• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • News
  • Lifestyle
  • Wellness
  • Cuisine
  • Product Reviews
  • Subscribe
Cannabis News and Culture Magazine

Cannabis News and Culture Magazine

Cannabis News and Culture Magazine

Emerald Media News Subscription
  • Print Magazines
  • 100+ Minority-Owned Companies to Support
  • No Pipe, No Problem
  • Blunt vs. Joint
  • The Cost of Cannabis in Each State
  • Calculating Your Edibles Dosage
  • Flintts Mouthwatering Mints

“ Operation: Diligent Valor ” and Beyond

August 4, 2020 by John Lee Leave a Comment

person wearing black and red hoodie holding smoke bomb

In response to George Floyd’s death, civil unrest and protests are erupting across the country. Now, the Trump Administration is beginning the practice of deploying various federal law enforcement entities to bolster the capabilities of local law enforcement in cities such as Portland, Seattle, and Kansas City, Missouri. 

Overseen primarily by the White House and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), there are three subsidiary operational elements responsible for the direct organization and deployment of federal personnel. 

The first is “Operation Legend,” created by the Trump administration to ensure peace and crack down on crime amidst the George Floyd protests, according to White House archives. 

The second, “Protecting American Communities Task Force” (PACT) was created to assist in “protecting our nation’s historic monuments, memorials, statues, and federal facilities,” said acting DHS Secretary Chad Wolf said in a statement. 

The third and most alarming is the collective actions taken by federal law enforcement in Portland, Oregon dubbed “Operation Diligent Valor” by the DHS. 

In early July, the Gus J. Solomon United States Courthouse in Portland had been the site of protests that local law enforcement feared would get out of hand. According to the Washington Post Operation Diligent Valor primarily sought to remedy this by employing militarized federal forces as a show of strength. 

federal law enforcement
Image via Politico

From here, things have begun to further unravel. 

Functionally, Operation Diligent Valor has transformed the courthouse into something akin to a war zone. As images and videos of lines of protesters broken and beaten are coming to light, the resolve for change in the face of police brutality is only burning brighter. 

Barricades erected stand as just more haunting memorials. As the protesters and law enforcement went back and forth through shot fireworks, make-shift projectiles, rubber bullets, and launched tear gas — the Trump Administration announced the deployment of additional federal law enforcement agents to Portland. 

The restless outrage from both sides, however numbing, stings and burns down into the lungs of an uncomfortable truth: the conflicts between those who seek to change unfair and horrible circumstances and those who would venomously oppose them is entirely American.

Federal action against civilian protests are by no means new in the U.S. Often, the most trying of times for Americans seem to warrant federal law enforcement intervention. Take the Rodney King riots, the riots following the death of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., the Little Rock school desegregation, and now the George Floyd protests as examples.

However, the actions of the Trump Administration have extended beyond what history has shown previous presidents to be capable or foolish enough to pursue.

In a public statement, Trump revealed plans to inject more federal law enforcement in other cities run by “liberal Democrats,” boldly citing the quality of leadership as a chief reason for the civil unrest. 

Perhaps due to the massive external pressures or most likely just on a whim, as of Thursday, July 30th, all federal troops have been withdrawn from the Portland courthouse. That very same night, the federal government’s use of excessive and definingly unnecessary force was put to shame.

The next morning, The Guardian reported that protests started and remained peaceful with no major incidents or police intervention, proving a solemn lesson to the Trump administration and to history. 

Trump and DEA: Cracking Down on Opioids, Warming up to Cannabis

Filed Under: Current

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Advertise Here

Categories

Sustainability

seaweed naturals

SeaWeed Naturals Combines the Power of Seaweed with Cannabis to Further Ocean Restoration

April 3, 2022 By Maggie Horton

fungi climate change

Research Finds Fungi Help Ease Climate Change and Benefit the Environment

March 30, 2022 By Julia Meyer

climate crisis and the pandemic

“We Can Act:” What Bending the COVID-19 Curve Teaches Us About the Climate Crisis

April 21, 2020 By Melissa Hutsell

Footer

  • Subscribe
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
  • Press

Recent

  • Up in Smoke: An Interview with Smoke Proper, the Trailblazing Cannabis Accessory Brand
  • Priscilla Vilchis and Lil Kim Launch Aphrodisiak: A Cannabis Brand Focused on Sensuality, Social Justice, and Inclusivity
  • First Latina CEO of a Cannabis Company Partners with Music Industry Trailblazer Lil Kim to Launch Aphrodisiak Brand
  • Aphrodisiak: The New Female-Led Cannabis Brand Empowering Women and Promoting Inclusivity
  • Las Vegas Welcomes Aphrodisiak

Search

Copyright © 2023 · The Emerald™ · News & Lifestyle Magazine

We are using cookies to give you the best experience on our website.

You can find out more about which cookies we are using or switch them off in settings.

Cannabis News and Culture Magazine
Powered by  GDPR Cookie Compliance
Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.

Strictly Necessary Cookies

Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.

If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again.