Here’s what happened:
On July 7th, 2016, in Portland, Oregon, a gang of ANTIFA thugs created a violent crowd around a journalist named Michael Strickland, who was conceal carrying a handgun for self-defense (a genuine concern one should have for oneself at Black Lives Matter rallies, as on the same day, July 7th, 2016, the Dallas Sniper Shootings committed by Micah Xavier Johnson took place, where five people were killed).
The mob continued to agitate and surrounded Strickland, who felt threatened by the violent mob.
Per video of the incident, one of the members of the mob (a very large man) appeared to throw his backpack on the ground as if to begin to “throw down” and attempt to initiate violence against Michael Strickland.
Other members of the mob appeared to also have the intent of assaulting Strickland, and to be on the verge of committing imminent and likely violence against Strickland, and it was at that point that Strickland drew his conceal carry gun, pointed it at the mob, and told the mob to “Get the hell back”, so that they could not assault him.
Full video of the incident is available by clicking Here.
Michael Strickland was then charged by Multnomah County (which the city of Portland is under) deputy district attorney Kate Molina with two felony counts of unlawful use of a firearm. The charges may have been altered later.
Multnomah County Circuit Judge Thomas Ryan convicted Michael Strickland on 21 counts, and Strickland is now banned for life from owning a gun, was banned from filming any public events in 2017, and as of 2018 cannot film any public events without permission from his probation officer.
There is also a video from Michael Strickland’s Youtube, entitled “Banned From the 1st Amendment”, wherein Strickland says the pretrial release officer, Chelsea Fonua, told him he “could not post any videos on YouTube, could not go on Twitter, could not go to the media, could not blog, and could not go to political events”, and these conditions were later amended after the trial and sentencing by Judge Thomas Ryan to a much more narrow set of rights: that Michael Strickland could not film “any person” without permission from his parole officer – which severely impedes Strickland’s right and ability to generate income to pay for his livelihood and food, house, daily living, etc. (as he is a filmographer for weddings and corporate events, etc. not merely political videos).
Here’s what’s egregiously wrong with what the court decided in Strickland’s case:
1) The initial incident, per the video evidence, clearly indicates that a violent mob began to congregate around Strickland, and as we all know, mobs tend to devolve into mob violence.
2) Strickland was not only in the right, but was morally obligated to draw his self-defense firearm, as is his right, to defend his life and his property.
3) No other alternative was plausible or viable via the video evidence. The mob appeared to be ready to encroach on all sides, and as the video shows, despite Strickland retreating physically, members of the mob continued to approach him. One member of the mob threw his backpack on the ground in a clear effort to prepare himself to assault Strickland (there was no innocent intention by that mob member).
4) Had Strickland attempted to retreat (which he was not obligated to do so in a public space; as a mob has no right to intimidate members of the public or journalists into ceding public ground, and Strickland had every right to be there and to film them and anyone else in a public space), the mob would very likely (given the openly seething anger they radiated towards him) have attacked him as he fled; the video clearly shows he continued to retreat yet the mob kept growing and encroaching upon him despite that.
5) As asked by Strickland in his Youtube video here: Update On Michael Strickland Appeals Case – What could Strickland have done alternatively to have yielded as certain a guarantee of his safety as what he did? Had he turned around with his back towards them, in an attempt to run away, weighed down by his cumbersome camera gear, he would very likely have been tackled and assaulted by that mob as they were already attempting to do as seen on the video – which the only reason they failed at is because he kept retreating and drew his self-defense firearm. Had he called 911 and waited for the police (the average police response time can be 23 minutes depending where you are in the country) – the police were only minutes away when seconds counted. There was no reasonable alternative that Michael Strickland had in that scenario to defend his life – as clearly he was alone and outnumbered, and the only thing that put his self-defense capability at equal with the mob was his self-defense firearm.
6) Neither the judge nor the prosecutor nor the police chief have stated at any point what Michael Strickland was supposed to do, that would have been both legal and guaranteed his immediate safety, when confronted by this violent mob. Not one alternative action has been affirmatively given by either the prosecution, the police, or the judge – and we all know had a mob tried to do this to an armed police officer, this trial would never have even happened.
7) By finding Strickland guilty, the judge and the entire legal system of Portland, Oregon, is establishing legal precedent that it is acceptable to create a violent mob around someone and threaten them, threatening to throw down a violent assault against a journalist – and that if the victim tries to defend themself as Strickland did, the victim will be charged and not the members of the mob.
8) Now, having legally disarmed Michael Strickland, the court has opened a window of opportunity for the known violent members of ANTIFA and other extremist violent Left-wing organizations in Portland and around the country, granting them the opportunity track down Strickland at his home, or in his car, or anywhere for that matter, enabling them to kill him knowing that he cannot be armed to stop them in self-defense. Michael Strickland is now a sitting duck for attack, not merely an assault where he could lose his teeth, or become paralyzed, or kidnapped and tortured – but ultimately the worst that could happen – his assassination – is entirely not only more likely (thanks to the heavy-handed prosecutor Kate Molina and incompetent then-Chief of Portland Police Mike Marshman for raising Stricklands’ profile in a city known to be infested with violent ANTIFA radicals) but would be much easier to accomplish (thanks to the judge Thomas Ryan for disarming him).
This entire case is outrageous, and an innocent man has lost not only his right to self-defense (the most basic right any living being has), but also his right to free speech and the First Amendment (as the judge barred Strickland from filming “any person”, which could in theory include even himself, as absurd as that sounds).
All of this on top of the $25,000 he placed in bail to satisfy the bond requirements, the enormous legal fees, loss of business, and other expenses Strickland has very likely incurred.
If you don’t think this could happen to you, keep in mind that ANTIFA and groups like them are growing, and the rationalization of their violence by national organizations like CNN continue in tandem with the sporadic incidences that get caught on camera (and rarely are aired with honesty by the mainstream media).
Take for instance this video of an ANTIFA group blocking traffic, hitting drivers’ vehicles, threatening drivers, and causing mayhem:
Imagine if when the ANTIFA mob called the innocent driver in that video a “little whitey” and threatened another man, saying: “I’ll beat your ass”; What if one of the drivers had refused to obey the orders of the ANTIFA mob, and wanted to lawfully drive down the road ahead which the ANTIFA mob was illegally blocking? What if ANTIFA had hit his car with rocks or bats as retaliation for not obeying the mobs’ orders, or if they had even tried to drag him out of his car for refusing? If such a victim of mob violence had drawn his conceal-carry self-defense firearm to stop a violent mob from assaulting him, would a Portland judge find him guilty of “unlawful use of a firearm”, ban him for life from exercising his Second Amendment self-defense rights, cost him tens of thousands of dollars in legal fees, and ruin his reputation and life for being a convicted criminal? It seems far more likely to yield such an unfortunate result now, thanks to the dangerous precedent this case creates.
There are now videos of ANTIFA openly carrying AR15’s, handguns, and other weapons (including bike locks), while intimidating journalists, due to the lax policies by Democrat politicians who run Portland and other major cities, and the total lack of enforcement of the law against these terrorist organizations.
It could be you one day, in your car with your family, when ANTIFA blocks a road (a common ANTIFA tactic) and won’t let you through. Then if you try to drive forward they mob around your car on all sides, leaving you with nowhere to go. Or there might be a car behind you, blocking your path. Then what? What are you going to do? If the mob starts banging on the doors and windows? If they try to throw down their backpacks and pick up their guns, clubs, and bike locks to hit you or kill you for the crime of being a “little whitey” or daring to drive on “their” roads? What if you try to defend yourself from that violent mob? Will you get a Democrat judge, a Democrat mayor, and a Democrat district attorney to try your case? You could get 20 years to life for self-defense in the new, post-Obama America. And don’t worry, CNN will just call ANTIFA a “civil rights” organization, which by implication morally equates you to the counterpart of an actual civil rights organization – a bigot or a Nazi.
How far will ANTIFA have to go before there is yet another Michael Strickland-type of incident, before a judge or jury will be watched diligently by a national audience that wants JUSTICE for victims like Michael Strickland, instead of simply perpetually covering for these ANTIFA gangs and shifting the blame to the victim? How many more journalists, like Andy Ngo or Owen Shroyer, among many others, will have to be cornered and assaulted or threatened with their murder before change finally occurs and these guilty criminals are arrested, charged, and convicted for the threats and violent actions they make?
Time will tell. And a vigilant populace that watches their government will steer them there, but only for as long as they are vigilant.
We may set up, or coordinate with Michael Strickland to set up, a GoFundMe for the legal fees and lost business he has incurred from this unfortunate politically-biased judgment, as well as the intense mental anguish he undoubtedly has undergone from years of dealing with legal headaches and the haunting memories of not only this particular violent ANTIFA mob attack but others he likely has suffered from as well.
We wish Michael Strickland and you, our readers, a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
FULL VIDEOS: