Protesters ignited barricades on Capitol Hill, reminiscent of the woebegone days of the 'Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone' or 'CHAZ' (later renamed 'CHOP'), which lasted for three weeks before widespread violence forced the authorities to intervene and dismantle it on July 1.

The self-declared 'autonomous zone' sprang up following nationwide protests over the killing of Minneapolis, Minnesota resident George Floyd, who died while in police custody. Demonstrators sealed off several streets near the police's East Precinct after law enforcement abandoned the building. Although initially praised for its festive mood, the area quickly descended into anarchy, with crime and violence becoming especially bad at night.

As police moved in to raze its lookalike, they were pelted with projectiles.

"Crowd has also begun throwing bottles and rocks at officers," SPD tweeted shortly after it ordered the protesters to disperse.

Police eventually succeeded in scattering the crowds and putting out the fires, saying that the arrests were made in connection with "assaults and property damage."

A Proud Boys protest in Portland resulted in brawls with counter-demonstrators and media. Police made three arrests and later confiscated weapons from the right-wing group.

An estimated 1,000 people attended Saturday's rally in a north Portland park. Footage from RT's Ruptly video agency shows demonstrators reciting the Pledge of Allegiance, praying, and listening to speeches given from an American flag-draped stage. Some of the protesters, clad in body armor and tactical helmets, were filmed marching as they chanted "F**k Antifa!"

The right-wing group also engaged in shouting matches with counter-demonstrators and media, with some of the verbal exchanges ending in physical violence.

Footage shows a man being shoved to the ground and kicked in the face. In another incident, someone who was filming the event was assaulted by a Proud Boys member.

As the rally ended, Portland Police stopped one vehicle and confiscated shields, baseball bats, paintball guns, and other weapons. In total, police made three arrests during the rally and counter-protest. Law enforcement said they were investigating a case of assault.

St. Peter's Chaldean Catholic Cathedral in El Cajon, California said in a statement on Facebook that it had fallen victim to a graffiti attack. Video footage posted by the cathedral showed numerous symbols and slogans spray-painted on the building.

In a magnanimous message, the church urged its congregation to pray for the perpetrators of the defilement as well as for Christians in Iraq. "This morning our beloved Cathedral was defaced with pentagrams, upside down crosses, white power, swastikas, BLM, etc. It reminds us to pray for my brethren in Iraq that are facing persecution. Pray for the criminals who did this," it said.

The incident is the latest in a string of attacks at Catholic churches in the United States in recent months. Earlier this week, a church in Florida fell victim to an arson attack, while in Texas, a man armed with a baseball bat damaged icons at a seminary.

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The Toledo FBI office opened an investigation last year after a cooperating witness submitted a fraud complaint against Page, whose real name is Tyree Conyers-Page, FBI agent Matthew Desorbo said in the complaint.
...

The FBI in Toledo said Page pledged to use those donations "for George Floyd" but instead used the money make purchases related to food, dining, entertainment, clothing, furniture, a home security system, tailored suits and accessories.

According to the bureau, Page also used $112,000 of the donated money to purchase a house for himself in Toledo, Ohio. The transaction took place last month.
...
According to the station, months earlier Page had parted ways with the Black Lives Matter of Atlanta movement before forming Black Lives Matter of Greater Atlanta.

Democrat activists attack Trump's Supreme Court pick Amy Coney Barrett, suggesting her kids were ABUSED or KIDNAPPED from Haiti
26 Sep, 2020 21:02

It appears attacking the political positions and Catholic faith of Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett isn't enough for some Democrat activists, who have taken to making wild accusations about her adopted kids instead.

Democratic activist John Lee Brougher, managing director of billionaire Tom Steyer's NextGen America super PAC, said Friday that as an adoptee, he personally needs to "know more" about how Barrett adopted and treated her two children from Haiti. "Transracial adoption is fraught with trauma and potential for harm, and everything I see here is deeply concerning," he tweeted.

Brougher, who is originally from South Korea, didn't specify what he'd seen about Barrett's parenting that was "deeply concerning." He went into social media hiding after his disparagement of Barrett drew backlash, blocking public access to his Twitter account.

Also in hiding on Twitter and Facebook was Democrat campaign consultant Dana Houle, who speculated that Barrett and her husband may not have legally adopted their two children from Haiti. "Would it matter if her kids were scooped up by ultra-religious Americans, or Americans weren't scrupulous intermediaries and the kids were taken when there was family in Haiti?" Houle tweeted.

As in the case of Brougher's tweets, there appeared to be no underlying basis for Houle's broadside attack, including the implication that the Barretts stole their children in "sketchy" adoptions. He suggested that the media might hide the information if reporters found that the adoptions were illegal. He also tripped over the Democrat talking point on abortion, which says that Republicans only care about babies before they are born, by tweeting that there are far more couples seeking to adopt than there are children in need of adoption.

Barrett, who also has five biological children, became a target for such attacks as speculation mounted that President Donald Trump would nominate her to replace the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg as a US Supreme Court justice, which he did at the White House on Saturday. She currently serves on the 7th US Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago.

Brougher was lambasted on Twitter for making "ghoulish" and "absurd" implications, then cowardly hiding his account. Some commenters went to the Twitter account of NextGen America to call for his firing. Another tweeted: "This organization and John Brougher should be prohibited from being within five miles of any young people. Disgusting bunch of bigots."

Houle fared no better on Twitter, where US Senator Josh Hawley, a Missouri Republican, said, "This is the Dem game plan - nothing but raw bigotry and hate. I promise you, this will not stand." Other commenters, including journalist Tracy Beanz, suggested that bringing up Haiti might be a bad idea for the Democrats, inasmuch as Bill and Hillary Clinton were accused of mishandling or misappropriating funds donated to aid Haiti's recovery from a devastating 2010 earthquake.

Barrett's Catholic faith became a point to attack by Democratic senators when Barrett was appointed by Trump to the 7th US Circuit Court in 2017. Senator Dianne Feinstein questioned whether she would have unbiased legal opinions, given that "the dogma lives loudly within you." Senator Dick Durbin asked Barrett whether she considers herself an "orthodox Catholic."

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