In response to the horrific terrorist attack on a Portland commuter train last Friday, Mayor Ted Wheeler is asking the federal government to to shut down a planned rally by alt-right activists scheduled for next Sunday in downtown Portland. He evidently feels that the political situation in Portland is too volatile to permit the rally to go on. The rally, organized by Joey Gibson, is expected to feature appearances by Kyle Chapman, David Frye, and other assorted luminaries from the alt-right and militia movements. Expect to see the Three Percenters and the Oath Keepers as well, and other dead-enders left over from the Malhuer Wildlife Refuge siege.
Mayor Wheeler has made it abundantly clear that his city administration will not issue any event permits to any alt-right group any time soon. The problem is that Gibson’s “Patriot Prayer” rally is slated to take place on federal property, at Terry Schrunk Plaza. The Feds have already issued the permit, and Wheeler want’s them to retract it. Well, good luck with that! This is Trump’s federal government we’re dealing with here, and I don’t see them retracting the permit. Might as well talk to a wall. Meanwhile, the Rose City Antifa has called for competing rally at Chapman Square, a few short blocks away, and at about the same time as the alt-right rally. I expect the antifa rally to go forward regardless, since the antifa folks are not big on seeking permits in any case. Even if they could conceivably get one. So we are going to have a situation where the highly militarized Portland police are going to come down hard on the antifa for conducting an illegal demonstration, while the Federal Protective Service is going to insure that the first amendment rights of those at the alt-right rally will be protected. The optics are going to be very bad for the police and the Mayor.
