[US] Armed protesters were on Portland rooftop in August, police now say
19 replies, posted
Think Progress - The Oregonian - The Oregonian's headline used
Think Progress MBFC Profile - Extreme left bias - Mixed factual reporting - Article author's profile and recent articles: [1] [2] [3]
Notes: ThinkProgress is an American political news blog. It is a project of the Center for American Progress, a progressive public policy research and advocacy organization. Has a left wing bias in story selection and has failed some fact checks including these from Snopes. (5/15/2016) Updated (2/24/2017)
The Oregonian MBFC profile - Right-center bias - High factual reporting - Article author's profile and recent articles: [1] [2] [3]
The Oregonian:
Members of the right-wing group Patriot Prayer stationed themselves on a downtown Portland rooftop with a cache of guns prior to a summer protest, city officials announced for the first time Monday – the same day Mayor Ted Wheeler learned about it, his aides said.
That shocking revelation came Monday as Portland officials scrambled to find a way to end the repeated violent clashes between dueling political factions downtown.
Prior to the start of a scheduled Aug. 4 demonstration, "the Portland Police Bureau discovered individuals who positioned themselves on a rooftop parking structure in downtown Portland with a cache of firearms," Wheeler said during a City Hall press conference. Berk Nelson, a senior mayoral aide, later said the weapons included "long guns."
Nine more paragraphs
Think Progress:
Discovering a far-right group stationed on a rooftop with a stockpile of weapons, overlooking a major demonstration, might rattle most people, especially if that group has a documented history of clashing with counterprotestors. But evidently not the Portland Police Bureau.
On Monday it was revealed that, prior to a major protest in the city on August 4 — which ended in brutal clashes between far-right and anti-fascist demonstrators — Portland officers “discovered individuals [affiliated with the group Patriot Prayer] who positioned themselves on a rooftop parking structure with a cache of firearms,” including long guns. No arrests were made, and no one outside of the police department, not even the mayor, was informed about the incident until now.
The news comes after a weekend of far-right violence on both the East and West Coast. On Friday, the Proud Boys, a far-right group which has repeatedly worked with Patriot Prayer, attacked several people near the Metropolitan Republican Club in New York City, shouting on one occasion “Are you brave now, faggot?” And on Saturday in Portland, Patriot Prayer leader Joey Gibson organized a “Flash March for Law and Order,” which ended in brawls between the group and counter-protesters. According to reports, police at that demonstration did not intervene to stop the violence.
Seven more paragraphs
what's the difference between a terrorist on a rooftop and a patriot? apparently being white because that is more than what most terrorist suspects get away with.
called it years back
How the fuck do we have so much serveillence, homeland security, counterintelligence, but apparently we can't catch a bunch of militia idiots building an cache of weaponry, must be that they were doing it for "self-defense"
Some of those that work forces are the same that burn crosses.
Meanwhile Ice was bitching at peaceful protesters annoying them on the streets, but thse guys are just hooligans.
I think having a cache of weapons on a rooftop ready to start firing down on people exceeds hooliganism by quite a few levels.
[ . . . ] Patriot Prayer members were readying for the protest at the parking garage and peacefully carrying their guns.
I just have a hard time imagining many scenarios where weapons can be carried around peacefully. Gun shows, shooting ranges, etc - yes ; Heated protest/counter-protest - not so much. Also the idea that someone bringing a gun to a protest should be the biggest red flag for the police who are overseeing the thing.
it's not like the FBI and ATF exactly have a friendly history with beer-bellied domestic militias dude. i mean they might be indisputably right-wing themselves, but let's remember who we're talkin about here.
B-but it's the liberals who are the mob!
Washington State doesn't have any laws against open carrying any kind of firearm without a permit, with permits only needed for conceal carry. You can literally walk around Seattle with a shotgun on your back if you want, but I wouldn't recommend it. That's part of the reason as to why no one was charged with anything. Unless you actually do something against the law, such as open fire on people or prove that there was criminal intent, then there really is no grounds for arrest. That doesn't change the fact that its concerning.
Firearms FAQ | Washington State
That kind of law is actually fairly common throughout the United States, with some states regulating it more than others. Minnesota as an example requires a carry permit unless you are on public lands, but it does allow you to open OR conceal carry any kind of firearm so long as it is legal. California on the other hand outright bans it save for very specific circumstances.
Without being too specific I work in a service establishment located at a natural crossing point for Patriot Prayer brain geniuses into Portland. One of these guys came in around a few months ago wearing one of those Anti-Communist Action t-shirts with the yellow flag and the helicopter. At the time I was just like whatever - it's a dumb shirt but no harm no foul.
I later learned that the helicopter is in explicit reference to death flights. Apparently these guys don't even bother moonlighting as regular people. The fucked up thing is normally I wouldn't think twice about 86'ing a person like that on the spot but in the back of my mind I know there's like a 50-50 chance they're packing heat and spoiling for exactly that kind of confrontation. And even when they're not, they're all on some message board connected to hundreds or thousands of other manchildren willing to marshal all of their boredom to harass the shit out of you and your business from the comfort of their masturbatorium.
These people are exactly the sort of real, imminent menace they accuse immigrants and what they imagine "leftists" of being.
Because nothing they are doing is against the law.
The ATF and FBI are very well aware of militia groups, but the problem comes down to the logistics, and the fact that the Militia Movement is not solely a right-wing thing. I have stated this off and on, but several militia groups exist across this country. Left Wing, Right Wing, Neo-Confederates, Survivalist, Luddites, all sorts of weird shit. Hell, in NY theirs an Islamist militia group out in the boonies that has the entire town p.much locked down. The reason that the government refuses to touch militia groups is because it has historically always ended in bloodshed. Waco, Ruby, Covenant and Sword's compound, that one Marijuana group that got raided before 9/11... Its because of this that the government agencies choose too let these groups run their course and eventually self-destruct or pacify themselves.
Lot of government agnecies are also HEAVILY co-opted by the Militia Movement. I do not have stats on this, but almost 70% ~ 80% of the Militia Movement is currently standing or retired military, EMS, and police. It's not organized subversion of the government, but these militia groups have lots of pull within their local communities, as they tend to be funded by shockingly, the local community. It might be also worth noting that the US Government did fund a lot of these groups back in the 50's ~ 80's when they were called "Patriot Groups" and that funding only got shutoff when Vietnam Vets started coming back and would begin building up groups that lead to stuff like the Sagebrush Rebellion and the 1980's and early 1990's Coal Strikes.
With how it has been going in the last few years, I fully expect we'll be seeing armed clashes with firearms in the coming months and years. People have been already arrested for building bombs across the country. Some Antifa guy was busted in South Dakota for building an ANFO pipebomb. Someone was busted the other week in NY for building a 220lb bomb, which they planned on using on the National Mall. It's gonna get worse, and it's only gonna be a matter of time before we have a domino effect of violence.
You talking about Kiryas Joel? Place is wack.
Nope. Talking bout' Islamberg
Lmao and they only report it now
If blacks did this, open carry would be repealed so fast.
Not terribly creative, are they?
Ironic that the start of California's liberal gun laws is rooted in racism
Sorry, you need to Log In to post a reply to this thread.
