On July 29, Oregon Governor Kate Brown finally agreed to do what the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has demanded for months: step up and work with federal authorities to stop the nightly criminal violence directed at the Hatfield Federal Courthouse in Portland. Such cooperation between federal and state/local law enforcement is routinely done in every city in the United States. As a result of the governor’s long-delayed, though welcomed, change in direction, the area of the Hatfield Federal Courthouse has finally seen a stark downward trend in violence perpetrated towards federal facilities and federal law enforcement officers. While some violence has continued in the city, Sunday, August 2nd marked the first evening in nearly two months with zero reported attacks against federal officers or property thanks to the coordination between federal, state, and local law enforcement. While DHS has clearly articulated the terms of the current arrangement, misconceptions and falsehoods persist. Whether spread by negligence or willful disregard for facts on the ground, such misinformation does a disservice to the truth, public safety, and the American people as a whole.

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