Trump’s Super-Troopers are Coming to a City Near You in “Operation Legend”

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By Nikki Slusher

This week’s episode of “Law & Order: Donald Trump’s SVU” has already started off with some surprising twists. As the use of law and order has become a key factor in the President’s re-election bid, as his poll numbers are all trailing his Democratic opponent former Vice President Joe Biden. Earlier this week the President defended the use of federal officers Democratic-controlled cities claiming that surges in violence are due to being “all run, really, by the radical left.” He has selectively targeted large predominantly Democratic cities to deploy federal officers to assist in cracking down on violence as surges across America continue.

Gun violence has spiked in metropolitan areas such as New York City, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Milwaukee, and Chicago. The President introduced the operation, named after LeGend Taliferro, a four-year-old who was shot while he slept in his bed last month in Kansas City. According to the Department of Justice, the operation will include agents from the FBI, Federal Marshall’s Service, DEA, ATF, and other federal law enforcement agencies with local officials after the President accused Democrats for being weak on crime. He blamed the increase in “shootings, killings, murders and heinous crimes of violence” on the left’s radical movement to “defend, dismantle, and dissolve our police departments” although majority of Americans believe in defunding certain aspects of law enforcement to fund training initiatives and similar ideas to lower the amount of brutality exerted by the police on unarmed citizens. The President added: “The bloodshed will end.”

Just how does the President plan on regaining law and order? In cities like Portland protests have continued daily since George Floyd’s death in May. As demonstrations continue, protestors are clashing with federal authorities. Initially, officers were sent in to guard a courthouse, however, accusations of driving in unmarked vans and imperiously arresting protestors have caught the attention of officials and citizens. Portland has seen over 50 consecutive days of protests, but the deployment of federal officers has only heightened tensions between the people and law enforcement officials. Mayor Ted Wheeler was tear-gassed on Wednesday night’s demonstrations. When speaking to the New York Times, the Portland official claimed the response was “an egregious overreaction” by the federal officers and he had not witnessed any incident that “provoked this response.” Mayor Wheeler also stated that “this is not a de-escalation strategy; this is flat-out urban warfare.” Those protestors who were grabbed and detained by officials in unmarked vans have done so without any record of their detention. The Oregon state attorney general has also gone to court for a restraining order against federal agents. In her filing, Ellen Rosenblum cited unconstitutional tactics by federal officers for violating demonstrator’s freedom of expression and assembly, unreasonable search and seizure, and receiving due process are cited as the primary cause for needing to restrict federal officers. A federal judge denied the request in the complaint claiming that the suit only showed that these types of seizures only occurred twice. Meanwhile, the American Civil Liberties Union of Oregon was granted a temporary restraining order that exempts professionally certified journalists from orders by federal officers to disperse crowd control efforts for 14 days.

Additionally, US Attorney General William Barr stood with the President after announcing deployment of 200 federal agents to Kansas City, Missouri, and asserting that a comparable number would be sent to Chicago and around 35 others to Albuquerque. The attorney general claimed that officers would engage in “classic crime fighting” efforts – what that exactly means no one is sure since he has acted arbitrarily when it came to the crimes of Roger Stone and Mike Flynn. Mr. Barr also noted the agents being deployed to other cities were different from the Department of Homeland Security agents that are patrolling the streets of Oregon’s largest city since those were deployed in order to “defend against riots and mob violence.” However, in the United States policing is the responsibility of states. Governors and local officials, like Governor Kate Brown and Mayor Ted Wheeler, are continuing to be resistant to the federal agents deployed in their precincts. Governor Brown has called it “an abuse of power” while Portland’s Mayor echoed these beliefs as “an attack on our democracy.” In cities like Chicago, Mayor Lori Lightfoot said, “We welcome actual partnership, but we do not welcome dictatorship.” Similarly, many Americans have seen the President’s use of federal officials.

Why is crime spiking so greatly in the country? Experts have noted that the crime wave has struck the countries largest cities in the middle of a pandemic that has resulted in a massive rise in unemployment. Not only has law enforcement in some areas taken a major backstep due to frustration over anti-police rhetoric, but criminal justice experts have cited various other reasons. A law-enforcement nonprofit, the Police Executive Research Forum, notes that jurisdictions that granted early release to inmates to prevent the spread of coronavirus in prisons have seen the large spikes in violent crimes. In New York City, officials are putting the blame on the new legislation for bail reform that requires judges to release defendants for serious crimes on bail while awaiting trial. Stay-at-home orders across the country made it difficult for officials to conduct efforts for community outreach while distrust in law enforcement continues to be fueled by the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and countless other individuals, while the brigade of federal troops has only heightened these feelings.
While officers across the country, including Chicago, continue to encourage each other to not volunteer for overtime, limit arrests, and call out sick to prove a point to local officials, they have only helped lead to the President’s decision to implement Operation Legend. This theatrical display of “law and order” continues to be unwelcomed by officials nationwide, yet their objections to these tactics seem to be fall upon deaf ears. Meanwhile, as White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows previously suggest federal intervention was on its way prior to President Trump’s announcement, Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers promptly sent a letter referencing the illegal detainments of Portland protestors as one of many reasons this initiative was unwanted. In Kansas City, a Democratic leaning municipality, many residents have been outspoken on their thoughts about the president’s plan. Majority voice opposition to his policies and are objective to his aggressive mandate on instating law and order.

One critique that is shared by each of the targeted actors is that the initiative is not a method for fighting urban crime but just another way Trump can gain enthusiasm from his rural heartland base of supporters prior to the November election. Operation Legend is no newly developed initiative, but it is a rebranding of last year’s Operation Relentless Pursuit and now being re-aimed to target violent crime, illegal use of firearms, and drug trafficking. Governor Evers was accompanied by Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett stating they had not been consulted about the plan and were unaware of it until Meadows’ interview with Maria Bartiromo on Fox’s “Sunday Morning Futures.”

The concerns raised about the operation’s unpragmatic stratagem is attributed to concerns raised over creating a deeper divide and heightened conflict to only agitate protestors and residents. Mayor Barrett’s opposition to federal troops was synonymous with this perspective. “Given the events that have taken place in Portland over the last few nights, I am extremely concerned that President Trump is looking for opportunities to create more political division in cities across the nation. Federal agents are not welcome here for that purpose.” He added: “If the federal presence is to truly cooperate with local law enforcement, then it is imperative the limits of their activities are clearly delineated and monitored.” As the deployment of troops continues into these unwelcomed areas, many have seen the tactics as a “fascist” move by the President. While Attorney General Barr bragged that the efforts have resulted in 200 arrests within two weeks in Kansas City, experts have counteracted that claim and corrected Mr. Barr by revealing that the 200 arrests date back to as early as December 2019 through joint operations carried out by state and FBI officials. This comes following the Justice Departments pledge to provide over $61 million for hiring law enforcement officers and permanently reassigning over 200 federal agents and deputy marshals to cities targeted by Operation Legend.
Operation Legend has shown nothing less than another attempt by the brutish Trump administration’s intent on violating the right’s of Americans’ First and Fifth Amendments and transforming the nation’s rule of law into a weapon of silence while promoting images of violent unrest to garner political support at a time where re-election chances are dwindling with every tweet. Although the President continues to claim that radical anarchists are plaguing America’s urban cities, most demonstrations have been peaceful. Instead of collaborating with local officials, the President’s stormtroopers have continued to destabilize and re-write history through unconstitutional arrest and detainment of residents. Even though violent crime surges continue to spike, overall, the crime rates in 2020 are down.

The 10th Amendment provides states and local officials with the authority of police powers. It is not unusual for federal agents to be dispatched to assist with specific law enforcement and investigations, however, the scope of the latest “Operation Legend” has raised eyebrows on the latest circumstances. One legal argument being used in defense of the move involves the Insurrection Act, a piece of legislation from the 19th Century which enables the president to deploy federal troops against the will of local officials in certain circumstances. It has been utilized dozens of times, including during the Civil Rights riots during the 1950s and 1960s, and during the 1992 riots in Los Angeles after the California governor requested aid from then President George H.W. Bush.

The rationale for inciting the use of federal troops in cities, such as Portland, was initially to protect federal property from vandalism. Yet the paramilitary style units are no longer just protecting monuments, memorials, and statues; they are now utilizing special powers to conduct unwarranted searches, seizures, and arrests. Riot control officers sent in by the Bureau of Prisons were utilized in D.C. to tear-gas protestors for the President’s church photo op. Unmarked vans with unmarked officers have used these special powers to conduct searches and arrests that would otherwise be unconstitutional. The targeting of Democratic cities as the destination for these agents seems to be an expanded political calculation using controversial tactics to increase Trump’s poll ratings. Regardless, this new style of federal law enforcement and the legal justification for their presence has amassed dismay by officials from all sides of the political spectrum.

The President’s claims that he can send troops “anywhere and everywhere in the United States” that he decides to need them is remarkable considering such a precedent has never been enacted besides during the Civil War. Invoking the Insurrection Act in the context of the current events happening across the nation is not only highly unusual, it is downright authoritative behavior from our federal leaders. Sending heavily armed camouflaged agents, who are obscuring their identities, while beating and detaining people in the name of protecting federal property is in violation of their core responsibility and abuse of their legal authority. While the President relies on arguments of anarchists and revolutionaries, like most of his claims these allegations are simply flawed and fictitious. Many actions of the President are eerily like that of former U.S. Attorney General Mitchell Palmer who served under President Woodrow Wilson. Palmer’s actions were deemed immoral and unconstitutional but were tolerated during the time after World War I, as fear and acceptance of his lies by the people enabled his decisions. Just like Palmer, Trump knows that the federal government can engage in a variety of illegal or questionable behaviors until the courts or Congress decide to intervene. Essentially, until our legislative or judicial authorities step up and prohibit these actions, exacerbated tensions will continue to heighten as the President continue to hyper-politicize this moment as showing himself as a “law and order” commander while painting Democratic-led cities as out of control. With less than four months until Election Day, the President is sending a clear message – either be silent or face federal intervention. The precedent is that while Trump enforces Americans be silenced into “law-abiding citizens” the President and his inner circle continue to pick and choose which laws they must but abide. This is America’s newly revised version of law and order.

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