On Saturday, far-right group the Proud Boys’ took to the streets of Portland, Oregon, making an already volatile city even more combustible. But what is even more troubling about the Proud Boys’ activities is not where they are this weekend...
But where they, and America, are headed.
The Proud Boys, a far-right paramilitary group and self-described “western chauvinists” descended on Portland Saturday for what they referred to as a “law and order” rally in support of President Trump. In response to the presence of the Proud Boys, which the Southern Poverty Law Center has designated a hate group, Portland authorities ramped up police presence and progressive protestors mobilized to organize a counter rally. Oregon state authorities also dispatched state troopers to the city in advance of what was expected to become a volatile situation.
Oregon Governor Kate Brown spoke out ahead of the influx of right-wing extremists to the embattled city. “The Proud Boys and Patriot Prayer groups have come time and time again looking for a fight, and the results are always tragic,” Brown said. “Let me be perfectly clear, we will not tolerate any type of violence this weekend. Left, right or center, violence is never a path towards meaningful change.”
Portland has been a frequent target of Proud Boys rallies over the years, but the one on Saturday comes at a particularly tense time for the city, which has been engulfed in violent protests for months since the killing of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis on May 25. The protests in Portland have drawn the attention of the nation and have also reflected the increasingly blurred lines of what groups are sparking violence.
Case in point, the Proud Boys’ application for a permit for Saturday rally cited the fatal shooting of Aaron “Jay” Danielson as one of its rationales. Danielson, a supporter of Patriot Prayer, another far-right group, was killed on August 29th following a Trump vehicle parade that took place in Portland. Danielson’s alleged killer, self-proclaimed anti-fascist Michael Reinoehl, was shot and killed by police when they attempted to arrest him.
VANCOUVER WASH - SEPTEMBER 5: Armed members of the far-right Proud Boys groups stand guard during a ... [+]
“The lawlessness has culminated with the assassination of our friend and Trump supporter Jay Danielson in Portland,“ the permit application stated, a copy of which was first obtained by the local paper The Oregonian. “Portland leadership is unwilling to stop the violence. They have been blinded by their hatred of our President and will not allow outside help stopping the violence.”
The Proud Boys’ permit for the so-called “End Domestic Terrorism” protest was denied by the Portland Park and Recreation Bureau, which cited the municipal COVID-19 regulations limiting gatherings of 50 or more people. Nonetheless, the municipal bureau is not responsible for enforcement and the Proud Boys have pledged to disregard the denial of a permit.
Saturday’s Proud Boys rally, however, isn’t just an issue for Portland – it is foreshadowing what could potentially be one of the most volatile periods in American domestic history. With the nation still reeling from a summer of racial justice protests, and with President Trump refusing to commit to a peaceful transition of power in the event he loses the election, many are concerned about the risking risk of violent post-election protests. Groups like the Proud Boys and other far-right groups are seen as likely to attempt to exploit civic unrest and post-election controversy to further inflame tensions and advance their own agendas.
Many groups like the Proud Boys often show up at protests well-armed, causing them to look more and more like militias.
Amy Cooter is a senior lecturer in sociology at Vanderbilt University who has studied US domestic militia groups for more than a decade. "Militias have traditionally separated themselves from groups like the Proud Boys and overtly neo-Nazi groups,” Cooter says. “Yet the distinctions between the two have increasingly become blurred over the events of this summer, as many of these groups have shared protest spaces both in person and online, and sometimes have overlapping membership.”
Cooter also notes that while motivations among extremist groups might be different, they all share one thing in common. “Different types of extremist groups are motivated by different agendas, but all see their presence at highly-publicized protests as an opportunity to raise awareness of their views and potentially increase their number of members.”
But it’s not only potential members that are paying attention. Far right groups like the Proud Boys are also drawing the awareness of federal law enforcement authorities. FBI Director Christopher Wray recently testified to Congress that white supremacy and “racially-motivated violent extremism” is a “persistent, pervasive threat” to the nation.
While Portland has been engulfed by some of the most violent protests in the nation, it is not alone – cities such as Minneapolis, Louisville, Atlanta, and Denver have all been rocked by violent protests, with even smaller cities like Lancaster, Pennsylvania witnessing protests that deteriorate into violence. As groups like the Proud Boys, Boogaloo Bois, and other far-right militias are raising both their profiles and their provocations amidst civic unrest, and the nation hurtles towards its most consequential, and uncertain, election in decades, the question remains: is Portland a foreshadowing of America’s near future? One thing is certain…
We won’t need to wait long to find out.
