
The Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office won’t prosecute, for now, the local activist arrested last week in connection with an assault during a January protest at the Portland International Airport.
James Krane, 30, was detained by Portland police officers at City Council on Wednesday and was turned over to Port of Portland police, who booked him on a fourth degree assault charge. Prosecutors then issued him a “no complaint.”
Police believed he knocked out bigoted “Bible Believers” preacher Grant Chisholm, apparently the most punchable man in Portland, during the January 29 airport protest in the midst of President Donald Trump’s first unconstitutional Muslim “travel ban” executive order. Chisholm and his slur-yelling, Trump-loving cohorts showed up to PDX to scream into megaphones at protesters about gays and damnation, just hours after they harassed Spanish-speaking churchgoers. There was a lot of yelling back and fourth, they pushed people, and one of Bible Believers yanked a woman down by her hair. During a melee, someone knocked Gran Chisholm out. Here’ how we wrote about it:
On Sunday, January 29, Rev. Dr. Chuck Currie stood just a few yards from four Westboro-style “Bible Believers” who showed up to scream about repentance, damnation, and homosexuality at hordes of demonstrators who’d amassed at Portland International Airport to protest Trump’s so-called “Muslim ban.”
“I’m increasingly concerned as this afternoon wears on that there are counter-protesters here who have thrown punches,” said the Pacific University chaplain, who wore a T-shirt that read “As a Christian, I stand in solidarity with my Muslim neighbors” over a long-sleeved shirt and clerical collar. “The police have witnessed it but refused to intervene. They’re allowing the crowd to escalate towards more violence.”
Minutes later, Grant Chisholm—one of the antagonistic preachers, who’d been heckling Spanish-speaking churchgoers earlier in the day—was splayed unconscious on the green PDX carpet, victim to a solid right hook to the head.
Some relevant tweets from the January 29 protest:
Now outside: “no hate, no fear, refugees are welcome here” #Pdxprotest #muslimban pic.twitter.com/gyDWmjYJuu
— doug brown (@dougbrown8) January 29, 2017
Right-wing preachers are here. Scuffle. pic.twitter.com/PmarmHDMg1
— doug brown (@dougbrown8) January 29, 2017
The main antagonistic pro-Trump preacher. Police escorted away as fight almost happened. Not sure what the deal is. pic.twitter.com/6w3MAbUEDn
— doug brown (@dougbrown8) January 29, 2017
Nvm they went inside pic.twitter.com/idu5lc8PlW
— doug brown (@dougbrown8) January 29, 2017
Cops are shielding the Trump preachers #Pdxprotest #muslimban pic.twitter.com/Tjm0XWYpnK
— doug brown (@dougbrown8) January 29, 2017
In the PDX airport. Protesters are trying to be louder than trump preacher #Pdxprotest #muslimban pic.twitter.com/t6DzCgnXJP
— doug brown (@dougbrown8) January 29, 2017
“Nazi scum, get off our streets” #Pdxprotest #muslimban pic.twitter.com/2bGxs2JRda
— doug brown (@dougbrown8) January 29, 2017
Oh man, those pro-Trump preachers are here on the second level, where march is going #PDXProtest #muslimban pic.twitter.com/Be8oKNmJJm
— doug brown (@dougbrown8) January 30, 2017
A “Bible Believers” Trump preacher is in the ground, hurt. A Reverend told me he saw them punch protesters earlier #PDXProtest #muslimban pic.twitter.com/OimM2xwPaf
— doug brown (@dougbrown8) January 30, 2017
And now riot cops are here. Knocked people over. #PDXProtest #muslimban pic.twitter.com/tqbrvnUoBV
— doug brown (@dougbrown8) January 30, 2017
No violence should have occurred. @PortlandPolice could have intervened early to prevent. #MuslimBan https://t.co/cYmazEVo7b @tedwheeler
— Rev.Dr. Chuck Currie (@RevChuckCurrie) January 30, 2017
Here’s Chisholm at last month’s March 4 Trump rally in Lake Oswego:
Bible Believers preacher Grant Chisholm, who was knocked out at the PDX protest #March4Trump pic.twitter.com/gipb1CwQWs
— doug brown (@dougbrown8) March 4, 2017
