I have read this article probably a dozen times, and I still don’t see where OPB confirmed the veracity of the videos and information in the tweets. All I’m seeing is the article rephrasing the claims, then discussing a lot of *other* activities in PDX involving the feds. https://twitter.com/dburbach/status/1283936410043637763

So we have two friends describing what the video purports to show: A minivan pulling up; guys in camo getting out & detaining people.

But has anyone verified that those guys in camo in the video are federal officers? And the tactic “appears” to be many things — but what *is* it?

How do we know these aren’t random militia members or armed extremists in camo? How do we know who those guys are if they aren’t identified & didn’t identify themselves? Also, if the govt is disappearing people (a huge claim), why are those people available for news interviews?

Look, I don’t trust a damn thing the Trump admin does and I don’t believe a damn word they say. But that doesn’t mean automatically & uncritically accepting information based on the premise that it sounds like something the Trump admin could do.

And to be triple clear: I am aware that this stuff happens. I am aware that the Trump admin regularly targets protesters and engages in abuses of power. I’m aware that police are out of control. I’ve written about all of this. But none of that verifies this specific incident.

Risk of backfire here is huge. Unverfied claims that people are being abducted by unmarked feds in a major American city are likely to scare people into wanting & accepting some semblance of safety & order, which is exactly how authoritarians gain support & stay in power.