The Philip DeFranco Show - PDS 7.20 Lets Talk About The Portland "Secret Police" Videos Controversy & Why Your City May Be Next

Starting point is 00:00:00 When Harriet Tubman, well Harriet Tubman never actually freed the slaves, she just had the slaves go work for all the white people. Y'all, we leave it right now. Yo, can someone in this man's life help him? I had this whole one to two minutes scripted out where I was like dunking on Kanye West and just the random nature of disparaging and minimizing an 1800s abolitionist. But with this guy, somehow he is a billionaire anti-vaxxer who holds so much wealth and power and influence Yet when I talk about him it feels wrong and like I'm punching down because he is so obviously not okay Anyway sup you beautiful bastard. I hope you have a fantastic Monday Welcome back to the Philip DeFranco show buckle up hit that like button and let's just jump into it and the first thing we're gonna

Starting point is 00:00:43 Talk about today is this story out of New Jersey, where there was a shooting at the home of a federal judge. So this happened last night in North Brunswick at the home of Judge Esther Salas. Reportedly, the judge was home at the time of the shooting, with reports saying that she was in the basement, she ended up being unharmed. But, horribly, her 20-year-old son, Daniel, was killed,

Starting point is 00:00:59 and also her husband, a defense lawyer named Mark Anderle, was injured. Now, as far as what we know about what happened, we have the Associated Press saying that the alleged gunman was dressed as a FedEx delivery person, though right now it is unclear if that person actually worked for FedEx

Starting point is 00:01:11 or was just posing as a delivery person. With reports saying that Daniel opened the door with his father behind him, which is when the suspect shot and then fled the scene. With this news breaking, we also saw the FBI's Newark Division tweeting that they were investigating looking for one subject. Also asking the public for any information related to this.

Starting point is 00:01:25 Also saying that the search was underway. But there was an update this morning when law enforcement sources told NBC News in New York that an attorney found dead in the Catskills may have been the suspect in this case. That man reportedly dying from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Authorities there also saying they're still looking into the situation. With NBC also saying they have found a package that was addressed to the judge and are looking into whether or not he was tied to this. We're starting to get more information about who he is as well. Reports calling him a self-described anti-feminist by the name of Roy Denhollander. He allegedly brought a case before the judge in 2015. All of that said, as far as who Esther Salas is, she was appointed by President Barack Obama in 2010,

Starting point is 00:01:58 confirmed in 2011, making her New Jersey's first Hispanic woman to serve as a U.S. District Judge. And since she has had this role, she has had a couple of very high-profile cases. She presided over a case involving one of the real housewives in New Jersey, Teresa Giudice and her husband Joe, sentencing them both to staggered sentences on fraud charges. She has also reportedly handled cases involving members of the Grape Street Crips, which are in connection to a long-running drug trafficking network. In fact, back in 2016, she actually sentenced a leader of the Grape Street Crips to 14 years in prison. Also sentencing a leader of the South Side Cartel, which has been described as one of the most violent Great Street Crips to 14 years in prison. Also sentencing a leader of the South Side Cartel,

Starting point is 00:02:25 which has been described as one of the most violent gangs in Newark to 45 years in prison. But most recently, she was assigned last week to a lawsuit filed against Deutsche Bank by numerous investors. With that lawsuit alleging that the bank made materially false and misleading statements regarding the bank's business,

Starting point is 00:02:39 operational and compliance policies. And failed to properly monitor customers that the bank itself deemed to be high risk, including among others, the convicted sex offender, Jeffrey Epstein. Right, and so now, with all of that said, this is why a lot of people, especially this morning, were pointing out past cases for a potential motive. Others now talking about the case the suspect

Starting point is 00:02:56 brought forward himself. Though, of note, authorities have still not yet identified a motive and are still looking to see if she may have been the target, if it was directly related to her. You know, according to ABC News, she has received threats in the past with authorities looking into whether or not those threats are tied to this. You also had Frances Mack Womack,

Starting point is 00:03:10 the mayor of North Brunswick, who was also good friends with the family, telling ABC, "'As a judge, she had threats from time to time, "'but everyone is saying that recently "'there had not been any.'" But ultimately, that is where we are with the story as of filming. Of course, one of the biggest things I wanna get across

Starting point is 00:03:22 is this is still a developing situation. We'll obviously keep our eyes on it, but for now, we have to wait and see. And then, let's try to talk about Portland. There's a lot to this story, there's a lot of moving parts, so let's try to break down the situation and hit on some of the key highlights and major points. So, all of this, of course, started back in May,

Starting point is 00:03:37 where, like in other cities across the country, you had protesters in Portland taking to the streets after the killing of George Floyd. And since then, the protests in Portland have continued for over 50 days now. While many of these protests, especially to the streets after the killing of George Floyd. And since then, the protests in Portland have continued for over 50 days now. While many of these protests, especially during the day, have been peaceful, plenty of others have become violent. According to reports, protesters have set fires,

Starting point is 00:03:52 engaged in vandalism, thrown objects at police, among other things. Police have also at times responded with force, reportedly clashing with the protesters frequently and sparking claims of police brutality. Last month, local police reportedly fired tear gas at protesters, but the governor then signed a law prohibiting them from firing tear gas at protesters

Starting point is 00:04:09 unless they declare a riot. The thing with these is, while the demonstrations have kept going, they did eventually start to slow down at one point. But then on June 26th, we saw President Trump signing an executive order to protect federal monuments, statues, and memorials. And under that, Trump also directed

Starting point is 00:04:22 the Department of Homeland Security to create a new task force to enforce this order. And on July Trump also directed the Department of Homeland Security to create a new task force to enforce this order. And on July 1st, Acting Secretary of Homeland Security, Chad Wolf, issued a statement announcing the creation of PACT, the Protecting American Communities Task Force. And shortly after that, DHS members of that task force as well as US Marshals were deployed to Portland.

Starting point is 00:04:38 And while under Trump's executive order, the agents are simply supposed to protect federal property, they have continually clashed violently with protesters. Frequently firing tear gas at protesters, this despite the ruling prohibiting Portland police from doing so in the same instances. The feds have also reportedly been firing munitions at protesters.

Starting point is 00:04:53 Last Saturday, Marshall's service officers shot a peaceful protester in the face with so-called less than lethal munitions. That also prompting a lot of outrage after photos and videos of that incident circulated online, showing the man in the street bleeding from his head. Also according to reports, he was hospitalized with a skull fracture.

Starting point is 00:05:08 But the situation really started to gain national attention back on Thursday when Oregon Public Broadcasting, or OPB, began reporting that unidentified federal law enforcement agents in unmarked vehicles had been grabbing protesters off the street since at least July 14th. With OBP saying that both personal accounts and multiple videos posted online

Starting point is 00:05:23 show the officers driving up to people, detaining individuals with no explanation of why they are being arrested and driving off. With one now viral video seeming to show two men in camo coming up to a protester on the street, grabbing them and then moving them into a car. And while from the video it's hard to see if they had any identifying agency on their uniform

Starting point is 00:05:40 other than just the word police, we've also now seen people sharing pictures saying that the uniforms and a patch on their arms match those of a picture of Customs and Border Patrol agents in Portland shared by CBP Commissioner Mark Morgan. And that video was also very similar to an account given to reporters by a man named Mark Pettibone.

Starting point is 00:05:54 In his account, he told reporters that he and a friend were walking home from a demonstration at around 2 a.m. on a Wednesday, when all of a sudden an unmarked minivan pulled up in front of them and several armed people in camouflage and body armor got out, with him telling the Washington Post, "'I was terrified, it was like being preyed upon.'"

Starting point is 00:06:08 And while his friend was able to escape, he was not. With him going on to tell OPB, "'I am basically tossed into the van "'and I had my beanie pulled over my face "'so I couldn't see and they held my hands over my head.'" Going on to say the agents who never identified themselves drove him to a federal courthouse and placed him in a holding cell.

Starting point is 00:06:23 Eventually, two officers went to the cell and read him his Miranda rights. They asked if he would waive his rights and answer some questions. He declines, asks for a lawyer. The officers then responded by ending the interview and releasing Pettibone. According to his account, they wouldn't tell him

Starting point is 00:06:34 why he had been arrested or provide him with any record of his arrest. Also, when talking to the OPB, you know, he said he regularly attended protests, but couldn't think of anything he had done that would make him a target of law enforcement, adding, I just happened to be wearing black on a sidewalk in downtown Portland at the time. And that apparently is grounds for detaining me.

Starting point is 00:06:50 Right, so with all of that, there had been a ton of backlash from state and local leaders who have called on Trump and Wolf to take the feds out of Portland. Any of whom said they never wanted them there in the first place, but Trump sent them anyway. Like Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler, who's also the police commissioner, calling the federal response irresponsible.

Starting point is 00:07:04 Demanding that the feds stay inside federal buildings or leave the city. Others like Mike Reese, the sheriff for the county Portland's in, also accusing the feds of making the situation worse. Calling the federal response a significant setback in the efforts to ease tensions. Those comments were also echoed by Senator Jeff Merkley, who accused the agents of making the situation worse. Saying in a tweet on Thursday that the shadowy forces have been escalating not preventing violence. Oregon Governor Kate Brown also accusing President Trump of deploying the federal officers for his own political gain. Writing in a series of tweets on Thursday, This political theater from President Trump has nothing to do with public safety.

Starting point is 00:07:35 The President is failing to lead this nation. Now he is deploying federal officers to patrol the streets of Portland in a blatant abuse of power by the federal government. With her also taking aim at Wolf writing, He is on a mission to provoke confrontation "'for political purposes. "'He is putting both Oregonians "'and local law enforcement officers in harm's way.'" Senator Ron Wyden also making similar comments

Starting point is 00:07:53 referring to the feds as Donald Trump's secret police, adding, "'Now Trump and Chad Wolf are weaponizing the DHS "'as their own occupying army to provoke violence "'on the streets of my hometown "'because they think it plays well with right-wing media.'" But on the other side of this, we've seen Wolf and the DHS blaming state and local officials for failing to act.

Starting point is 00:08:09 In a highly charged press release issued on Thursday, Wolf claimed that it was the local leaders, not the feds, that were making the situation worse. Also defending their presence in the city, arguing that some of the protesters have been destroying a federal courthouse, which is federal property, and saying a federal courthouse is a symbol of justice.

Starting point is 00:08:22 To attack it is to attack America, instead of addressing violent criminals in their communities. Local and state leaders are instead focusing on placing blame on law enforcement and requesting fewer officers in their community. This failed response has only emboldened the violent mob as it escalates violence day after day,

Starting point is 00:08:37 and adding, this siege can end if state and local officials decide to take appropriate action instead of refusing to enforce the law. DHS will not abdicate its solemn duty to protect federal facilities and those within them. With him also going on to describe the quote, "'Lawless destruction and violence "'that has happened over the last six weeks'

Starting point is 00:08:52 "'in a list where he uses the phrase violent anarchists "'72 times.'" Also very notably on Thursday, Homeland Security Acting Deputy Secretary Ken Cuccinelli confirmed to NPR that yes, federal agents had used unmarked vehicles to pick up people in Portland, saying they did this to keep officers safe away from

Starting point is 00:09:06 crowds and to move detainees to a safe location for questioning. Going on to say the one instance I'm familiar with they believed they had identified someone who had assaulted officers or the federal building there, the courthouse. With them also noting that that person ended up being innocent and added, I fully expect that as long as people continue to be violent and to destroy property that we will attempt to identify those folks. We will pick them up in front of the courthouse if we spot them elsewhere, We expect that as long as people continue to be violent and to destroy property, that we will attempt to identify those folks. We will pick them up in front of the courthouse. If we spot them elsewhere, we will pick them up elsewhere. And adding, that's standard law enforcement procedure

Starting point is 00:09:31 and it's going to continue as long as the violence continues. Customs and Border Protection also released a statement on Friday confirming that they had detained someone, saying CBP agents had information indicating the person in the video was suspected of assaults against federal agents or destruction of federal property.

Starting point is 00:09:44 Though, notably, they did not say what video they were referring to. With him also adding the agents had identified themselves and were wearing CBP insignia at the time. But meanwhile, the US Marshals have not responded to requests for comments from the media. And so while we've seen the Trump administration firmly saying they will ignore the demands of local leaders

Starting point is 00:09:59 and keep the feds in Portland, the protests have now grown and evolved in response to these agents staying in their city. According to reports, upwards of 1,000 people showed up To demonstrations this weekend marking the largest crowds of the city has seen in weeks right with that We saw a number of viral moments for instance in one situation We saw a wall of mothers forming a human shield between the protesters and law enforcement officials They then stood their ground for a few hours until the feds began using tear gas and flashbangs to break up the crowd in another

Starting point is 00:10:23 Notable moment we saw saw Navy vet Chris David calling out a group of federal officers. This reportedly after they rushed a line of protesters, knocking them to the ground. David then walks up and says, "'Why are you not honoring your oath? "'Why are you not honoring your oath to the Constitution?' They then beat him with a baton,

Starting point is 00:10:37 sprayed chemical irritants in his face. We later learned that because of this interaction, his right hand had been broken in two spots." Now, along with these instances, we also have some instances of protesters becoming violent. For example, on Saturday, Portland police declared a riot after the police union building was broken into and lit on fire. We also saw protesters tearing down fencing around the federal courthouse, federal police responding with tear gas. Local police then announcing it had arrested four people for charges related to rioting and interfering with a police officer.

Starting point is 00:11:02 Now, leading into the weekend, on Friday, we saw the Oregon Department of Justice announce that the State Attorney General, Ellen Rosenbloom, would soon be filing a lawsuit. This in response to the accusations that people were being taken off of the streets and put into vans by unmarked police officers. The Oregon DOJ saying the federal authorities overstepped their powers and injured

Starting point is 00:11:18 or threatened peaceful protesters on the streets of downtown Portland. Later that same day, we also saw Rosenbloom filing that lawsuit against a number of agencies, including DHS, Customs and Border Protection, the US Marshal Service, and the Federal Protection Service. That lawsuit also listing 10 unknown individuals known as John Does 1 through 10 as defendants,

Starting point is 00:11:34 and regarding them, Rosenblum says, "'On information and belief, John Does 1 to 10 "'are employed by the United States government "'in a law enforcement capacity. "'They have made it impossible for them "'to be individually identified "'by carrying out law enforcement actions without wearing any identifying information,

Starting point is 00:11:48 even so much as the agency that employs them. Right, but overall, what we saw with this lawsuit was the accusation that these agencies are engaging in unlawful law enforcement tactics, noting federal law enforcement officers, including John Doe's one to 10, have been using unmarked vehicles to drive around downtown Portland,

Starting point is 00:12:02 detain protesters and place them into the officers' unmarked vehicles, removing them from public without eitherain protesters and place them into the officers unmarked vehicles, removing them from public without either arresting them or stating the basis for an arrest since at least Tuesday, July 14th. The lawsuit itself also directly mentions Pettibone and his testimony. It then goes on to state that it is not just him

Starting point is 00:12:16 adding that other citizens in Portland have been detained, quote, without warning or explanation, without a warrant and without providing any way to determine who is directing this action. And going on to claim that these agencies are injuring citizens by taking away their ability to determine whether or not they're being kidnapped or arrested. And they're noting that if you're being kidnapped, you of course would be able to engage in self-defense. However, if you're being arrested, that could amount to resisting arrest. But right, to be clear, you wouldn't know. So that's why with this lawsuit, you have them asking for federal agents to be

Starting point is 00:12:42 required to identify themselves and their agency before making an arrest. And also for them to be required to give an explanation as to why they're detaining someone for an arrest. Now in addition to this lawsuit you have the Oregon DOJ also seeking a temporary restraining order to prevent federal authorities from unlawfully detaining people in the state. Notably, it's not just Oregon's DOJ. On Friday we saw the American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Oregon filing a lawsuit against DHS and the United States Marshals Service This in an attempt to block federal law enforcement from dispersing Threatening to arrest or using physical force against journalists and legal observers with Kelly Simon the interim legal director of Oregon's ACLU Saying this is a fight to save our democracy under the direction of the Trump administration

Starting point is 00:13:19 Federal agents are terrorizing the community risking lives and brutally attacking protesters Demonstrating against police brutality. These federal agents must be stopped and removed from our city. Now with these lawsuits, there have also been a lot of questions about how much authority agencies like the DHS have. Also, what kind of authority do they have?

Starting point is 00:13:35 And to look at that, we have to look back to why the DHS was created. Right, and if you're unaware, it was formed after 9-11. And its job was mainly to handle national security threats from abroad, as well as border security. And now, ever since Trump took office, it's largely carried out his immigration policies. However, with Portland, its presence has been

Starting point is 00:13:50 more focused on law and order. For example, some of the agents deployed in Portland are part of a group known as BORTEC, which is basically Border Patrol's equivalent of a SWAT team. And very notably, it is a highly trained group that is normally tasked with things like investigating drug smuggling organizations as opposed to

Starting point is 00:14:02 protesters in cities. So, situations like that have now raised questions about whether it is overstepping local law enforcement. I mean, you even have Portland's deputy police chief saying, "'I don't have authority to order federal officers "'to do things. "'It does complicate things for us.'" However, on the other side of this,

Starting point is 00:14:15 you have Trump arguing that Portland police have failed to adequately respond to the protests. But of note there, according to an internal DHS memo dated from Thursday and obtained by the New York Times, those federal officers have also not been trained in riot control or mass demonstrations. But still despite that, yesterday we saw a DHS spokesperson saying

Starting point is 00:14:31 that the missions of the federal agents were quote, "'aligned with their appropriate training' and claiming that the officers received additional training for their deployment in the city to assist the Federal Protective Service." But also to go back to that memo, regarding if we could see this kind of response in other cities, it states,

Starting point is 00:14:44 "'Moving forward, if this type of response is going to be the norm, specialized training and standardized equipment should be deployed to responding agencies. And as of this morning, we're seeing reports that something like that might be able to happen very soon. This coming alongside reports that claim DHS is crafting plans to deploy about 150 federal agents

Starting point is 00:14:59 in Chicago this week. We've also seen Trump indicating he would like to increase federal presence in US cities, which depending on what happens in Chicago He might already be doing also this morning We saw Republican Senator Rand Paul denouncing the Trump administration's use of federal agents in Portland there Paul tweeting We cannot give up liberty for security local law enforcement can and should be handling these situations in our cities But there is no place for federal troops or unidentified federal agents rounding people up at will

Starting point is 00:15:23 But ultimately that is where we are with this story right now. Obviously we're gonna have our highs on this. And you know, with this, I do wanna pass the question off to you. What are your thoughts on all this? And that is where I'm going to end today's show. I appreciate you liking the video, sharing it, being a part of the conversation in the comments down below.

Starting point is 00:15:35 Also, if you're new here, you want more of these daily dives into the news, hit that subscribe button, definitely tap that bell so it looks like this. Also, if you're looking for more to watch, if you wanna watch my newest bonus video, or maybe just missed the last Philip DeFranco show you wanna catch up, you can click or tap right there

Starting point is 00:15:47 to watch either of those. But, with that said, of course, as always, my name's Philip DeFranco, you've just been filled in, I love yo faces, and I'll see you tomorrow. I hope you like this video. Subscribe if you like it.

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The Philip DeFranco Show - PDS 7.20 Lets Talk About The Portland "Secret Police" Videos Controversy & Why Your City May Be Next

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