Where are the federal “police” (or whatever they technically are) camping while they enjoy their visit to Beautiful Downtown Portland?
Are some or all of them local residents, or at least within the state? Are some or most of them imported from elsewhere in the country? Where do they sleep? Where do they eat? Where do they get their supplies of tear gas and pepper balls? Do they have a massive stockpile there in the federal courthouse?
How about the local and state police lay siege to them? Instead of tearing down the barricades around the court, enforce them instead. Keep the feds inside. Don’t let any food or other supplies in. Cut off the electricity, water, and whatever other utilities are there. Put a ring of local police, state police, protesters, moms and dads around the perimeter. Settle in for the long haul and just wait.
Would that be (a) doable? (b) effective?
(No, discobot, my topic is not similar to “Using a cell phone from US within UK”)
I hear a lot of them are being put up at the downtown Marriott, which is quite large and houses lots of not-federal-asshole people so probably not a great target overall.
Could the local PTB then put some pressure on said Marriott to kick them out?
Or, when they go to the courthouse during the day, then keep them there and not let them out?
Where are their stockpiles of gas, pepper, rubber bullets, real bullets, etc.? Can the local authorities prevent them from acquiring more? Lay siege around the airport if supplies are being flown in?
Can they lay siege around the Marriott, allowing other guests in and out but not the feds? Can they keep them in? Can they keep them out?
A good answer to “Why not?” is that almost all of these suggestion are blatantly illegal. They are blatant in a way that the actions of those federal agents are not.
From what I understand, they are all Truant Officers on leave from chasing down the Little Rascals when they play hooky. They don’t eat, they don’t sleep. All their incendiary supplies are from a fireworks store in Hooksett, New Hampshire. And if they catch you, you’re going to Reform School!
Again, if the state tired this, it would be deemed a act of insurrection, trump would declare martial law, suspend habeas corpus , and of course cancel the election.
This is the fourth thread where somebody wants to try a act of illegal violence vs the Federal government. All these ideas are super bad. The courts are the only recourse, or just getting the protestors to stop.
Yeah, “laying seige” as the OP puts it, is a really, really bad idea. At that point, you’re just giving Trump an excuse to send in actual troops. But, are there are other ways the locals can fuck with them, like finding out where they park their vehicles, slashing their tires, sticking potatoes in the tailpipes, putting sugar in the gas tanks, etc.? Maybe set up huge speakers outside their hotel and blast death metal at all hours of the night.
And then the government agents could sneakily stick Trump 2020 bumper stickers on the back of protesters cars and watch other protesters destroy said cars.
So what happens when people retaliate? You make it seem like police and others CAN’T do anything. Not that they aren’t doing anything. At some point if you provoke enough violence public opinion changes against you. Right now, protesters of peace are getting away with a lot of violence but that won’t be tolerated for ever.
