"Camouflaged Goon Squads": Outrage, Legal Challenges in Portland as Federal Agents Snatch Protesters

The U.S. attorney for the District of Oregon has called for an investigation into the conduct of federal officers deployed to protests in Portland, calling their behavior unlawful." Local officials are also mounting legal challenges to remove the agents from city streets. Juan Chavez, project director and attorney at the Oregon Justice Resource Center, says it's a terrifying situation for Portland residents who face these camouflaged goon squads" who often refuse to identify themselves or their agencies. They just appear in the middle of the night next to people who are in and around downtown who then get corralled into these vehicles, not told where or who's picking them up," he says.