Last Thursday, a federal agent blatantly violated a court order prohibiting excessive use of force against journalists and protesters by pointing a gun in a veteran’s face while saying “Bang, bang” and “You’re dead, liberal.”
The Chicago Headline Club, a nonprofit organization representing Chicago-area journalists, filed the lawsuit. complaint in federal court after incident in city neighborhood Little Village district. Local residents had gathered to observe and protest the heavy presence of federal agents in the area, and Border Patrol Chief Gregory Bovino did not respond well or take care to consider the earlier court order.
According to the complaint, combat veteran Chris Gentry “lawfully stood on the side of the road to express his opposition as officers drove by in their vehicles.” That’s when an officer pointed a gun at him and threatened to kill him.
This was just one of many shocking incidents that day. Bovino also allegedly threw a tear gas grenade at a crowd of protesters who, according to the complaint, were not violent and had committed no crime. Some protesters attempted to speak to Bovino and other federal agents but were rebuffed. Bovino and his colleagues instead shoved several people and threw more tear gas canisters at them, according to the complaint.
The Department of Homeland Security said in a social media post that protesters “shot at agents with commercial shell fireworks” and that they first attacked federal agents, which the complaint calls a lie. Additionally, the complaint cites protesters who say the crowd in Little Village was peaceful. Bovino told a reporter at the scene Thursday that he was hit with a rock, but did not appear injured.
Federal Judge Sara Ellis ordered Bovino to appear in court Tuesday to testify about Thursday’s incidents, as well as to sit for a five-hour deposition on November 5.
Judging by the actions of Bovino and his fellow federal agents on Thursday, the court rulings and lawsuits do not appear to be having a deterrent effect. Other federal agents across the country, particularly those working for ICE, have made violent arrests And lied about themeven slide a four-foot-six-inch blind man outside a Portland detention center and dropped him on his head earlier this month.
