In a previous article, I wrote about a tyrannical government overexerting its power and using police to commit brutal violence and arrest people randomly in an Orwellian “vaporization” from the city. That government saw peaceful protests as a threat to its power and authority. Protesters demanded less violence and more autonomy. In response, the police force became more vicious and controlling.
That article was published two months ago about the struggles of the residents of Hong Kong. However, we are now faced with the same situation here in the United States—a country that supposedly affirms the government shall not “deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.”
Earlier this month, independent journalists as well as Oregon Public Broadcasting broke the news that federal officers are arresting people on the streets of Portland. They operate in unmarked cars, wear no badges and detain people without probable cause.
According to DU political science professor Lucy Cane, these officers have “likely… violated some protestors’ Constitutional rights by arresting them without probable cause that a federal law was violated.” She explained, “the more that law enforcement officers engage in the intimidation tactics we have seen in Portland and elsewhere over recent months, the more obvious their long-standing role in creating a culture of violence and fear becomes.”
The Oregon Attorney General’s office has filed a federal lawsuit on the matter and has named the plaintiffs as the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the U.S. Marshals Service, the United States Customs and Border Protection, the Federal Protective Service (the agency in charge of protecting federal buildings) and “John Does 1-10.” Due to their lack of physical or verbal identification and the protection they are receiving from the DHS, the officers’ names are unknown. The ACLU has filed a similar suit.
These federal officers wear general military fatigues and use unmarked civilian vehicles. They are kidnapping people, brutalizing and robbing them, beating medics and tear-gassing mothers. These practices are a trial run. The president has stated that he intends to direct the DHS to use these tactics in other democratically-run cities, which all retain large Black populations. Unnamed department officials told the Washington Post plans are already underway to send agents to Chicago.
This is not a city at war like the federal government claims. The officers are starting and perpetuating the violence, making the situation worse than if they weren’t there. This is a learned tactic to assault civilians. There is a historical precedent where those “enforcing the law” are the ones facilitating violence and murder.
This must be stopped. The U.S government is not China. In the United States, law enforcement agencies wield dangerous powers that embolden them to oppress civilians. An example of this is the use of facial recognition technology across the country to identify protestors. It mirrors the vast facial recognition system that China has exported to Hong Kong.
To stop the progression of this technology in the United States, prominent human rights groups such as Amnesty International are calling “for a total ban on the use, development, production and sale, of facial recognition technology for mass surveillance purposes by the police and other government agencies in the United States.”
We do not have to mirror what the Chinese government is doing in Hong Kong. We must continue to stand with our fellow Americans in Portland.
Since the handover of the city from the United Kingdom, China has been terrified that the economic success of Hong Kong will show that a communist system does not work. China’s financial connection to the city combined with their fears of Hong Kong gaining full independence has led to an invasion of force from the mainland.
The U.S government is also scared that power structures may change. They are scared of the overwhelming response to George Floyd’s murder. They are scared when overwhelmingly peaceful protests show no sign of stopping. They are scared of Black people. They are scared of LGBTQ+ people. They are scared of all minorities rising up and using their voice.
They are scared that we might start caring for all of the people in this country rather than the privileged few. That is why we must vote, run for office and stay involved. Let’s make this country for the people, not those who run it.
