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Who is Joey Gibson, why are Portland BLM protesters chasing him out while cops offer him security?

The political activist was seen in a video being chased by protesters from the streets of Portland on August 30

PORTLAND, OREGON: Demonstrations escalated on August 30 after a Donald Trump support rally made its way through Portland. As witnessed from social media videos, Trump supporters appeared to fire paintball pellets and pepper spray from their vehicles, while counter-protesters threw objects back.

Meanwhile, Portland Police said there had been instances of violence and that "officers have intervened and in some cases made arrests." Amid such unrest, Joey Gibson, a right-wing political activist and the founder of the far-right group Patriot Prayer, was seen being chased by Black Lives Matter protesters on August 30 after which Portland police reportedly offered him security. Right now, there is no substantial evidence to prove why Gibson was there and why was he being chased by BLM protestors.

A user wrote, “The cop who approaches and threatens @MacSmiff is none other than Lt. Jeff Niiya, the Portland Police officer who was caught texting w/ Joey Gibson and telling fascists how to avoid arrest (yo, @alankesslr).”

“Portland cops are now protecting notorious far-right fascist Joey Gibson after choosing not to protect the people of Portland all afternoon and night.” 

Another concurred, “If you don't know who Joey Gibson is, he has been the ringleader of far-right and fascist attacks against the residents of Portland, Oregon for literal years. and the good people of pdx are letting him know, once more, that he is not welcome.”

Some dug up his past. “In August 2019, Gibson, along with five other men were criminally charged for involvement in a violent altercation on May 1 in a riot, which took place outside Cider Riot. A woman was beaten unconscious and had her vertebrae broken. Such a guy. He was indicted for felony riot by the Multnomah County District Attorney on August ”

Another wrote, “Joey Gibson of the hate group Patriot Prayer, who showed up in the immediate aftermath of the shooting on 3rd, appears to have been significantly maced, and is now being marched out of downtown by a crowd of several hundred protesters chanting “black lives matter””

However, some supported Gibson, “Dear Portlanders, I'm so sorry you're dealing with all this crap from right wingnuts. Your peaceful protests have been an inspiration. The fires and the looting, not so much. Cornering that sleazeball Joey Gibson was awesome, though, and made me laugh. Please stay safe.”

Who is Joey Gibson?

Gibson is the founder of the far-right group Patriot Prayer established in 2016 which has organized protests in Portland, Oregon, and other cities. The organization considers itself to be fighting ‘corruption, big government, and tyranny using God for strength and the power of love’ as per their Facebook handle. As per Oregon Live, Gibson announced his plans to run for US Senate in 2019. It further reported that the move made 34-year-old Gibson the first declared Republican candidate looking to unseat Sen Maria Cantwell who has been a widely known three-term incumbent leader.

The site further mentions that Gibson had been a former high school football coach who now flips houses for earning. He gained recognition for his willingness to lead right-leaning marches and rallies in 2017 in liberal West Coast enclaves as per the site. Gibson’s rally in CenterPlace at Spokane Valley in 2018 was reportedly kicked off with him blaming Antifa for violence and silencing opposing voices. Gibson believed that freedom of speech is an important pillar of his platform and denounced the White nationalists that show up to his events and rallies as reported in website KLXY. 

“I would say the same thing to them that I would say to any Black nationalist or Mexican nationalists group. We have to drop the identity of politics and focus on what is on the inside,” he said.

The controversies in which Gibson is enmeshed do not end there. In August 2019, Daily Beast reported that the Portland police reportedly arrested six affiliates over their alleged involvement in a May attack on a left-leaning Portland bar. It further reported that Gibson had previously incited violence ahead of other rallies.