Democratic lawmakers and other critics of the president’s approach in Portland have been trying to pretend that federal law enforcement’s presence is what made things worse. This ridiculous allegation came out during Tuesday’s House Judiciary Committee hearing with Attorney General William Barr.
“The reaction has actually been in reverse proportion,” Rep. Zoe Lofgren said, attempting to get a reaction from Barr. “People are showing up because the troops are there.” Even though Lofgren mischaracterized the federal officers as “troops,” she’s actually on to something, but it’s not an effective indictment of the officers or the president’s decision to send them there. It’s an indictment of the violent perpetrators.
The violence in Portland, which has been raging for two months, has by many indications gotten worse. Associated Press reporter Mike Balsamo recently holed up inside the federal courthouse perimeter with federal officers to document the nightly violence. He witnessed fireworks explode near an officer and leave him bloody. He witnessed an exploding mortar leave another with a concussion, in addition to “fireworks & flares shot into the lobby, frozen bottles, concrete, cans & bouncy balls regularly whizzed over the fence at high speeds,” as he relayed via Twitter. Injured officers were hauled into the courthouse. Lasers that, according to Balsamo, have caused blindness in three officers who have yet to recover are constantly beamed into the building.
I watched as injured officers were hauled inside. In one case, the commercial firework came over so fast the officer didn’t have time to respond. It burned through his sleeves & he had bloody gashes on both forearms. Another had a concussion from being hit in the head w/ a mortar
— Mike Balsamo (@MikeBalsamo1) July 27, 2020
The officers’ presence there certainly introduced to the whole Portland equation a new variable because it meant there were new targets for the rioters’ violence. “People are showing up” because “troops” are there is likely true. They are looking for people to victimize.
That doesn’t make officers the cause of violence or even partially culpable. The violence was entirely antecedent to their arrival. The presence of law enforcement did not create a violent disposition. It simply raised the stakes and has offered a better thrill.
Imagine the thrill for the rogue: arming up like you do in video games, busting out windows and defiling buildings, blowing stuff up and lighting things on fire, physically assaulting authorities, and experiencing an adrenaline-inducing potential threat to your life in return — all as you get away with it and as your actions, defended by elected officials, become melded with those of peaceful protesters.
The thing to recognize is that if you remove the violent group from the equation, there wouldn’t be any violence. If you remove the federal officers, there still would be.
