Oregon, a hotbed of extremism, seeks to curb paramilitaries
by Associated Press from US news | The Guardian on (#68ZW1)
As incidents increase, state lawmakers seek to allow civil suits against paramilitaries - but critics say rights will be infringed on
An armed takeover of a federal wildlife refuge. Over 100 straight days of racial justice protests that turned downtown Portland into a battleground. A violent breach of the state capitol. Clashes between gun-toting rightwingers and leftist militants.
Over the past decade, Oregon experienced the sixth-highest number of extremist incidents in the nation, despite being 27th in population, according to an Oregon secretary of state report. Now, the state legislature is considering a bill that, experts say, would create the nation's most comprehensive law against paramilitary activity.
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