Federal Agents Dispatched to Kansas City and Portland, Now Coming

Quinton Lucas The Mayor of Kansas City learned of Federal Agents in his city through social media. During a White House briefing on Wednesday Attorney General Barr announced 200 federal agents were sent to Kansas City as part of the program, named after LeGend Taliferro, a 4-year-old boy killed last month in Kansas City. The Mayor said he did not request the support; I would have liked to know more about what the operation looks like.

We have also been seeing stories in Portland Oregon, another city federal agents were sent to, and they do not want them there either. Federal agents deployed tear gas to force thousands of demonstrators from crowding around the federal building. Protesters moved away as clouds of gas rose from the area and flash grenades could be heard. The city has sued to get the federal agents out of their city. A federal judge specifically blocked United States federal agents from arresting or using physical force against journalists and legal observers at protests in Portland. US Judge Michael Simon made his ruling late Thursday, a day after Portland’s Mayor was tear gassed by federal agents while making an appearance outside a federal court during massive demonstrations, which have been going on for two months.

Detroit and Chicago are now on the list of cities where these agents are being sent. Fox 2 Detroit reports "This is not about protests this is not about federal troops coming here, all that's nonsense," said US Attorney Matthew Schneider. "This is about federal law enforcement coming here because we have a very dangerous situation." When Trump made the original assertion of sending federal agents to cities to quell violence on Monday, it drew a strong rebuke from Detroit's mayor, police chief, as well as the Michigan governor and attorney general. Several community leaders and activists in the city have become increasingly vocal about what Detroit will need to reduce violent crime in the long term.