A Few Hundred Proud Boys Rally in North Portland

Several hundred Proud Boys and their supporters gathered at Delta Park in North Portland this afternoon in what they intended as a show of strength for President Donald Trump and their right-wing comrades who’ve been jailed or killed in street conflicts.

The event was billed as retribution for Aaron J. Danielson, a Trump-supporting protester killed last month by a Portland anti-fascist, and Kyle Rittenhouse, who killed two people in Wisconsin during a riot.

The prospect of the Proud Boys, a right-wing men’s fraternity, and other far-right paramilitary groups arriving in Portland alarmed local officials, who feared their presence could escalate civil unrest in the city. {snip} On Friday, Gov. Kate Brown declared an emergency so Oregon State Police could oversee a law enforcement response.

{snip} In the event, less than 500 people gathered on soccer fields in the soggy park.

The protest started with a prayer, calling for “Portland to be saved.” Under a canopy of “Trump 2020” and American flags, the demonstrators chanted “U-S-A!” and “Fuck antifa!”

They also condemned the Black Lives Matter movement and anti-fascists {snip}

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As the rally continued, a handful of counterprotesters showed up, met quickly by Proud Boys and their supporters. {snip}

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{snip} On the other side of Interstate 5 from Delta Park, a group of Black activists held an event to discuss the history of Vanport, the predominantly Black city that once stood at that location. Further south, more than a thousand leftist protesters held a rally in Peninsula Park.

With few exceptions, protesters did not attempt to bridge the physical distance between the separate events. {snip}

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