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Walsh to feds: Keep your paramilitary goon squads out of Boston
By adamg on Tue, 07/21/2020 - 4:19pm
Mayor Walsh today joined a dozen other mayors - including those of Portland, OR and Chicago - in letters that demand the Justice Department and Homeland Security go find something to do other than kidnapping people walking down the street and that Congress put an end to the practice.
Walsh emphasized he has no information that federal Little Green Men are headed to Boston, but added "I want to make it absolutely clear that it is not welcome in Boston."
In their letter to Attorney General William Barr and un-confirmed Homeland Security Director Chad Wolf, the mayors say it's time for the president to stop sowing "fear and mistrust" and breaking the Constitution:
The unilateral deployment of these forces into American cities is unprecedented and violates fundamental constitutional protections and tenets of federalsim. ...
Deployment of federal forces in the streets of our communities has not been requested nor is it acceptable. While U.S. Marshals have had jurisdiction inside federal courthouses for decades, it is unacceptable and chilling that this administration has formed and deployed a U.S. Department of Homeland Security Rapid Deployment Unit and is sending federal authorities to conduct crowd control on city streets and detain individuals. In Portland, their actions have escalated events and increased the risk of violence against both civilians and local law enforcement officers.
In Portland, federal forces have used significant force against protesters on a nightly basis, including shooting one individual in the head with a munition, reportedly fracturing his skull. Others "snatched" an individual from the street without proper identification and placed him in an unmarked vehicle. These are tactics we expect from authoritarian regimes - not our democracy.
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Comments
So
Has he told Gross this, too? Or is this just about mayoral solidarity?
I think that any goon squads that dare hide their faces around here should be required to quarantine for two weeks with ankle bracelets. Yes, state and local government does have that authority.
Ah, simple minds
I am sure Commissioner Gross can express his feelings to the AG. And as he appears to have a better working relationship with Barr than the mayor does, perhaps Gross’ words will have some heft.
That said, the federals in question are with the DHS, which is a different cabinet agency.
goons
I Predicts the day Biden is sworn in, the description "goon squad " will disappear.
because the squads will be gone
"The officers are part of a new Department of Homeland Security (DHS) unit made up of people from the US Marshals Service and Customs and Border Protection." Some are also prison guards, none are trained in crowd control. They're violating the constitution in their kidnapping of people into unmarked Enterprise rentals - this will not continue under Biden.
I was a federal correctional
I was a federal correctional officer 10+ years ago, we were definitely trained in crowd control
As will the goon squads themselves, thankfully.
n/t
Unprecedented
Federal police actions?
Except for these :https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-national-guard-deployments-timeli...
These are not military
They are not National Guard. They are not police with jurisdiction, either.
Very very different.
In terms of the Constitution and over two centuries of case law, their NOT being military makes an ENORMOUS difference.
In other words, this is straight up illegal at the state and federal level. Full stop.
People rioting
In Portland were vandalizing and attempting to burn federal property.
Which the feds have jurisdiction over. People are turning this into something it’s not for political gain.
Sorry I don’t my city burned to the ground.
Also, Walsh if you don’t want the feds to show up, simply allow BPD to do their job. Which the Portland mayor did not.
We don’t need another Occupy Boston shit hole to pop up.
First, this isn't Portland
Second, the issue isn't that some stormtroopers are protecting buildings. The issue is that they're teargassing and kidnapping people who may not have anything to do with the buildings.
They are flattening
“The curve?”
The federal forces in
The federal forces in Portland are federal police, not military.
Which makes a big difference
In part because the military has recognized the Constitution and so far refused to get involved in a domestic political campaign.
The US Marshals Service has
The US Marshals Service has always had jurisdiction in states when federal offenses or crimes against property have occurred and or if a federal judge has issue a warrant for an arrest. CBP has jurisdiction in any city which is an international port (the original purposes of the Coast Guard) or airport with a customs checkpoint because those locations effectively are a border.
I think Marty would be singing a different tune if the South Boston court house and seaport was getting trashed for 50 days straight by the same small group of rioters the local DA refuses to charge despite multiple arrests by the local PD.
Marshalls Service
doesn't have jurisdiction? In the case of Federal properties being trashed? Seriously? And are you saying that the National Guard does not have authority when it's federalized as the dozen examples the article cited. Who are these little green men? Are they Marshalls? Federal Protective Service? Delta Force? Trump employees?
There were situations cited in the piece when the Marshalls were called in by the President.
This whole scene is an echo of 1968 which really didn't work out so well did it?
what federal properties are being trashed in Portland?
How does kidnapping someone fix that?
Odd choice of topics for him
So no mention of the violent crime wave underway?
.
.
You guys are too easy
Of course he did, just in a separate news conference.
From the Globe:
Turning to the recent spike in gun violence that has plagued the city, Walsh said two teenagers were fatally shot Sunday in Mattapan, and a third teen was severely wounded in a separate shooting in Roxbury.
“Violence of any kind is certainly unacceptable in our communities,” Walsh said. “When young people are victims, it’s especially devastating.”
https://www.bostonglobe.com/2020/07/21/metro/mayor-walsh-warns-that-week...
After he talked about the
After he talked about the beach but before he talks about pools he mentioned a couple people were murdered and does the usual "sad, too bad" bit.
walsh
Dear Mayor. Violence is very acceptable in our communities. If it was unacceptable, it wouldn't take place.
But...
...it's not YOUR community, Mr. North Shore.
community
It once was, lived in boston for many years. I miss it a lot......anyway you don't sound very inclusive or understanding or open minded etc etc
Non topic...
Because most violence in Boston takes place on the “plantation.”
Marty the gentrifier really does care!
"acting" DHS Chief Chad Wolf
Is a dangerous and insecure tennis bro with zero experience in national security who's acting out childhood fantasies.
Ignore Marty.
The Feds will be in our streets before November.
Do the numbers
You seem very sure of that. Care to do the numbers for me? Where is he getting these anonymous thugs from? How many of them does he have, and what is happening to the jobs that they normally do while they're off playing Super Stormtrooper?
Do the numbers
You seem very sure of that. Care to do the numbers for me? Where are "The Feds" getting these anonymous thugs from? How many of them do they have, and what is happening to the jobs that they normally do while they're off playing Super Stormtrooper?
Don't tell the Mayor
They are already here:
ATF
Border Patrol
Customs
DEA
FBI
US Marshalls
US Coast Guard
Federal Protective Services
Federal Park Rangers
Postal Police
Amtrak Police
VA Police
TSA
Slight difference ..
Amtrak Police aren't renting vans from Enterprise and driving down Broadway and then stopping to shove people inside or just beating veterans until they get that satisfying crunch that means they've broken a bone or two. They are patrolling South Station.
Ditto for the other federal police forces you mention (just swap in Logan or the JP VA hospital or whatever)
Why the hell...
...can't anyone spell "Marshals" correctly?
I'd rather have
TJ Max protecting us. He sounds like a badass dude.
Certain Federal groups have always been here:
The US Coast Guard
TSA
Amtrak Police
Border Patrol
Customs
Federal park Rangers
DEA
FBI
VA Police
TSA
US Marshalls
Federal Protection Services
Do you really and truly want all those groups disbanded just because they're part of the Federal Government? A lot of those groups, such as the US Coast Guard, Border Patrol, Customs, Federal Park Rangers, VA police and Federal Protection Services are necessary. Get real.
not disbanded
The law enforcement compound escalation is not supporting community safety. Obviously these agencies are full of good people doing their best. Rethinking how we fund law enforcement is needed. It doesn't mean disrespect for those people.
The Thing Is...
The thing is the feds weren't arresting people committing violent crimes. They arrested protesters.
They didn't arrest cartel members or gang members.
So that excuse about the crime wave doesn't add up. It's using a bit a truth for their agenda to invade cities.
Lack of peace marches causing the violence
Has SNL begun work on a skit highlighting Walsh's claim that the skyrocketing gun violence is due to his inability to hold "peace marches" this year with the lockdowns? Priceless.
Well FISH, since SNL
Well FISH, since SNL generally parodies CURRENT events, and airs new episodes from late September or early October through May, no, they are not working on this.
So, what's your explanation,
So, what's your explanation, Buford?
Let's go through this...
We've had four months of a pandemic that has kept people shut in, underemployed, undersocialized, money-insecure, food-insecure, stressed, recreational opportunities limited, and - yes - community-building things and relationship-building things like the weekly neighborhood walks* with police cut off. Is it any wonder violence is up?
That's not to say those are the only factors, but if you dismiss them out of hand, you're an idiot.
* (that's several nights a week in different locations, so they're in each neighborhood each week)
If we can get arrest of
If we can get the arrests of Breonna Taylor’s murderers then that would be a start to heal and make needed change. BLM
Way to go Marty!
Keep these khaki shirts off our streets. Have you guys seen their Cammo? You'd think they were having a do over of "Operation Freedom".
Drills for November
When Trump starts to feel itchy about loosing cities in states that are not solidly on his side he will have troops already drilled in legal intimidation. He just has to give the order of deployment.
Between letting the coronavirus run riot, pressing to prevent mail in voting (he says it full of fraud - even though he does it), Federal thugs with weapons hanging about election polls....
This is hardly new. Voting suppression comes in many forms and flavors. Trump has proven beyond doubt that he will use any trick he thinks he can get away with, no matter the degree of illegality or immorality.
It is proven that he violated the Constitution by attempting extortion of a foreign nation to help with his election. The House provided the evidence; the conviction failed only because Moscow Mitch puts using a tool for his games ahead of the nation's welfare.
He said he could shoot someone on 5th Avenue and get away with it. He wasn't exaggerating. When an extreme person makes statements he is not being extreme. He's just calling things as he sees them.
Sane human beings who realize that they are ultimately just another Bozo on the bus spew the trash that flies out of Trump's mouth. Take him at his word and his history.
He loves to lie, he loves to destroy anything he can. That is his way of life.
Donald Trump and his Administration--
They're like overgrown Frat boys, who like to pull pranks, and break things and fix them to fit their own agenda. It's disgusting.
Strong words
Strong words. That's all they are. I'll believe it if he sends BPD out to arrest these goons should any of them show up. Then we'll see if he's actually committed to this.
OT: Why Boston Police @anon?
OT: Why Boston Police @anon?