Protests Against Racism Expand to Several Other US Cities

Portland experienced turbulent unrest over the weekend. Donald Trump has called for a more forceful crackdown on protesters. This comes as the deployment of federal police officers not only failed to restore peace but has led to a spread of unrest.

Chad Wolf, the acting head of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, in an interview with the television network “Fox News,” described the situation in Portland as extremely dire, stating that “at night the city goes out of control of officers.”

Donald Trump’s approach and his administration’s response to recent U.S. protests and unrest have drawn widespread criticism. Despite this, the U.S. president not only deployed federal police officers contrary to the wishes of governors from some states, but is now calling for a more forceful response to protesters.

News reports from news agencies indicate the continuation of unrest in Portland. This comes as several other American cities also experienced turbulent weekends. Protests against racism in Portland have continued since the killing of George Floyd.

In Portland, clashes between anti-racism protest participants and U.S. federal police officers continued in recent days of last week. Despite the objection of Oregon’s governor, the Trump administration sent special federal police units to the region to end the unrest in Portland.

Trump stated that the purpose of deploying federal police officers to the city was to protect the federal courthouse building. This is while protest participants claimed that a special police center and a prison have been established in this courthouse. The area around this courthouse building has been one of the main gathering points for protesters in Portland.

A More Forceful Approach

Chad Wolf, the acting head of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, on Sunday evening, July 26 (Mordad 5), in an interview with the “Fox News” news program, spoke about the Trump administration’s new policy regarding Portland’s unrest. Without providing more detailed information, Wolf announced that Trump is seeking a more forceful approach against protesters.

Trump recently called this group of protesters “terrorists.” Donald Trump criticized Democratic governors of these states and accused them of failing to ensure peace and tranquility.

This is while Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, has called for an end to Trump’s and U.S. federal police officers’ interference in ensuring peace in these states.

Some critics of Trump’s policy in dealing with unrest have stated that Trump deployed federal police officers in an attempt to divert public attention from problems stemming from the spread of coronavirus and economic difficulties.

Spread of Unrest

The deployment of federal police officers not only failed to return peace to Portland but has caused unrest to spread to other states and cities in America.

In response to mounting criticism, the U.S. Department of Justice announced an investigation into the conduct of federal police in Oregon.

With the exception of Portland, protests against racism have also been held in Seattle, located in Washington State, as well as in Oakland, one of the major cities in California.

During protests on Saturday, July 25, in Austin, located in Texas, one person died from a gunshot wound. The investigation into the cause of this person’s death is ongoing. Austin police spokesperson claimed that this person may have been carrying a weapon.

Chad Wolf also called Portland protest participants “anarchists” and reported the arrest of some protesters.

It is said that some people were also arrested by police in Seattle. Furthermore, reports have been published about injuries sustained by several police officers as a result of rocks and glass being thrown by protesters.

Source: DW