrations.
The agency did not respond to follow-up questions about the information in the memo.
The issue is playing out as the aggressive federal campaign to suppress protests in Portland appears to have instead rejuvenated the city’s movement, as protesters gathered by the hundreds late Friday and into Saturday morning — the largest crowd in weeks.
Federal officers at times flooded street corridors with tear gas and shot projectiles from paintball guns, while demonstrators responded by shouting that the officers in fatigues were “terrorists” and chanting: “Whose streets? Our streets.”
A court ruling has largely prohibited the local police from using tear gas during the recent protests, which have played out for more than 50 consecutive nights.
With one Portland protester severely injured in front of the federal courthouse and others pulled by unidentified federal agents into unmarked vans, the extraordinary campaign to subdue protesters has led to widespread condemnation of the federal response in Portland and beyond.
While the protesters have repeatedly decried the city’s own police tactics, Mayor Ted Wheeler, who also serves as police commissioner, and other leaders have united in calls for federal agencies to stay away.
Jo Ann Hardesty, a city commissioner, went to join protesters gathered outside the county Justice Center downtown, saying the city would “not allow armed military forces to attack our people.”
“Today we show the country and the world that the city of Portland, even as much as we fight among ourselves, will come together to stand up for our Constitutional rights,” Ms. Hardesty said Friday.
While officials from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security have described the stepped-up involvement of federal officers as part of an effort to oppose lawlessness in the city, state and local leaders contended that the federal officers themselves may be violating the law.
Prosecutors have opened a criminal investigation into the injury of one protester, who appeared to have been shot in the head with a less-lethal weapon outside the federal courthouse in downtown Portland.
Ellen Rosenblum, the state’s attorney general, has filed a lawsuit, accusing federal officers of unlawful tactics in how they went about detaining people by pulling them into unmarked vans.
The pushback against the militarized federal deployment involving officers in fatigues and tactical gear has also extended to the streets, where the presence of those federal agents has rejuvenated a movement that had shown signs of finally slowing down after weeks of protest against police violence and militarization.
Hundreds continued to demonstrate after midnight on Saturday, playing music, holding shields, tearing down temporary fences and throwing fireworks at the county’s Justice Center.
Along with street medics, protesters also have the support of a snack van that offers free Gatorade and instant noodles, and a makeshift kitchen called Riot Ribs that cooks bratwursts and Beyond Meat sausage.
Someone on Saturday had set up a stand selling T-shirts promoting racial equity and hand washing.
The protests have long featured a mix of tactics, with some there displaying signs to sustain a Black Lives Matter movement that emerged in the aftermath of George Floyd’s death in May.
Others have engaged in more unruly responses, such as graffiti or throwing objects at officers.
Dozens have been arrested over the weeks, including some by federal officers, such as a man accused of hitting an officer with a hammer last week.
Protests around the federal courthouse — tagged with messages such as “Stop Using Violence On Us” and “History Has Its Eye On You” — have drawn the ire of federal leaders.
Mr. Wolf got a tour there this week and shared images of himself in front of graffitied walls.The arrival of a more aggressive federal presence came after President Trump, who at one point called on states to “dominate” protesters, directed federal agencies to increase their presence to protect federal properties, including statues and monuments that have at times been the target of protesters.
Mr. Trump said last week that he had sent personnel to Portland because “the locals couldn’t handle it.”
Gov. Kate Brown said in an interview that she believed that the protests were starting to ease before the federal officers waded into the scene.
She said she had asked Mr. Wolf to keep federal agents off the streets but that he rejected the suggestion.
Mr. Wheeler, the mayor, said he got the same response. But he said he believed the unified local response could change the federal tactics and keep federal officers off the streets.
“I can’t recall a single instance where we have had federal, state and local officials all in alignment, saying the presence of federal troops in our city is harmful to our residents,” Mr. Wheeler said.
Mr. Wheeler himself has been the target of protests, with crowds at times gathering outside of his condo.
For weeks, he has called for an end to destructive demonstrations, saying he was concerned about “groups who continue to perpetrate violence and vandalism on our streets.”
Senator Jeff Merkley, Democrat of Oregon, said in a tweet that he and Oregon’s other Democratic senator, Ron Wyden, next week would introduce an amendment to the defense bill to stop the Trump administration “from sending its paramilitary squads” onto America’s streets.
Ms. Rosenblum said her office was working with the Multnomah County district attorney, Rod Underhill, on a criminal investigation focused on the injury of a protester on July 12.
In that case, video appeared to show a man being struck in the head by an impact munition near the federal courthouse, and his family said he subsequently needed surgery.
The attorney general’s office also filed a lawsuit late Friday accusing federal officers of using unlawful tactics.
Protesters, along with videos posted on social media, have described scenes of federal officers seizing people and pulling them into unmarked vans.
The American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Oregon has also filed in court to curtail the actions of federal officers, and the group said “many” more lawsuits that would be forthcoming.
Mary B. McCord, a professor at Georgetown Law and former national security official at the U.S. Department of Justice, said the federal tactics and use of unmarked vehicles were reminiscent of the much-criticized federal response to demonstrations in Washington in June.
Ms. McCord said federal officials were on dangerous ground with the tactics they were using, including seizing and detaining protesters off the streets and seemingly portraying all protesters as part of a dangerous movement.
“It sends the message that these people are terrorists and need to be treated like terrorists,” Ms. McCord said.
She added: “This is the kind of thing we see in authoritarian regimes.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/18/us/p ... 62N5ZyUvuY
19 Jul 2020 2:49 pm
Meanwhile these protesters are spread the virus...Misty » 19 Jul 2020, 11:18 am » wrote: ↑ FYI. Ducky Boy.
Protesting peacefully is not against the law.
It is a right guaranteed to us in the First Amendment.
Most of the protests have been peaceful, even though you pinheads who watch FOX News are ignorant about that, since they keep showing videos of the same few bad actors on a loop.
What law was this guy breaking?
19 Jul 2020 4:20 pm
Fool : When a president is impeached it cannot be reversed......therefore, the name is: IMPEACHED DONALD TRUMPduck615 » 19 Jul 2020, 10:46 am » wrote: ↑ also acquitted of all charges and STILL IS YOUR PRESIDENT
\We the People want to throw him out of office but Moscow Mitch acquits him - out of fear
19 Jul 2020 4:22 pm
annLee » 19 Jul 2020, 4:20 pm » wrote: ↑ Fool : When a president is impeached it cannot be reversed......therefore, the name is: IMPEACHED DONALD TRUMP
\We the People want to throw him out of office but Moscow Mitch acquits him - out of fear
sad you don't respect the rule of law
19 Jul 2020 5:11 pm
Misty » 15 Jul 2020, 3:38 pm » wrote: ↑ According to the Justice Department, a federal employee's position should not be used "to coerce; to endorse any product, service or enterprise; or to give the appearance of governmental sanction."
https://thehill.com/homenews/administra ... ssion=true
19 Jul 2020 5:17 pm
DJT is the 'New Teflon Don'.annLee » 19 Jul 2020, 4:20 pm » wrote: ↑ Fool : When a president is impeached it cannot be reversed......therefore, the name is: IMPEACHED DONALD TRUMP
\We the People want to throw him out of office but Moscow Mitch acquits him - out of fear
The GOP won.
The Dems looked weak, feckless, vindictive, and foolish.
19 Jul 2020 5:19 pm
Will you stop lusting after Ivanka?
And zip your pants up.
You are making a fool out of yourself.
19 Jul 2020 5:23 pm
<emphasis removed>
The only fool you made here is yourself, fake cowboy and posing tuff guy. You are are a powerless **** giving order no one cares about. Eat ****, trumptard.Taipan » 19 Jul 2020, 5:19 pm » wrote: ↑
Will you stop lusting after Ivanka?
And zip your pants up.
You are making a fool out of yourself.
19 Jul 2020 5:27 pm
Taipan » 19 Jul 2020, 5:17 pm » wrote: ↑ DJT is the 'New Teflon Don'.
The GOP won.
The Dems looked weak, feckless, vindictive, and foolish.
22 Jul 2020 12:35 pm
Moms......Not anarchists........not ANTIFA........not BLM.........but moms.
https://twitter.com/MrOlmos/status/1285 ... 49344?s=19
https://twitter.com/MrOlmos/status/1285 ... 49344?s=19
22 Jul 2020 1:11 pm
The Moms were not rioting and neither was this guy.
https://twitter.com/PDXzane/status/1284 ... 10080?s=19
Trumpty Dumpty's goons who are inciting more rioting.
When people are protesting police brutality the last thing you should do is send in people to brutalize them.
22 Jul 2020 4:55 pm
Misty » 22 Jul 2020, 1:11 pm » wrote: ↑ The Moms were not rioting and neither was this guy.
https://twitter.com/PDXzane/status/1284 ... 10080?s=19
Trumpty Dumpty's goons who are inciting more rioting.
When people are protesting police brutality the last thing you should do is send in people to brutalize them.
No moms were hurt or arrested.
They were 'peacefully protesting'. That is cool. They were not throwing bricks
and frozen water bottles at the PO-PO. They were not looting and burning police cars.
Why were they protesting? I don't know. Did they have a list of demands? I am
curious to know their position. Maybe we could work something out to make
everyone happy.
22 Jul 2020 10:18 pm
A new Trump campaign ad depicting a police officer being attacked by protesters is actually a 2014 photo of pro-democracy protests in Ukraine.
President Donald Trump's reelection campaign released a new Facebook ad with an image of a group of protesters attacking a police officer alongside the words "public safety vs chaos & violence."
But that photo is actually from a pro-democracy protest in Kyiv, Ukraine, in 2014. The photographer, Mstyslav Chernov, confirmed to Business Insider that it is his photo from six years ago.
Trump has sent federal law-enforcement officers to quell protests in Portland, Oregon, and threatened to send more to other cities led by Democrats.
The Trump campaign has seized on the protests in the US as a key campaign issue. Chad Wolf, the acting secretary of homeland security, has described the Portland protesters as "violent anarchists."
https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-c ... sts-2020-7
22 Jul 2020 10:29 pm
They were tear gassed and hit with batons.Taipan » 22 Jul 2020, 4:55 pm » wrote: ↑No moms were hurt or arrested.Misty » 22 Jul 2020, 1:11 pm » wrote: ↑ The Moms were not rioting and neither was this guy.
https://twitter.com/PDXzane/status/1284 ... 10080?s=19
Trumpty Dumpty's goons who are inciting more rioting.
When people are protesting police brutality the last thing you should do is send in people to brutalize them.
And one of them, a lawyer named Jennifer Kristiansen, was arrested.
She said they put her in a holding cell and never read her her rights.
https://www.oregonlive.com/portland/202 ... rning.html
The Moms were forming a human shield to protect the peaceful protesters that are being teargassed, flash-banged and beaten with batons by Trump's goons.Taipan » 22 Jul 2020, 4:55 pm » wrote: ↑They were 'peacefully protesting'. That is cool. They were not throwing bricks
and frozen water bottles at the PO-PO. They were not looting and burning police cars.
Why were they protesting? I don't know. Did they have a list of demands? I am
curious to know their position. Maybe we could work something out to make
everyone happy.
22 Jul 2020 10:32 pm
That time when Trumpty Dumpty wished an accused sex trafficker well.
Asked during his first White House coronavirus press briefing since April about the Ms Maxwell's alleged role in the sex trafficking conspiracy, the president said he knew her from their time in Palm Beach, Florida, and that they've met "numerous times."
A reporter asked the president whether he believed Maxwell was going to "turn in powerful men" as she faces trial.
"I don't know, I haven't really been following it too much," he said.
"I just wish her well, frankly.
I've met her numerous times over the years, especially since I lived in Palm Beach and I guess they lived in Palm Beach.
But I wish her well, whatever it is.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/worl ... 31351.html
24 Jul 2020 11:30 am
Housewives?
Make America 1950 again.
Is he going to preserve the neighborhoods of 'housewives' by sending his jack-booted thugs to arrest them?
Make America 1950 again.
Is he going to preserve the neighborhoods of 'housewives' by sending his jack-booted thugs to arrest them?
24 Jul 2020 11:52 am
First of all I wouldn't believe you if you told me that water was wet.Termin8tor » 24 Jul 2020, 11:40 am » wrote: ↑Fox showed videos of them vandalizing a federal building, wackjob.
And secondly 'vandalizing' is not the same as 'rioting.'
Wouldn't be the first time.
First you conflated vandals with rioters and now you are conflating protesters with rioters.Termin8tor » 24 Jul 2020, 11:40 am » wrote: ↑Not to mention they intentionally protecting the rioters, duuuh!
They were protecting the protesters, not rioters.
Because that's what they are.Termin8tor » 24 Jul 2020, 11:40 am » wrote: ↑Why are you calling federal officers enforcing federal law "goons," psycho?
Wake up and smell the coffee you pinhead.
This is all about politics.
It's a **** show.
This LAW AND ORDER **** is right out of Nixon's playbook.
The protests in Portland were winding down.
Trump's goons have only exacerbated the situation.
24 Jul 2020 12:14 pm
Is Trump using private mercenaries against American citizens?
The Lead Federal Agency Responding to Protesters in Portland Employs Thousands of Private Contractors
The Trump administration’s deployment of federal law enforcers in Portland, Oregon, as part of a supposed effort to protect government property has prompted at least two lawsuits alleging that their show of force has resulted in abuses of authority and the unnecessary use of violence against peaceful protesters, journalists and observers.
What has not been reported widely in the media, however, is the fact that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) unit that is coordinating the “crowd control” effort — an agency called the Federal Protective Service (FPS) — is composed largely of contract security personnel.
Those contractors are being furnished to FPS by major private-sector security companies like Blackwater corporate descendant Triple Canopy as well as dozens of other private security firms.
In fact, FPS spends more than $1 billion a year on these contract security guards who are authorized to conduct crowd control at federal properties, such as those in Portland.
And, based on available photographic and document evidence, it appears those private contractors are now part of the federal force arrayed in Portland and are likely to be part of the federal response President Trump has promised to stand up in multiple other cities, including Chicago, Detroit, New York, Philadelphia and other urban centers led by Democratic mayors across the country.
There are some 13,000 security guards nationwide employed by FPS via contracts with private security firms, a figure that can be expanded through existing and future contracts.
Via contracts with FPS, more than 50 private security firms provide guards — referred to as protective security officers (PSOs) — to the agency in the Washington, D.C., area alone.
Among the responsibilities of these contract guards is to assist federal law enforcers with crowd control at federal properties as needed.
“The most difficult tasks PSOs are called upon to perform include standing for prolonged periods of time and interacting with large volumes of people,” states a past interagency agreement involving FPS, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the U.S. Office of Personnel Management.
“Other demanding, but less frequent, tasks include responding to medical emergencies, performing CPR, and performing crowd control [such as is occurring in Portland in recent weeks].
”There is a major problem, however, with using these FPS contract guards — who are supposed to be limited to patrolling and securing federal facilities and grounds — in long-running “civil disturbances” like those unfolding now in Portland, and elsewhere around the country.
The FPS has a long history of failing to properly vet and adequately monitor and ensure that these guards have proper training and certifications, including proper firearms training.
That lack of training can pose a great risk to the safety of protesters and the law enforcers they work with alike should a situation become heated.
As outlined in a prior story on Medium, U.S. Government Accountability Office reports published between 2009 and 2014 on the FPS security guard program have uncovered guards with felony convictions; a large percentage of guard files examined with at least one expired certification, including a declaration they have not been convicted of domestic violence; and multiple security-guard files that were missing documentation on weapons training and security clearances, among other issues.
The role that these private contractors are playing in current crowd-control efforts in Portland, and the role they will play going forward if Trump does expand the federal intervention to other cities across the nation, is best described as opaque — seemingly on purpose.
The danger, however, is that Trump and his attorney general, William Barr, will expand this private contractor force in extending the reach of the federal response to recent civil rights protests — creating what is essentially a national paramilitary police force.
One former U.S. Secret Service officer who was assigned to the White House raised an alarm when questioned about that prospect.
“This concerns me, as FPS officers train with us at the federal law-enforcement training center in Glynco, Georgia,” the former Secret Service officer said, asking that his name not be used.
“I can assure you that a contract officer isn’t law-enforcement certified. …
This sounds very shady, and it sounds like a lawsuit waiting to happen.
”Well, in fact, at least two lawsuits are now in motion, one filed by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) Foundation of Oregon and the other by the Oregon Attorney General’s Office, with both lawsuits alleging the federal response in Portland is violating the constitutional rights of U.S. citizens participating in legitimate, First Amendment-protected protests.
“The American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Oregon today sued the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Marshals Service, which have deployed federal agents to Portland, Oregon,” a press statement released by the ACLU states.
“These agents, which have been deployed over the widespread objections of local leaders and community members, have been indiscriminately using tear gas, rubber bullets, and acoustic weapons against protesters, journalists, and legal observers.
“Federal officers also shot a protester in the head … with a rubber bullet, fracturing the person’s face and skull.
”The lawsuit filed this month by the Oregon’s Attorney General likewise accuses the federal crowd-control force — clad in riot gear and camouflage uniforms — of overstepping its legal authority.
“Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum this evening will file a lawsuit in federal court against the United States Department of Homeland Security, the United States Marshals Service, the United States Customs and Border Protection (CPB), the Federal Protection Service and their agents alleging they have engaged in unlawful law enforcement in violation of the civil rights of Oregonians by seizing and detaining them without probable cause,” the Oregon Department of Justice said in announcing the litigation.
What has not been addressed yet in this case is the unique legal and constitutional challenges posed by deploying a federal force against U.S. citizens that is composed of a mix of government agents and private contractors, including CPB’s Special Response Team [SRT], U.S. Marshals and DHS police — specifically the FPS, which is overseeing the effort and employs thousands of contract security personnel.
“The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and its components will continue to work tirelessly to reestablish law and order,” CBP said in a press statement related to the federal response in Portland.
“The Federal Protective Service (FPS) is the lead government agency that CBP personnel are supporting.
CBP personnel have been deployed to Portland in direct support of the Presidential Executive Order and the newly established DHS Protecting American Communities Task Force (PACT).
“So, what evidence exists that private contractors working for FPS are actively engaged with federal agents in using physical force against protesters in Portland?
For one, that is part of their responsibility as FPS officers.
“As symbols of government, federal facilities are often the place where citizens congregate to express their concerns about an issue, often in the form of mass demonstrations or protests,” DHS’ website says in describing FPS.
“When this happens, FPS law enforcement officers are on-site to ensure that all citizens can express themselves in a safe and peaceful manner.
When demonstrations start to become violent against others, or disruptive to government operations, FPS officers will step in to regain the peace.
”A manual for security guards produced by FPS includes an entire chapter on handling “civil disturbances,” such as the protests now occurring across the nation over racial injustice — sparked by the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis on May 25.
“You may be required to take actions to control crowds during civil disturbances,” states the FPS private-contractor manual, published in 2008 and marked “For Official Use Only.”
“You also may be required to assist law enforcement personnel during such situations.”
Photographic evidence from the protests in Portland also shows that FPS personnel are deployed in Portland as part of the federal crowd-control force.
Some have described this federal force as a “secret police” unit because many of the federal police are clad in camouflage with no name tags and are extremely difficult to identify.
Photographs taken by an ACLU observer (Doug Brown) demonstrate how the uniforms of this opaque federal force are creating unnecessary confusion.
The photos also raise concerns over whether some of the FPS personnel involved in the Portland response are, in fact, contract security personnel.
In the two ACLU photos displayed here, it is clear that in one shot [above] the group of law enforcers — with arm patches emblazoned with the letters SRT — is part of CPB’s Special Response Team.
The other photo [below], however, shows uniformed FPS officers standing next to an individual in camouflage who also has an FPS shoulder patch.
Why are they dressed differently and how can anyone reasonably tell if those are private security contractors employed by FPS or members of the much smaller cadre of government agents, some 1,000 nationwide, employed by FPS?
And, if this federal tactical team is going to be deployed in multiple cities across the nation in the coming weeks, as Trump has threatened, how can that be accomplished without relying on FPS contract security personnel?
Given FPS contract guards are expected to assist with crowd control, it’s reasonable to assume they are in this case as well.
In addition to Triple Canopy, another security firm FPS works with is Paragon Systems Inc., which in 2013, for example, inked a deal with FPS to provide security guards for federal owned and leased properties in Ohio that had a total contract ceiling of $93.4 million.
Within the past month, Paragon ran an online advertisement seeking to hire security guards for FPS to provide “proactive patrols of DOJ property” at an undisclosed location or locations.
A similar recent job-opening advertisement from Triple Canopy notes that contractors it is seeking to hire for an FPS post “must be able to wear protective body armor as part of the duty uniform.”
FPS spokesperson Robert Sperling responded to questions about the role FPS contract guards are playing in controlling crowds at recent protests by saying simply: “The Federal Protective Service protective security officers are manning their posts and do not have authority or jurisdiction beyond federal property.”
The use of contract security personnel in actions targeting U.S. citizens raises serious questions about the future of policing accountability in America.
The privatization of policing is a lucrative business, with numerous private security firms already taking in hundreds of millions of dollars annually from contracts with FPS — not to mention the privatization of prisons that has long been in effect.
It seems determining the precise role private contractors are playing in using force against protesters, journalists and observers in Portland, and the role planned for them in other major urban centers in the weeks ahead, is fertile ground for congressional inquiry and legislation that will establish some firm bumpers for controlling the use and spread of this practice.
A former supervisory DHS agent interviewed for this story lays out the dangers of ignoring this issue: “Before I left [DHS], I attended meetings about creating the private prisons.
I was against it because of the lack of oversight,” states the former supervisory DHS official, who also asked not to be named.
“Those meetings were used also to recruit like-minded personnel for high six-figure salaries after retirement [from their jobs as federal employees]. I was not invited back.
“… Outsourcing [to private contractors] is the way to protect your actual mission,” the former DHS agent says.
“Layering [mixing federal agents in with contractors] provides plausible deniability.
Jurisdiction and authority are given by the attorney general [in this case, William Barr].
“They can also use the authority of another agency [i.e., FPS] by being next to them (implied authority) ….
Finding thugs is not a problem.
Remember, they used mercenaries to capture [DEA agent] Kiki Camarena’s torturers [in Mexico].”
Stay tuned…..
The Lead Federal Agency Responding to Protesters in Portland Employs Thousands of Private Contractors
The Trump administration’s deployment of federal law enforcers in Portland, Oregon, as part of a supposed effort to protect government property has prompted at least two lawsuits alleging that their show of force has resulted in abuses of authority and the unnecessary use of violence against peaceful protesters, journalists and observers.
What has not been reported widely in the media, however, is the fact that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) unit that is coordinating the “crowd control” effort — an agency called the Federal Protective Service (FPS) — is composed largely of contract security personnel.
Those contractors are being furnished to FPS by major private-sector security companies like Blackwater corporate descendant Triple Canopy as well as dozens of other private security firms.
In fact, FPS spends more than $1 billion a year on these contract security guards who are authorized to conduct crowd control at federal properties, such as those in Portland.
And, based on available photographic and document evidence, it appears those private contractors are now part of the federal force arrayed in Portland and are likely to be part of the federal response President Trump has promised to stand up in multiple other cities, including Chicago, Detroit, New York, Philadelphia and other urban centers led by Democratic mayors across the country.
There are some 13,000 security guards nationwide employed by FPS via contracts with private security firms, a figure that can be expanded through existing and future contracts.
Via contracts with FPS, more than 50 private security firms provide guards — referred to as protective security officers (PSOs) — to the agency in the Washington, D.C., area alone.
Among the responsibilities of these contract guards is to assist federal law enforcers with crowd control at federal properties as needed.
“The most difficult tasks PSOs are called upon to perform include standing for prolonged periods of time and interacting with large volumes of people,” states a past interagency agreement involving FPS, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the U.S. Office of Personnel Management.
“Other demanding, but less frequent, tasks include responding to medical emergencies, performing CPR, and performing crowd control [such as is occurring in Portland in recent weeks].
”There is a major problem, however, with using these FPS contract guards — who are supposed to be limited to patrolling and securing federal facilities and grounds — in long-running “civil disturbances” like those unfolding now in Portland, and elsewhere around the country.
The FPS has a long history of failing to properly vet and adequately monitor and ensure that these guards have proper training and certifications, including proper firearms training.
That lack of training can pose a great risk to the safety of protesters and the law enforcers they work with alike should a situation become heated.
As outlined in a prior story on Medium, U.S. Government Accountability Office reports published between 2009 and 2014 on the FPS security guard program have uncovered guards with felony convictions; a large percentage of guard files examined with at least one expired certification, including a declaration they have not been convicted of domestic violence; and multiple security-guard files that were missing documentation on weapons training and security clearances, among other issues.
The role that these private contractors are playing in current crowd-control efforts in Portland, and the role they will play going forward if Trump does expand the federal intervention to other cities across the nation, is best described as opaque — seemingly on purpose.
The danger, however, is that Trump and his attorney general, William Barr, will expand this private contractor force in extending the reach of the federal response to recent civil rights protests — creating what is essentially a national paramilitary police force.
One former U.S. Secret Service officer who was assigned to the White House raised an alarm when questioned about that prospect.
“This concerns me, as FPS officers train with us at the federal law-enforcement training center in Glynco, Georgia,” the former Secret Service officer said, asking that his name not be used.
“I can assure you that a contract officer isn’t law-enforcement certified. …
This sounds very shady, and it sounds like a lawsuit waiting to happen.
”Well, in fact, at least two lawsuits are now in motion, one filed by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) Foundation of Oregon and the other by the Oregon Attorney General’s Office, with both lawsuits alleging the federal response in Portland is violating the constitutional rights of U.S. citizens participating in legitimate, First Amendment-protected protests.
“The American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Oregon today sued the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Marshals Service, which have deployed federal agents to Portland, Oregon,” a press statement released by the ACLU states.
“These agents, which have been deployed over the widespread objections of local leaders and community members, have been indiscriminately using tear gas, rubber bullets, and acoustic weapons against protesters, journalists, and legal observers.
“Federal officers also shot a protester in the head … with a rubber bullet, fracturing the person’s face and skull.
”The lawsuit filed this month by the Oregon’s Attorney General likewise accuses the federal crowd-control force — clad in riot gear and camouflage uniforms — of overstepping its legal authority.
“Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum this evening will file a lawsuit in federal court against the United States Department of Homeland Security, the United States Marshals Service, the United States Customs and Border Protection (CPB), the Federal Protection Service and their agents alleging they have engaged in unlawful law enforcement in violation of the civil rights of Oregonians by seizing and detaining them without probable cause,” the Oregon Department of Justice said in announcing the litigation.
What has not been addressed yet in this case is the unique legal and constitutional challenges posed by deploying a federal force against U.S. citizens that is composed of a mix of government agents and private contractors, including CPB’s Special Response Team [SRT], U.S. Marshals and DHS police — specifically the FPS, which is overseeing the effort and employs thousands of contract security personnel.
“The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and its components will continue to work tirelessly to reestablish law and order,” CBP said in a press statement related to the federal response in Portland.
“The Federal Protective Service (FPS) is the lead government agency that CBP personnel are supporting.
CBP personnel have been deployed to Portland in direct support of the Presidential Executive Order and the newly established DHS Protecting American Communities Task Force (PACT).
“So, what evidence exists that private contractors working for FPS are actively engaged with federal agents in using physical force against protesters in Portland?
For one, that is part of their responsibility as FPS officers.
“As symbols of government, federal facilities are often the place where citizens congregate to express their concerns about an issue, often in the form of mass demonstrations or protests,” DHS’ website says in describing FPS.
“When this happens, FPS law enforcement officers are on-site to ensure that all citizens can express themselves in a safe and peaceful manner.
When demonstrations start to become violent against others, or disruptive to government operations, FPS officers will step in to regain the peace.
”A manual for security guards produced by FPS includes an entire chapter on handling “civil disturbances,” such as the protests now occurring across the nation over racial injustice — sparked by the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis on May 25.
“You may be required to take actions to control crowds during civil disturbances,” states the FPS private-contractor manual, published in 2008 and marked “For Official Use Only.”
“You also may be required to assist law enforcement personnel during such situations.”
Photographic evidence from the protests in Portland also shows that FPS personnel are deployed in Portland as part of the federal crowd-control force.
Some have described this federal force as a “secret police” unit because many of the federal police are clad in camouflage with no name tags and are extremely difficult to identify.
Photographs taken by an ACLU observer (Doug Brown) demonstrate how the uniforms of this opaque federal force are creating unnecessary confusion.
The photos also raise concerns over whether some of the FPS personnel involved in the Portland response are, in fact, contract security personnel.
In the two ACLU photos displayed here, it is clear that in one shot [above] the group of law enforcers — with arm patches emblazoned with the letters SRT — is part of CPB’s Special Response Team.
The other photo [below], however, shows uniformed FPS officers standing next to an individual in camouflage who also has an FPS shoulder patch.
Why are they dressed differently and how can anyone reasonably tell if those are private security contractors employed by FPS or members of the much smaller cadre of government agents, some 1,000 nationwide, employed by FPS?
And, if this federal tactical team is going to be deployed in multiple cities across the nation in the coming weeks, as Trump has threatened, how can that be accomplished without relying on FPS contract security personnel?
Given FPS contract guards are expected to assist with crowd control, it’s reasonable to assume they are in this case as well.
In addition to Triple Canopy, another security firm FPS works with is Paragon Systems Inc., which in 2013, for example, inked a deal with FPS to provide security guards for federal owned and leased properties in Ohio that had a total contract ceiling of $93.4 million.
Within the past month, Paragon ran an online advertisement seeking to hire security guards for FPS to provide “proactive patrols of DOJ property” at an undisclosed location or locations.
A similar recent job-opening advertisement from Triple Canopy notes that contractors it is seeking to hire for an FPS post “must be able to wear protective body armor as part of the duty uniform.”
FPS spokesperson Robert Sperling responded to questions about the role FPS contract guards are playing in controlling crowds at recent protests by saying simply: “The Federal Protective Service protective security officers are manning their posts and do not have authority or jurisdiction beyond federal property.”
The use of contract security personnel in actions targeting U.S. citizens raises serious questions about the future of policing accountability in America.
The privatization of policing is a lucrative business, with numerous private security firms already taking in hundreds of millions of dollars annually from contracts with FPS — not to mention the privatization of prisons that has long been in effect.
It seems determining the precise role private contractors are playing in using force against protesters, journalists and observers in Portland, and the role planned for them in other major urban centers in the weeks ahead, is fertile ground for congressional inquiry and legislation that will establish some firm bumpers for controlling the use and spread of this practice.
A former supervisory DHS agent interviewed for this story lays out the dangers of ignoring this issue: “Before I left [DHS], I attended meetings about creating the private prisons.
I was against it because of the lack of oversight,” states the former supervisory DHS official, who also asked not to be named.
“Those meetings were used also to recruit like-minded personnel for high six-figure salaries after retirement [from their jobs as federal employees]. I was not invited back.
“… Outsourcing [to private contractors] is the way to protect your actual mission,” the former DHS agent says.
“Layering [mixing federal agents in with contractors] provides plausible deniability.
Jurisdiction and authority are given by the attorney general [in this case, William Barr].
“They can also use the authority of another agency [i.e., FPS] by being next to them (implied authority) ….
Finding thugs is not a problem.
Remember, they used mercenaries to capture [DEA agent] Kiki Camarena’s torturers [in Mexico].”
Stay tuned…..
24 Jul 2020 12:35 pm
Retaliatory.........Judge Orders Michael Cohen Released, Citing ‘Retaliation’ Over Tell-All Book
When Michael D. Cohen, President Trump’s one-time lawyer and fixer, met with probation officers this month to complete paperwork that would have let him serve the balance of his prison term at home, he found a catch.
Mr. Cohen was already out on furlough because of the coronavirus.
But to remain at home, he was asked to sign a document that would have barred him from publishing a book during the rest of his sentence.
Mr. Cohen balked because he was, in fact, writing a book — a tell-all memoir about his former boss, the president.
The officers sent him back to prison.
On Thursday, a federal judge ruled that the decision to return Mr. Cohen to custody amounted to retaliation by the government and ordered him to be released again into home confinement. Mr. Cohen is expected back in his Manhattan apartment on Friday.
“I make the finding that the purpose of transferring Mr. Cohen from furlough and home confinement to jail is retaliatory,” the judge, Alvin K. Hellerstein of Federal District Court in Manhattan, said in court.
“And it’s retaliatory because of his desire to exercise his First Amendment rights to publish a book and to discuss anything about the book or anything else he wants on social media and with others.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/23/nyre ... -book.html
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