The district attorney in Philadelphia is warning federal officers that they could face arrest if they bring their tactics of “abuse of power” to his city.
District Attorney Larry Krasner accused President Trump of “acting like an authoritarian dictator,” he said on an appearance on MSNBC’s “The ReidOut” Thursday and cautioned him not to send federal agents to his city.
PHILADELPHIA DA ACCUSED OF PUSHING ‘ANTI-POLICE AGENDA’ AFTER SECOND COP CHARGED IN PROTESTS
The stern words come as agents from the Department of Homeland Security, Customs and Border Protection, Federal Protective Service, and U.S. Marshals Service were deployed to Portland, Ore. and Washington, D.C., to quell pockets of violence stemming from otherwise peaceful demonstrations denouncing police brutality and racial inequality.
Trump said the agents are there with the purpose of protecting federal buildings and property from destruction, as protesters continue to light fires and vandalize many edifices in different cities.
However, reports of excessive force by federal officers on protesters, and agents who failed to properly identify themselves during demonstrations or give adequate reasoning for sweeping arrests, have pushed the Justice Department to open an investigation into the officers’ conduct.
Krasner says the extra strongarming isn’t needed in Philadelphia.
“While the City of Philadelphia has not received any formal notification that federal agents will be sent here, we would use all available means to resist such an abuse of power,” the district attorney said in a tweet on Monday.
Philadelphia police are facing backlash themselves, and one member of the city’s SWAT team will be dismissed Friday after video surfaced of officers spraying peaceful demonstrators with pepper spray while the protesters were trapped on Interstate 676 by officers on either side of the highway.
Protesters marching against the death in Minneapolis police custody of George Floyd are detained by police in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania June 1, 2020.
Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw issued a moratorium on the use of tear gas in most situations, including to disperse crowds of nonviolent people.
The commissioner’s office did not respond to 360aproko News’ request for comment on how the city would theoretically deal with arresting or detaining federal officers if they used excessive force during a protest.
