This follows an incident where protesters were tear-gassed by federal authorities who were not identified.
Washington DC (KM) Legislation which would require federal law enforcement officers policing 1st-Amendment assemblies to wear identification has been introduced in the US House of Representatives. The Law Enforcement Identification Act would mandate the identification state the persons’ names and federal agencies they represent.
Representative Jamie Raskin, a Democrat who represents Maryland’s 8th Congressional District, says this bill came about following the June 1st incident at Lafayette Square, where officers wearing no identification, used tear gas and pepper spray, to clear the area of protesters so that the President could cross the street and have a photo op in front of a church, holding a Bible
“There are a lot of Montana militiamen and para-military right wing people going out dressed in camouflage gear, carrying weapons,” says Raskin. “And Bill Barr’s police blends right in with those people.”
“Bill Barr” is US Attorney General William Barr.
Many witnesses say the protesters were demonstrating peacefully before they were broken up.
Representative Raskin says citizens exercising their 1st-Amendment rights need to know who is a legitimate law enforcement officer, and who isn’t. “Those of us who occupy public office, who aspire and attain to occupy a public position and privileged to get to serve in that capacity, we are not the masters of the people. We are the servants of the people,” he says.
Another Maryland Congressman whose also co-sponsoring this legislation is 4th District Representative Anthony Brown.
A similar bill has been introduced in the US Senate.
By Kevin McManus