Virginia Cramer, virginia.cramer@sierraclub.org
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- At an oversight hearing today the House Natural Resources Committee pushed for answers on last month’s violent attack on peaceful protestors at Lafayette Square by U.S. Park Police with tear gas, batons, and riot shields. The hearing comes as demonstrations against police brutality are being met with police violence, including “preemptive arrests” and the abduction of demonstrators by unmarked police vehicles, fueled by the deployment of Department of Homeland Security (DHS) forces. Trump announced plans for a surge of federal security forces last week, threatening to have his administration unleash the type of excessive force that has led to the current violence in Portland to a host of other cities, including Chicago, New York, Baltimore, Philadelphia, and Detroit.
DHS forces have long used similar militarized and politicized tactics against communities along the southern border, targeting immigrants and activists.
In response, Sierra Club Executive Director Michael Brune issued the following statement.
“We deserve better than a president who threatens our First Amendment rights with violence. The excessive and unnecessary brutality against peaceful protesters in Lafayette Square was a precursor to the Trump administration’s chaotic paramilitary tactics that are being deployed in the name of law and order. This transparent attempt by the Administration to quash dissent and boost approval ratings is endangering our families, our friends, and our democracy.
“The United States is in the midst of a pandemic, a reckoning with centuries of racial injustice, and an increasingly urgent climate crisis. Now is the time to come together for bold action. We can't fulfill our mission to ‘enlist humanity’ to protect the planet while these injustices persist.”
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About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 3.5 million members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.