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Antifa: Portland Police 'Protect White Supremacy' by Passing Intel to Patriot Prayer
Source: The Daily Beast
TO SERVE AND PROTECT?
Antifa: Portland Police ‘Protect White Supremacy’ by Passing Intel to Patriot Prayer
A cop at the center of Portland's left-right clashes is accused of cozying up with the right. Leftist activists say it's part of a larger problem.
Kelly Weill
02.15.19 2:43 PM ET
A Portland police lieutenant gave the leader of a far-right streetfighting group tips about leftist demonstrators’ movements, newly released text messages and emails reveal.
The messages, first reported by Willamette Week, show police Lt. Jeff Niiya keeping in regular contact with Joey Gibson, leader of the violent far-right group Patriot Prayer. Police sometimes communicate with groups like Patriot Prayer that host regular demonstrations, but Niiya’s messages with Gibson suggest a friendly relationship. The lieutenant is seen passing Gibson information about leftist protests, and counseling Gibson on how to prevent one notoriously violent fighter’s arrest.
Olivia Smith, co-chair of Portland’s Democratic Socialists of America, called the messages “evidence” of a relationship leftists have long suspected between the Portland Police Bureau and Patriot Prayer.
“American police forces were founded to protect white supremacy and the ruling class that enforces it,” Smith told The Daily Beast. “This was sort of a given for us, but now we have actual concrete evidence supporting what we already know.”
Niiya appears to be a police liaison with Patriot Prayer, helping law enforcement monitor the group. Niiya also appeared to do favors for the far-right leader, who travels from Vancouver, Washington to host frequent rallies in Portland.
-snip-
Antifa: Portland Police ‘Protect White Supremacy’ by Passing Intel to Patriot Prayer
A cop at the center of Portland's left-right clashes is accused of cozying up with the right. Leftist activists say it's part of a larger problem.
Kelly Weill
02.15.19 2:43 PM ET
A Portland police lieutenant gave the leader of a far-right streetfighting group tips about leftist demonstrators’ movements, newly released text messages and emails reveal.
The messages, first reported by Willamette Week, show police Lt. Jeff Niiya keeping in regular contact with Joey Gibson, leader of the violent far-right group Patriot Prayer. Police sometimes communicate with groups like Patriot Prayer that host regular demonstrations, but Niiya’s messages with Gibson suggest a friendly relationship. The lieutenant is seen passing Gibson information about leftist protests, and counseling Gibson on how to prevent one notoriously violent fighter’s arrest.
Olivia Smith, co-chair of Portland’s Democratic Socialists of America, called the messages “evidence” of a relationship leftists have long suspected between the Portland Police Bureau and Patriot Prayer.
“American police forces were founded to protect white supremacy and the ruling class that enforces it,” Smith told The Daily Beast. “This was sort of a given for us, but now we have actual concrete evidence supporting what we already know.”
Niiya appears to be a police liaison with Patriot Prayer, helping law enforcement monitor the group. Niiya also appeared to do favors for the far-right leader, who travels from Vancouver, Washington to host frequent rallies in Portland.
-snip-
Read more: https://www.thedailybeast.com/antifa-portland-police-protect-white-supremacy-by-passing-intel-to-patriot-prayer