Earlier this month, the Department of Justice opened a lawsuit against the city of Denver, hoping to overturn a ban on masks for law enforcement. The ban was passed by Mayor Mike Johnston in February of this year, and notably does not restrict the use of protective gear, only facial coverings intended to conceal an officer’s identity.
The DOJ argues under the Supremacy Clause of the Constitution that the states and other jurisdictions within the U.S. do not have “the authority to regulate the federal government.” Additionally, the DOJ says that disallowing law enforcement to wear masks risks doxxing and harassment of officers and their families. This lawsuit filed by the federal government matches ongoing cases against six states and two cities elsewhere in the country.
The ban was enacted in response to the shooting deaths of American citizens at the hands of federal agents, as well as the aggressive mass deportation efforts of the administration, and the general atmosphere of distrust between the people and the government. Take for example the case of Arnulfo Bazan Carillo, which occurred in October of last year. The full details of this harrowing incident can be found here. In short, Carillo was driving with his 16-year-old son, when masked men with guns ran him off the road and detained him, as well as verbally and physically assaulted his son. For good measure, the feds stole the son’s phone to prevent footage of the incident from being seen.
All of this begs the question, if the states don’t have the authority to regulate the federal government, then who does? The Trump administration has violated or ignored countless court orders, and the Supreme Court is under conservative control. All of the investigative bodies take orders from Trump. A huge part of the legislature has bought into the cult of personality that surrounds, and the wealthiest men in the country are pouring money into our elections to prop up the regime for a little while longer. What we have seen from the federal government since Trump returned to power is nothing short of a paradigm shift for our country.
The president who touts ‘law and order’ holds thirty-four felony convictions and countless other judgments against him, and flouts the law more and more by the day. Masked men kidnap and kill in the streets of American cities with no recourse. Families are separated, and children as young as three years old are made to appear in court without a parent or even a public defender. By the thousands people are spirited away to prisons in countries with legal torture, without due process. Human beings are made to simply disappear under the current regime.
Who has the authority to regulate the government is, and has always been, the people themselves. We the people are the first and last line of defense against tyranny within our government. As we saw in the No Kings Protests, an overwhelming movement within the citizenry is willing to take to the streets in defiance of the President and his administration. Since then, the government seems to have shifted tactics, though the forced removal of non-citizens continues to this day in all its barbarity.
As we approach the midterms, the most effective method of resistance becomes voting, as a strong election for Democrat and other left-leaning candidates could neuter the administration on many fronts. It’s far from a knockout blow to the regime’s aggressive and unlawful policies, but it’s the first step of many towards restoring accountability to the government. The courts will likely side with Trump and his agenda, but come November, we’ll see how the people feel halfway through the president’s term.
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