Oregon Sues to Block Federal Arrests of Portland Protestors

NTD Newsroom
By NTD Newsroom
July 18, 2020US News
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Oregon Sues to Block Federal Arrests of Portland Protestors
Agents from different components of the Department of Homeland Security are deployed to protect a federal courthouse in Portland, Ore., on July 5, 2020. (Doug Brown via AP)

Oregon has filed a lawsuit against U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the U.S. Marshals Service, and other federal agencies, alleging that their officers had violated the civil rights of Oregonians by detaining them without probable cause.

Ellen Rosenblum, the state’s attorney general, filed the lawsuit on Friday, saying that she was concerned about the federal law enforcement tactics being employed. Some of the tactics the lawsuit alleges to have occurred include detaining protestors on the streets of Portland and placing them in unmarked vehicles without arresting them or stating the basis for an arrest.

In one incident on July 15, the lawsuit states, a man, Mark Pettibone was confronted with armed men dressed in camouflage who took him off the streets, pushed him into a van, then drove him to a building, which was believed to be Mark O’ Hatfield United States Courthouse.

There, Pettibone alleged that he was put into a cell and read his Miranda rights but was not told why he was arrested. He said he was released without any paperwork, citation, or record of his arrest, the lawsuit states.

“These tactics must stop,” Rosenblum said in a statement. “They not only make it impossible for people to assert their First Amendment rights to protest peacefully. They also create a more volatile situation on our streets.”

The U.S. Custom and Border Protection (CBP) released a statement on July 17 defending a similar arrest of a protestor in Portland that had been captured on camera. In that incident, the agency said they had information indicating that the individual who was in the video was suspected of assaults against federal agents and for destroying federal property.

Once CBP agents approached the suspect, a large and violent mob started moving towards them, the agency said, adding that the agents, who had identified themselves and were wearing CBP insignia during the encounter, then quickly made the decision to move the suspect to a safer location for further questioning to ensure everyone’s safety.

“While the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) respects every American’s right to protest peacefully, violence and civil unrest will not be tolerated,” the agency said in the statement. “Violent anarchists have organized events in Portland over the last several weeks with willful intent to damage and destroy federal property, as well as injure federal officers and agents. These criminal actions will not be tolerated.”

The lawsuit claims that the federal agencies had violated the First, Fourth, and Fifth Amendment rights of Oregonians.

Rosenblum also announced that state prosecutors are also launching a criminal investigation into an incident where a protestor was allegedly seriously injured by a federal law enforcement agent.

Donavan LaBella, 26, was seriously injured after allegedly being struck by an impact munition on July 11. The incident was captured on video, which shows him standing across from Mark O. Hatfield federal courthouse while holding a speaker over his head with both hands. At one moment a canister of smoke or teargas lands right next to him, which he kicks away. After returning to his initial position, shots of impact munitions can be heard and LaBella collapses to the ground moments later.

The other agencies that were named in the lawsuit include the U.S. Custom and Border Protection, and the Federal Protective Services.

The Justice Department did not immediately respond to The Epoch Times’ request for comment.