It was bad enough when Donald Trump sent his secret police to Portland, Oregon to attack protesters and violate their constitutional rights by grabbing them off the streets.
Trump just vowed to send his paramilitary forces to do the same thing in cities across America.1 We have to stop him. Our democracy and our basic rights and freedoms are at risk like never before.
We've all fought hard these last four years to stop Trump's abuses of power. But this latest step, sending secret police to American cities, is a terrifying new step. With the November elections looming, we need to reclaim our democracy and stop Trump and these federal agencies from any further violations of our basic rights. Will you help?
Sign the petition: Tell Congress to stop Trump and his secret police!
It's horrific to tell you that we now have secret police in the United States -- but it's the truth. Federal officers from the U.S. Marshals Service, Customs and Border Patrol, and other agencies of the Department of Homeland Security are operating in Portland without any identification.2
Trump's goons are grabbing protesters off the street without charge, without reading them their rights. They're shooting tear gas and flash bang grenades at protesters, including a group of mothers who stood guard over the weekend to stop the federal violence.
Oregon's leaders have demanded that Trump and the DHS withdraw these forces. Trump has refused. Instead he's vowing to send his secret police to attack civilians in cities across America.3
Even worse: Trump refused to promise to respect the result of the November election despite being asked multiple times in a Fox News interview on Sunday.4 I don't have to tell you how alarming it is for Trump to say that, especially when he's using actual secret police in our cities.
We have to put a stop to this right now. Congress has the power to act. Right now Oregon's two U.S. Senators, Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, have proposed an amendment to a military spending bill that would stop Trump from deploying his secret police.5
We also have to roll back decades of militarization of law enforcement in this country, particularly at Homeland Security, to ensure no president can ever do this again.
This is an urgent moment to protect what remains of our democracy from Trump's authoritarian rule. Will you act now and protect our most basic rights?
Add your name and tell Congress: Stop Trump's secret police!
Sources:
1. Washington Post, "Trump plans to send more federal troops into cities," July 20, 2020.
2. Oregon Public Broadcasting, "Federal Law Enforcement Use Unmarked Vehicles To Grab Protesters Off Portland Streets," July 17, 2020.
3. Washington Post, "Oregon attorney general sues federal agencies for allegedly violating protesters’ civil rights," July 18, 2020.
4. CNBC, "President Trump won’t agree to accept 2020 election results as Biden leads in polls — ‘I have to see’," July 19, 2020.
5. Oregon Public Broadcasting, "Oregon Lawmakers Call For New Curbs On Federal Officers Involved In Quelling Demonstrations," July 20, 2020.