Friend,

Have you heard about how Trump’s Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is beating and kidnapping protesters in Portland, Oregon?

They’re pulling people off the streets into unmarked vans while wearing badgeless military gear—acting as secret police and operating against the wishes of state and local officials. Last night federal officers even teargassed the city’s mayor.

Always a fan of authoritarianism, Trump praised these horrendous actions, saying his federal agents are doing a “fantastic job” and threatening to send more troops to Democratic-led cities across the country, including Detroit.¹

I’ve joined other Michigan officials in opposing Trump’s threats to send in federal agents to Detroit,² but we need public outcry to show that the people are watching. Will you join other Americans, elected officials, and organizations speaking out against this unconstitutional crackdown on protesters’ rights?

Sign now to say NO MORE authoritarianism or police state tactics.

Federal agents have been occupying Portland for weeks, in response to Trump’s executive order calling on DHS and Department of Justice (DOJ) agents to “protect” federal buildings from vandalism and civil unrest.³

But these agents have left federal property to illegally attack protesters throughout the city with tear gas and “less-than-lethal” munitions—like hard lead-filled plastic bullets, which can maim and kill people, especially when used at close range and targeted at the head.⁴

A few weeks ago, DHS officers used these munitions without provocation to shoot a local photojournalist 10 times and to shoot protesters, including one who required surgery after officers fractured his skull.⁵

Officers heartlessly stood by while he lay bleeding and unconscious. Fellow activists instead helped him get to the hospital, once again showing the disconnect between law enforcement and the communities they are meant to serve.

We do not need more law enforcement. Please sign now to tell Trump that his authoritarian tactics are unacceptable and unconstitutional.

Yes, this escalation of federal agents violates our constitutional rights, including our First Amendment rights to protest⁶ and free speech.⁷

And when leaving federal property, agents operating without the consent of local authorities are violating protesters’ 10th Amendment rights by engaging in police activities designated to local and state governments. Finally, the DHS’s recent use of surveillance drones over protesters in Detroit, Minneapolis, and other cities—which I condemned along with colleagues in the House—violates our Fourth Amendment protections against unreasonable searches and seizures.

While Trump is unconstitutionally consolidating military control, he’s also signaling that he may not accept the results of November’s election. If you’re wondering if Trump is sliding into fascism, the answer is yes.

As Philadelphia’s progressive district attorney, Larry Krasner, warned:

“When you respond to a national outcry for more police accountability, more racial justice by sending in law enforcement dressed and behaving like military to engage in conduct that's clearly illegal, and anonymous requisitioning of people on public streets, then what you are saying is that the police should be above the law. There should be no limits on their conduct, and there should be no limit on this president's conduct. It goes in exactly the wrong direction. It erodes trust even more.”⁸

Will you add your name now to speak out against authoritarianism?

The recent surge in federal forces is just one way our government continues to overpolice and terrorize communities in the U.S. and abroad. And it underscores why we must meet activists’ demands to dismantle our police/military-industrial complex and instead reinvest resources into our communities.

We’ve seen these agencies abuse their power to inflict harm on our communities, and that harm has only escalated in recent days.

It’s partly why I voted no yesterday on the National Defense Authorization Act, which hands nearly three quarters of a trillion dollars to our already-bloated Defense Department and out-of-control President—while our families struggle to make ends meet during this crisis.

And it’s why I joined my sisters-in-service Reps. Ilhan Omar, Ayanna Pressley, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in announcing that we won’t support any bill that funds Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE),⁹ in line with the Congressional Progressive Caucus.¹⁰

Next week, Congress will decide on whether to authorize additions to the Trump administration’s vast surveillance powers and whether to appropriate new money for the Department of Homeland Security—the same agency carrying out these attacks on protesters.¹¹

Now is the time to fight back and show that the American people demand change. Please sign our petition today.

With love and solidarity,

Rashida

¹ https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-07-22/philly-d-a-threatens-to-arrest-federal-agents
² https://www.metrotimes.com/news-hits/archives/2020/07/21/detroit-mayor-and-police-chief-say-they-dont-want-trump-to-send-federal-agents-here
³ https://www.thenation.com/article/society/border-patrol-portland-arrest/
⁴ https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/craigsilverman/federal-officers-are-arresting-people-in-portland
⁵ https://www.oregonlive.com/news/2020/07/police-shoot-portland-protester-in-head-with-impact-weapon-causing-severe-injuries.html
⁶ https://www.clickondetroit.com/news/local/2020/07/21/no-possible-justification-detroit-mayor-police-chief-respond-to-threat-of-federal-troop-deployment/
⁷ https://www.npr.org/sections/live-updates-protests-for-racial-justice/2020/07/21/893660102/detroit-officer-charged-over-allegedly-shooting-journalists-with-rubber-pellets
⁸ https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-07-22/philly-d-a-threatens-to-arrest-federal-agents
⁹ https://thehill.com/homenews/house/508192-house-to-bring-controversial-homeland-security-bill-to-floor
¹⁰ https://thehill.com/policy/finance/508553-progressive-caucus-chairs-demand-dems-pull-homeland-security-bill
¹¹ https://theintercept.com/2020/07/21/fisa-surveillance-dragnet-warrants-dhs/