Dear Friend,

Secret federal police officers in Portland, Oregon are snatching
protestors off the streets, putting them into unmarked vans, and detaining
them without charges. They're spraying massive amounts of tear gas at
peaceful protestors and have been caught on video beating demonstrators
with sticks.^1

Today Trump announced plans to send more of these paramiltary thugs to
cities across America to attack protestors and instigate violence.^2,3

As the election gets closer and the polls get worse and worse for Trump,
he is getting more and more desperate. Congress must act NOW to stop
Trump's secret police using all the tools at their disposal, including new
legislation as well as cutting their funding from the Department of
Homeland Security budget (which they’re scheduled to vote on next week).

[ [link removed] ]Will you donate to help mobilize grassroots pressure on Congress to
eliminate funding for Trump's secret police and end this outrageous abuse
of power?

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Trump sent DHS paramilitary forces to Portland over the objection of local
and state leaders. The police are heavily armed and militarized, and they
don't have any badges or name tags or other emblems identifying where they
are from. When they grab protestors, these police don't read them rights
or explain why they are being detained before they pull unsuspecting
people into unmarked vehicles.^4

Oregon Governor Kate Brown told DHS that their presence were causing an
escalation of violence—but that seems to be their purpose.^5 Now Trump is
threatening to send these instigating secret police to Baltimore, New
York, Oakland, and other cities.^6

Under the cover of the coronavirus pandemic, the Trump administration has
been encroaching on our civil rights in horrifying ways.

* The Department of Health and Human Services has cut off the public
from updates of hospitals’ coronavirus data.^7
* Attorney General William Barr has asked for a suspension of habeas
corpus and is pressuring Congress to hand him the ability to conduct
warrantless internet history searches.^8
* Secretary of Treasury Steve Mnuchin is hiding where coronavirus funds
went and which corporations benefited.^9

Demand Progress was founded on the principle of transparent government,
and we have to stop this slide into authoritarianism before it's too late.
We've already organized more than 40,000 letters calling on Congress to
rein in the Trump administration by stopping the secret police and
launching investigations into Trump's power abuses, and we need to do even
more.

[ [link removed] ]Will you rush an emergency donation today?

For our democracy,

Robert Cruickshank,
Demand Progress

[ [link removed] ]DONATE

 

Sources:
1. The Nation, "Trump Unleashes His Secret Police in Portland," [ [link removed] ]July
17, 2020
2. The Washington Post, "The Oregon governor wants federal officers out of
Portland. Trump officials won’t listen. Why?" [ [link removed] ]July 17, 2020
3. The New York Times, "Trump Threatens to Send Federal Law Enforcement
Forces to More Cities," [ [link removed] ]July 20, 2020
4. The Nation, "Trump Unleashes His Secret Police in Portland," [ [link removed] ]July
17, 2020
5. The Washington Post, "The Oregon governor wants federal officers out of
Portland. Trump officials won’t listen. Why?" [ [link removed] ]July 17, 2020
6. KQED, "After Portland, Trump Threatens to Send Federal Agents to
Oakland and Other Cities 'Run by Liberal Democrats'," [ [link removed] ]July 20, 2020
7. The New York Times, "Trump Administration Strips C.D.C. of Control of
Coronavirus Data," [ [link removed] ]July 14, 2020
8. Politico, "Republicans struggle to pin down Trump on spying powers,"
[ [link removed] ]June 4, 2020
9. Esquire, "It's Going to Take Decades to Fumigate Democracy," [ [link removed] ]June
12, 2020
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