Mayors urge Trump to withdraw federal troops from major US cities

A dozen mayors have appealed to the Trump administration with a request to withdraw federal forces from major American cities or stop plans to send them, writes CNN.

Photo: Shutterstock

In a July 20 letter to Attorney General William Barr and Acting Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, Chad Wolfe, mayors called the administration's intention to deploy federal troops against protesters "abuse of power."

A letter signed by the mayors of Portland, Seattle, Atlanta, Chicago, Washington, DC, Boston, Philadelphia, Denver, Los Angeles, San Jose, Oakland, Tucson, Sacramento, Phoenix and Kansas City, Missouri, calls on the administration to withdraw federal forces from cities where they are currently deployed and stop plans to send them elsewhere.

Protesters and federal agents clashed in Portland, where protests continued for more than 50 days. The Trump administration sent teams of federal agents to the city ahead of Fourth of July weekend - the president said the efforts were aimed at protecting federal property, but protesters say the action itself fueled public outrage.

The letter said federal officers used "significant force" against protesters in Portland at night. The officers are accused of "snatching" a man off the street and placing him in an unmarked car and shooting another in the head.

“These are the tactics we expect from authoritarian regimes, not our democracies,” the mayors wrote.

On the subject: Trump threatened to send federal troops to Democratic-run US cities

The letter noted that President Donald Trump has threatened to send forces to "remove" protesters in Seattle and "cleanse" Chicago. The letter also accuses federal forces of using "extreme action" against protesters in Washington DC without the mayor's approval.

“The murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis sparked a national uprising,” the letter said. “Most of the protests were peaceful and aimed at improving our communities. Where this is not the case, it still does not justify the use of federal forces. The unilateral deployment of these paramilitary forces into our cities is completely inconsistent with our system of democracy and our most fundamental values.”

Protests in Portland began after Floyd's death during a police arrest. Demonstrators also called for justice after the deaths of Breonna Taylor, Ahmad Arbury, Elijah McClain and other blacks. But while the peaceful Black Lives Matter marches took place during the day, at times protests turned into riots in parts of the city at night. The result was civilian and police injuries, vandalism, arson and allegations of brutality.

On the subject: Protests scandal: Portland mayor demands Trump not to interfere

From July 13 to July 19, at least 40 protesters were arrested on charges ranging from resistance to arrest to hooliganism, according to the Portland Police Bureau press office.

The state attorney has called for an investigation into why federal agents are picking up some protesters and placing them in unmarked vehicles.

“I offered the support of the US Department of Homeland Security to help locally resolve the situation that was happening in Portland, and their only response was: please pack up and go home,” Wolf said in an interview with Fox News. “It just won’t happen while I’m in charge.”

Read also on ForumDaily:

In the United States, children are increasingly being killed in shootings: who were and what the victims dreamed about

Just about the difficult: answers to the main questions about the 2020 elections

Protests scandal: Portland mayor demands Trump not to interfere

Set up tents and barricades: protesters set up an 'autonomous zone' in Portland

Do you want more important and interesting news about life in the USA and immigration to America? — support us donate! Also subscribe to our page Facebook. Select the “Priority in display” option and read us first. Also, don't forget to subscribe to our РєР ° РЅР ° Р »РІ Telegram  and Instagram- there is a lot of interesting things there. And join thousands of readers ForumDaily New York — there you will find a lot of interesting and positive information about life in the metropolis.