Denounce injustices to protesters

To U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro and Sens. Chris Murphy and Richard Blumenthal:

As a resident of Connecticut, I demand that you publicly denounce and introduce legislation to prevent the injustices we are seeing involving protesters in Portland and elsewhere and unidentified agents of the state. This type of policing is positively atrocious, illegal, and completely antithetical to a republican democracy.

In the wake of the BLM movement and the anxieties the COVID-19 pandemic have caused, law enforcement should be making every attempt to improve relations with the public by building trust, fostering communication, and decreasing the use of violence. Instead, we are seeing an unprecedented overreach of executive power with agents actively concealing identity: both of themselves and the agencies they represent. I don’t believe it is hyperbole to say that the President is laying the groundwork to crush all dissent, obstruct the upcoming election, and even deny that election’s results.

The Senate and the Congress must unequivocally condemn these latest actions and call them what they are: brutal, illegal, and desperate. Law enforcement agents must be required to identify the agencies they represent and follow the basic tenets of habeas corpus. I can’t believe it even needs to be said. We need you to fight for us now more than ever. It’s not hyperbole. It’s not a joke. People are being tossed into vans by agents of the state. Stand up to this President and his cronies and we will stand with you.

Benjamin Curns West Haven