An official investigation was opened Thursday, July 23 by the US Department of Justice into the very controversial action of federal police in Portland (northwest), where clashes between the police almost every night against demonstrators anti-racists.
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The mayor of Portland himself, Ted Wheeler, was sprayed with tear gas on Wednesday evening as he met thousands of people protesting in particular against institutional racism and police violence.
" I have not seen anything that justifies " this use of tear gas, he said, speaking of a " disproportionate reaction " from federal agents, whose deployment was ordered in certain cities of the country by the president Donald Trump for, according to the latter, to restore " law and order ".
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Much more serious according to many American citizens or elected officials, many videos published on social networks for a week show these federal agents in uniform, clad in military equipment, appearing from unmarked vehicles to question demonstrators.
The movement began more than fifty days ago, as elsewhere in the country, after the death of black forty-something George Floyd in late May under the knee of a white policeman. The mobilization in Portland, traditionally very anti-establishment, has only grown since the arrival of federal forces in the city.
Inspector General Michael Horowitz, who oversees all internal investigations at the Department of Justice, said in a statement Thursday that he had officially launched investigations into the events in Portland.
Also at the request of members of Congress, a separate investigation is opened into the intervention of the police on June 1 in Washington to disperse a demonstration that was held on the outskirts of the White House, an operation for which the president Trump had already received a shower of criticism. These investigations will " examine the role and responsibilities of the Department of Justice and its law enforcement officials in responding to protests and public unrest in Washington DC and Portland, Oregon over the past two months. », Specifies Michael Horowitz.
The inspection will in particular review “ the training and instructions ” given to law enforcement agencies under the Ministry of Justice, their compliance with the rules governing their identification and intervention, as well as the instructions concerning “ the use of riot » ammunition , tear gas and general force.
Several lawsuits have been launched by plaintiffs contesting the mobilization of federal forces in Portland, accused by some of behaving like paramilitary commandos by making summary arrests.
According to documents submitted to an Oregon court by the head of this " rapid deployment force ", these men in camouflage fatigues intervening in Portland would come from three contingents of the Department of Homeland Security: the Federal Protection Service, the Immigration Police (ICE) and the Customs and Border Protection Agency (CBP).
Members of the Marshals Service, which reports to the Department of Justice and is responsible for protecting federal judges and courts, supplement their staff, which totals 114 in total.