James Carafano: In Portland, Seattle, Homeland Security is facing organized, criminal activity

Let’s be clear. We are not talking about “peaceful protests.

By James Jay Carafano | Fox News

Critics assailing the Department of Homeland Security for “over-stepping their bounds” in Portland have it 100 percent wrong. The department is in the right.

Further, its actions thus far should just be the first step in disrupting the organized violence aimed at intimidating public officials, injuring law enforcement officers, destroying public and private property and making our streets less safe.

Let’s be clear. We are not talking about “peaceful protests.” What is going on in Portland, as well as Seattle and some other is an array of criminal activity: rioting, looting, arson, assaulting law enforcement officers and more. This is flat out criminal activity.

And it is not all spontaneous. This is organized criminal activity.

For starters, the rioters are targeting cities where public officials have created a more permissive environment. They have restricted the actions of local and state law enforcement. When rioters are arrested, they release them quickly, refusing to prosecute.

Moreover, these officials refuse to cooperate with federal law enforcement. In sum, they have turned their cities into “soft targets” for criminals.

Further, it is clear that many of the crimes committed are premeditated. Rioters show up armed with commercial fireworks, chain saws, crowbars, frozen water bottles, laser pointers (that have already injured the eyesight of several law enforcement personnel), leaf blowers (to disperse tear gas) and metal spikes (to incapacitate the tires of law enforcement vehicles).

Moar:

https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/portland-seattle-organized-criminal-activity-james-carafano.amp