Violent Antifa Attacks Freedom and Courage Rally

Freedom and courage, ideas you would think we all can come together on. Yet at a rally for freedom and courage held by Patriot Prayer in Portland Oregon on Saturday June 30^th 2018 we found out that was not necessarily true.

In The Park

As I arrived at Terry Schrunk Plaza I was greeted by several police officers and metal barricades surrounding the park. Across the street were a large number of black clad protesters known as Antifa, along with unions, NW Carpenters and the Iron Workers Union.

As I entered the park a police officer stopped me and said that if I brought any weapons past this point that I was subject to arrest. Ten feet past him were officers patting people down.

The police made sure we had no weapons before entering the plaza. No such checks were made for the Antifa protesters. Once inside there was music playing, people talking and waving American flags. If Antifa was not across the street it almost seemed like a Fourth of July BBQ was about to start.

We waited for the last shuttle bus to arrive. Previously Antifa would find the vehicles of the people at the rallies and vandalize them by slashing tires and throwing acid on the paint. People have also been harassed and assaulted leaving rallies in the past.

Patriot Prayer organized the shuttle bus to ensure the safety of the people at the rally and their property. Once everyone arrived the speeches started. Joey Gibson spoke about courage. One woman spoke about her family being assaulted by Antifa and how her father ended up in the hospital.

Their lawyers told her family not to go to the rally as it would reflect poorly on their case. Will Johnson spoke about the increasing violence of the radical left and the passive acceptance of the mainstream left. The last speaker was a trans-woman who spoke about free speech and religious freedom.

Once the speeches wrapped up we sang along to We Will Rock You by the band Queen and listened to an original rap by Political Muscle. After this we gathered together and got ready for our permitted march.

Taking the Streets

As soon as we started moving forward Antifa immediately started throwing objects at us. Some threw eggs, others bottle full of liquid, and a few people threw rocks. One person even let off some firecrackers, to which the Department of Homeland Security fired paintballs filled with pepper at the protesters.

The organizers of the rally and march urged people to ignore the violent protesters and to keep moving. The marched moved on down Madison and made a left turn onto 2^nd street. According to Joey Gibson the Portland Police had agreed to escort us along our parade route to protect us from Antifa.

As we started to cross Main Street it was clear that the police had failed in their duty. No one stood between us and the screaming protesters in black. Antifa rushed down the street, yelling and throwing items into the crowd.

Just as the main body was about to cross the street an Antifa protesters threw a mortar into the rally goers. The impact of the explosion rattled the ear drums. This is when the fighting started. Antifa threw several more mortars, which landed mere feet from people.

As the fighting died down the Antifa members ran back to the other end of the block driven back by the rally goers defending their constitutionally protected right to peaceably assemble.

After this melee the Portland Police pulled the permit for the march. We were told to walk on the sidewalk only and that we would no longer have the protection of the Portland Police. We continued walking but when a few more fights broke out the police declared the event a riot.

It was at this time we made the choice to return to the plaza. As we get everyone back into the plaza the organizers called the shuttle buses. It was at this time we were informed that we had to leave the plaza. Joey Gibson told DHS that we refuse to leave until the bus gets here so we can get the elderly and women out.

We packed one bus but the rest of us were turned out onto the streets of Portland where we had people yelling and screaming at us. We stuck together and waited until the next shuttle bus arrived.

I was told by several people that I was dressed fairly normally and if I took my hat with the American flag on it off I should be able to slip away. I refused to take off my hat. I should not have to hide a hat with the American flag on it while walking in a city in the US.

If people want to harass and assault me for wearing a hat with the flag of the United States of America on it, they are the ones with the problem not me. I wore my hat proudly and refused to take it off for anyone.

As we were waiting for the shuttle bus another fight broke out. The police fired a round of tear gas into the melee. It was at this time I decided it was a good time to head back to my car with another guy. Safety in numbers.

The Walk Home

As I started the long walk back to my car with the other rally goer, we started reflecting on the rally as a whole. We shared our experiences and any crazy story that happened that day. I was wearing a hat with an American flag on it as well as a small American flag I picked up along the way.

The person I was walking with was dressed up almost like a superhero. He had a green mask and green gloves on with a Kekistan flag on his back as a cape. I expected to get a few weird looks as most people do not know about Kekistan but as it turned out my American flag drew more ire than anything else.

We were standing on the corner waiting for the light to change so we could cross the street. A man and a woman pushing a stroller with a baby in it walked toward us on our right trying to cross the other street.

The man stepped up behind me and said “I have a lighter ready to burn that fascist flag.” Of course I turned and immediately noticed his wife and baby. We exchanged a few choice words but what shocked me the most was that this man thought it was a good idea to antagonize two strange men he considered fascists while he was out on a walk with a child.

We crossed the street as I shouted he could take the flag from my cold dead hands. A few blocks later a woman started screaming at us “Get out of our city you fascist!” She carried on in this way as the guy she was with pulled her along clearly not wanting to start anything without superior numbers.

It is clear that flying the American flag in Portland is socially unacceptable and people are ready to harass and even assault you (if they have the numbers advantage that is). The average person did not care but there was definitely a violent element ready to hurt people in the city.

Sleeping on the Job

When the rally was over Joey Gibson released a statement. He explained the promises made by the Portland Police when he obtained the permit. Promises that were broken.

It is not the officers I blame for these broken promises. Speaking with them and others it is clear that the orders are coming from above. How high and from who I can only speculate and the police officers remain silent not wishing to lose their jobs.

The DHS did an amazing job of protecting us on federal property and even worked with us when we were trying to get the shuttles to return. The Portland Police seemed to not want this march to happen. They were more than willing to let Antifa attack people so that the permit was pulled and it could be declared a riot.

Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler has tried to get permits for Patriot Prayer events pulled in the past but failed because the rally was held on federal property. It is clear that the mayor of Portland has a bias against the group and has no qualms about using his public office to try and silence those he does not agree with.

To do so would be politically unpopular with the average person, who still believes in Freedom of Speech and loves their country. I do not envy Ted Wheeler, he seems to be stuck between the increasingly violent and authoritarian nature of his party and supporters and the oath he took when he accepted public office to uphold the constitution of the United States and of the State of Oregon.

If he protects the rights of Patriot Prayer to peaceable assemble than the Progressive hate mob will do him in, but if he does not say he will protect the rights of US citizens he will be sleeping on the job. So he says he will protect the group and then has the police stand down knowing Antifa will attack and start a fight.

This gives him an excuse to pull the permit. He can say he tried to protect Patriot Prayer but by pulling the permit he knows he will be giving Antifa exactly what they want, enabling a group who could care less about him outside of the amount of control they have over him. Antifa thinks if the march gets cancelled it is a win. They think it is a win to silence people. Antifa are not peaceful protesters, they are a group who is more than willing to use violence to push their political agenda. 

They are not activists, they are violent terrorists.