![]() Missing was any mention of loving God or neighbors, the Greatest Commandment.Īs I observed the proceedings, I shared those observations on Twitter. They claimed that white men, not people of color, religious minorities or women, are the real victims of discrimination and hatred. “Trust Jesus” was an oft-repeated phrase at the rally (and also emblazoned on sweatshirts). Jesus was not meek, a speaker told the crowd, trying to draw a parallel between Jesus and the tough-guy Proud Boys. Others railed against vaccinated people and mask-wearing to curtail the pandemic.Īs a minister in the United Church of Christ, I was particularly interested in how the Proud Boys used their rally to promote Christian nationalism. Proud Boys leader Tusitala “Tiny” Toese, who has been convicted for employing violence at protests, called for violence against the LGBTQ community. Echoing language used by Vladimir Putin, a banner was unfurled atop the abandoned Kmart demanding the release of “political prisoners” arrested for participating in the Jan. I parked on the edge of that parking lot to listen in on what the Proud Boys called their “Summer of Love” event.Īrmed with paintball guns, bats and other weapons, speaker after speaker assailed the Black Lives Matter movement. However, after counter-demonstrations materialized, the Proud Boys apparently decided to relocate to an abandoned Kmart parking lot near the Portland airport. 22, according to news reports, was for the Proud Boys to rally in downtown Portland. Last month, when the Proud Boys assembled in Northeast Portland’s Parkrose community, I was there. RELATED: Hate watch groups voice alarm about Sean Feucht’s Portland security volunteers NPR reported in 2018 that the FBI had declared them “an extremist group with ties to white nationalism.” In May, Canada designated the Proud Boys a “terrorist entity,” and it has been widely reported that Proud Boys were prominent leaders in the Jan. The Proud Boys have been designated a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center. ![]() To top it off, the Proud Boys and Patriot Prayer, two far-right political groups, keep descending on the City of Roses with the clear intent of inciting violence. We’ve been challenged by the Black Lives Matter movement to address longstanding racial justice issues. The reality of climate change has brought extraordinary temperatures and wildfires. (RNS) - Portland, much like the rest of the nation, has been dealt innumerable difficulties in recent years. ![]()
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