The Department of Homeland Security was created during the administration of George W. Bush in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. It includes the federal security force agencies of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Patrol (CBP). These agencies, responding to Trump’s call for law and order in “Democrat Cities,” began policing the streets of Portland, Oregon in early July, 2020, along with the U.S. Marshals Service and Federal Protection Service (FPS). Following the leadership of Black Lives Matter and Don’t Shoot PDX, Portlanders began protesting police brutality nightly since the murder of George Floyd in police custody on May 25, 2020.
Excerpted From a Press Release from the DHS, dated July 16, 2020: “Acting Secretary Chad Wolf Condemns the Rampant Long-Lasting Violence in Portland”:
05/29/2020
- Violent anarchists broke a front window at the Hatfield Courthouse.
- Violent anarchists graffitied the Hatfield Courthouse.
- Overall, the cost of damages on federal property done by the violent mob this first night was estimated at $5,000.
05/30/2020
- Violent anarchists graffitied the BPA Building.
- Violent anarchists graffitied the Hatfield Courthouse.
- Violent anarchists graffitied the Edith Green-Wenell Wyatt Building.
- Violent anarchists graffitied the Terry Schrunk Plaza.
- Violent anarchists graffitied the 911 Federal Building.
- Violent anarchists graffitied the Pioneer Courthouse.
- Violent anarchists graffitied the Gus J. Solomon Courthouse.
Agents from these DHS departments rented unmarked vans and took apparent protestors from the streets of Portland into custody without cause or notice of cause. Officers wore no identifying badges, nor did they name specific charges, nor did they communicate with local government or police officials on the extent or nature of their interventions.
06/01/2020
- Violent anarchists graffitied the Hatfield Courthouse.
- Violent anarchists graffitied Terry Schrunk Plaza.
- Violent anarchists graffitied The Pioneer Courthouse.
- Violent anarchists graffitied The Gus J Solomon Courthouse.
06/02/2020
- Violent anarchists graffitied the U.S. Custom House.
06/06/2020
- Violent anarchists destroyed fencing surrounding federal property
06/07/2020
- Violent anarchists damaged and breached the fence around the Hatfield Courthouse. Portland Police were forced to deploy crowd control spray to disperse a crowd that was throwing animal seed at officers.
Oregon Governor Kate Brown, U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, U.S. Representatives Earl Blumenaur and Susan Bonamici, and Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler have all called for these Federal Agents and Agencies to leave the state immediately. These elected state officials were not consulted in advance of these military actions, and all note that their presence is an exacerbation and escalation of existing tensions between protesters and police.
06/08/2020
- Violent anarchists broke a window at the Hatfield Courthouse while pelting the building with objects.
- Violent anarchists cut a hole in the fence surrounding Hatfield Courthouse.
06/10/2020
- Violent anarchists removed the entire fence around Hatfield Courthouse and graffitied its front columns.
- Violent anarchists attempted to remove wooden barriers from a window on the Hatfield Courthouse.
06/11/2020
- Violent anarchists dismantled a section of the fence protecting the Edith Green-Wenell Wyatt Federal Building.
On July 18, 2020, Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum filed a lawsuit against the DHS, CBP, FPS, and U.S. Marshals Service. The suit claims that these federal law enforcement agencies have been wrongfully seizing protestors and seeks a restraining order prohibiting the use of such tactics. “The federal administration has chosen Portland to use their scare tactics to stop our residents from protesting police brutality and from supporting the Black Lives Matter movement. Every American should be repulsed when they see this happening. If this can happen here in Portland, it can happen anywhere,” the Oregon State Attorney said.
06/13/2020
- Violent anarchists destroyed the card reader at the Hatfield Courthouse by ripping it off its mount.
- Violent anarchists destroyed the fence at the Hatfield Courthouse.
- Violent anarchists threw metal pipes at the Hatfield Courthouse, causing Portland Police to issue a disbursal warning for unlawful assembly.
06/17/2020
- Violent anarchists graffitied the Hatfield Courthouse.
06/20/2020
- Among a group of over 400 protesters marching in front of the Pioneer Courthouse, violent anarchists attempted to cause eye damage to officers with commercial grade lasers.
- Violent anarchists graffitied the Gus J. Solomon Courthouse.
06/25/2020
- Violent anarchists vandalized an FPS camera at the Hatfield Courthouse.
- Violent anarchists breached the fence of the Justice Center, adjacent to the courthouse.
Governor Brown decries the presence of federal force as “political theater,” a demonstration of military muscle meant to excite Trump’s political base during an election season. On Twitter, she wrote, “This political theater from President Trump has nothing to do with public safety. The President is failing to lead this nation. Now he is deploying federal officers to patrol the streets of Portland in a blatant abuse of power by the federal government.”
06/30/2020
- Violent anarchists ripped down plywood covering the windows at the Edith Green-Wenell Wyatt Building, before breaking the windows.
7/01/2020
- Violent anarchists graffitied new plywood covering the windows at the Hatfield Courthouse and ripped down plywood on the other side of the building.
- A group of over 200 violent anarchists blocked access to the building and proceeded to launch aerial fireworks at federal property.
07/02/2020
- Violent anarchists broke a front window to the Hatfield Courthouse and attempted to enter the building.
- Violent anarchists refused orders to vacate the Hatfield Courthouse area, and instead launched fireworks and threw objects at officers, while attempting to cause eye damage with lasers. One explosive firework was shot into the courthouse.
- FPS law enforcement officers were forced to utilized crowd control measures for safety.
07/03/2020
- After ongoing riots around the Hatfield Courthouse, crowds were dispersed only to make a return later into the night.
- Violent Anarchists broke the front window of the Hatfield U.S. Courthouse and shot fireworks into the building.
- Violent anarchists firebombed the building. Federal law enforcement extinguished the fire.
07/04/2020
- Around 1,000 violent anarchists spray painted, threw rocks, and shot fireworks (including mortar style fireworks) at the Hatfield Courthouse. They also destroyed a security camera at the facility.
- A CBP team supporting FPS at the courthouse arrested suspects from the graffiti and camera vandalism incidents.
- The mob continued to throw rocks and paint-filled balloons, while attempting to breach the doors.
- Teams were forced to utilize crowd control measures for safety.
- Multiple individuals were seen carrying rifles, including the driver of a vehicle who attempted to strike a Portland Police Bureau officer with his car in front of the Hatfield Courthouse.
Governor Kate Brown approached Vice-President Mike Pence and Acting Secretary of DHS Chad Wolf in late July, requesting that they leave the State. Without countering the request, or asking for concessions, Pence and Wolf agreed to retreat. Brown’s spokesperson speculated that Pence and Wolf recognized their strategy had failed and they had begun to look towards a different message and approach, away from “Democrat” cities towards the suburbs as a fresher scene of political theater. When the various branches of DHS and other federal agencies withdrew from Portland, the focus of demonstrations then turned away from federal force and became more peaceful and recentered its messaging on police brutality and race, the original premise and object of protest. Nevertheless, the DHS has stationed 150 agents at two locations within twenty minutes of the Hatfield Courthouse, should protests, in their view, escalate.
All mural photographs taken on the streets near the federal buildings in Portland, Oregon by Catherine Greenblatt in August, 2020.