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Federal officers in Portland suffered 113 eye injuries from lasers: DHS
Further highlighting that the nightly events in Portland weren't 'peaceful protests.'
The deputy director of the Department of Homeland Security says federal officers in Portland suffered 113 eye injuries while guarding a courthouse from activists armed with powerful lasers. ...“We’ve had a number of officers who have days-long blindness. So far they’ve all kind of come back, if you will,”...
The novel laser attacks drew attention last month as President Trump deployed federal officers to bolster the besieged federal court building. White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany said at a briefing in July that three officers were believed to have been permanently blinded.
Although Cuccinelli said all officers recovered their sight, he said activists appear to be aiming to maximize damage. “A tactic that quickly developed among the violent participants in these activities was to cut those holes in the shields and instead of standing back at the back of a crowd and aiming at the eyes of officers, they will also now bring the shield up close and bring it right up into you. And so the intensity of the strike to the eyes of the officer is much more significant,” Cuccinelli said.
Cuccinelli said some protesters are indeed peaceful, but others aren’t. “This is sort of the Portland formula: there’s peaceful protesting until 10 or 11 o’clock, and then they go away. And maybe some of them come back, but the group that comes back is A.) much bigger, but also they come back for violence,” Cuccinelli said.
The DHS official shared various war stories from two months of clashes, which he said would have seen the destruction of the courthouse if feds did not respond. “We’ve had accelerants poured into the courthouse while commercial grade mortar style fireworks were being shot into the doors and attempt to light it. Also, while the side doors the exits of the building were being blocked, were being barricaded closed,” he said.
Further highlighting that the nightly events in Portland weren't 'peaceful protests.'