As a pair of alt-right rallies in coming weeks threaten to exacerbate the already tense atmosphere in the wake of Friday’s MAX killings, Mayor Ted Wheeler is calling on the federal government to pull permits for one of the events.
In a post on Facebook this morning, Wheeler announced that the city won’t be issuing permits for a “Trump Free Speech Rally” being touted by Vancouver-based right-wing activist Joey Gibson, or a planned “March Against Sharia” to be held in concert with events around the country on June 10. The most-recent such event organized by Gibson on April 29 attracted Jeremy Christian, the 35-year-old who now stands accused of brutally attacking three men who were trying to stop him from harassing two teenage girls
on a MAX train—one wearing a hijab, another Black. Christian allegedly killed two of the men, Rick Best and Taliesin Myrddin Namkai-Meche, by slashing them in the neck and severely wounded the third, Micah David-Cole Fletcher.
The problem with Wheeler’s pledge: Both events are supposed to be held at downtown’s Terry Schrunk Plaza, which is controlled by the federal government. So Wheeler’s asking the feds to revoke permits.
“The Federal government controls permitting for Shrunk Plaza, and it is my understanding that they have issued a permit for the event on June 4th,” Wheeler wrote today. “I am calling on the federal government to IMMEDIATELY REVOKE the permit(s) they have issued for the June 4th event and to not issue a permit for June 10th. Our City is in mourning, our community’s anger is real, and the timing and subject of these events can only exacerbate an already difficult situation.”
Wheeler’s also calling on the event organizers to voluntarily cancel their plans.
The mayor’s not the only one bracing for the rallies, obviously. The group Rose City Antifa and others have announced their own Stand United Against Facism Rally in Chapman Square, adjacent to Schrunk Plaza, on June 4. It’s unclear if they’ll seek a permit for the event.
Update, 1:43 pm: Not surprisingly, the ACLU of Oregon is taking issue with Wheeler’s efforts to kill the right-wing rallies, saying such prior restraint will cause problems.
“The government cannot revoke or deny a permit based on the viewpoint of the demonstrators. Period,” the organization wrote on Twitter. “It may be tempting to shut down speech we disagree with, but once we allow the government to decide what we can say, see, or hear, or who we can gather with history shows us that the most marginalized will be disproportionately censored and punished for unpopular speech.”
The mayor’s office has responded that Wheeler is seeking to prevent violence, not limit speech.
1. The government cannot revoke or deny a permit based on the viewpoint of the demonstrators. Period. https://t.co/P9gcNPAumH
— ACLU of Oregon (@ACLU_OR) May 29, 2017
Original post:
Here’s Wheeler’s full statement:
On Friday three men Rick Best, Taliesin Myrddin Namkai-Meche, and Micah Fletcher stood up against bigotry and hatred. Two paid with their lives. A third was seriously injured.
Our community remains in shock and mourning. But we are also tremendously grateful to our heroes and their families for their selflessness and heroism. They will serve to inspire us to be the loving, courageous people we are meant to be.
As Mayor, I wanted to update you on a few developments:
1) I have reached out to all of the victims and their families, including the two women who were terrorized and subjected to such hatred and bigotry. I have offered my unconditional assistance and support, day or night.
2) I have confirmed that the City of Portland has NOT and will not issue any permits for the alt right events scheduled on June 4th or June 10th. The Federal government controls permitting for Shrunk Plaza, and it is my understanding that they have issued a permit for the event on June 4th.
3) I am calling on the federal government to IMMEDIATELY REVOKE the permit(s) they have issued for the June 4th event and to not issue a permit for June 10th. Our City is in mourning, our community’s anger is real, and the timing and subject of these events can only exacerbate an already difficult situation.
4) I am appealing to the organizers of the alt-right demonstrations to CANCEL the events they have scheduled on June 4th and June 10th. I urge them to ask their supporters to stay away from Portland. There is never a place for bigotry or hatred in our community, and especially not now.
5) I am calling on every elected leader in Oregon, every legal agency, every level of law enforcement to stand with me in preventing another tragedy.
6) When and if the time is right for them, I would like to work with the families to find an appropriate way to permanently remember their sacrifice and honor their courage. Their heroism is now part of the legacy of this great city and I want future generations to remember what happened here, and why, so that it might serve to both eradicate hatred and inspire future generations to stand up for the right values like Rick, Taliesin, and Micah did last week.
Teddy is stoking the flames of hatred, and could be making matters much worse.
Ted’s attempt to silence his opposition is likely to piss them off. I sincerely hope that no one gets as angry as, say, Mr. Christian did.
You said the most recent event,May 29; that should be April 29.
Hey Schwartz: sounds like they already are! About pretty much anything, and often about nothing real!
The ACLU’s right, of course. The law’s the law, and the law in this case is the First Amendment. There’s such thing as basic fucking decency, on the other hand, and yet again the organized and marching stupid seem to have failed that little test.
Thanks JonesRich. Fixed.
Asking the organizers to delay is probably good enough. The government shouldn’t take sides on a free speech Issue. If a bunch of people think now is a good time to come spew anti Muslim rhetoric in Portland…let em. And let what happens to them happen too.
The organizers have promised violence multiple times online. This isnt prior restraint, these are fighting words and incitement.
Let them march and spew their vile hate. And while they do let the streets of Portland be a ghost town (except for the cops, their kin in arms anyway). Let them march and let Portland turn their back on them. If they are completely ignored and no one pays them any attention (not press, not anyone), then they will wither and whine and go away. It is a matter of free speech. If no one is there to listen to them spew their hate, a louder, more important point is made. Trying to ban them just adds fuel to their hateful fire.
I think our mayor is making a huge mistake. Using the government to shut people up goes against all of our free speak rights. Everyone should work to win the argument with words, not suppression. Also, the vile man who attacked those three innocent people on April 29th is a menace to society, and we need to be protected for people like him. That said, I don’t think we should try and portray him as being part of the right. He was a supporter of Senator Sanders in 2016 and then for Dr. Jill Stein after the election. We should realize that there are nut cases on the left and the right and exclude their actions for our public discourse regarding policies.
Nice work, Ted – disregarding that pesky ‘Right to Assemble’ clause in the Constitution the minute it becomes inconvenient. I payed attention in class when I was taught that even assholes have rights. Clearly you did not. Quit grandstanding and start doing something, (anything?) more productive than tweeting your own ego.
The only reason there would be violence, property damage and blocked transit on that day is if the usual masked suspects show up to deliver it.
I have yet to hear anyone ask them to stand down; to “do the right thing”.
As an army veteran I’m concerned about why we invited the anarchy and destruction of Portland.
Yet we fight tooth an nail to stop a local man from speaking against Sharia.
Portland has I diverse group for lbgt and homeless American adults and children.
Just look around down town.
Yet mayor wheeler does not care for our citezense. Or our homeless.
He seems more concerned with spending valuable recourses on forigners who do not agree with the lbgt community or respect woman’s rights.
Our homeless family’s with children take a back seat as our mayor would rather import someone else and help them with snap tanf and hud.
I am saddened our government hates our citezense so much they will leave them homeless with children to import others at a much greater cost.