Dan Tooze spent most of the day on Aug. 22, 2021, sporting a Proud Boys T-shirt and body armor. Like many in the group, Tooze was armed—a wooden baton in hand and a pistol on his belt. He was in Portland’s Parkrose neighborhood for a rally held by the violent, extremist group whose emblem was emblazoned on his chest.
The rally began with speeches, including several defending the Jan. 6 insurrection on the U.S. Capitol and others rife with transphobia.
The Proud Boys have made a habit of coming to the city to incite clashes and when counterprotesters arrived, the demonstration quickly turned violent. The Proud Boys pursued them toward Parkrose Middle School. Tooze led the pack, pointing his baton toward the anti-fascists and screaming over his shoulder for others to charge. Tooze and others in his group smashed the windows of a minivan and at one point, he swung and hit someone from behind with his baton. Other Proud Boys went on […]
I would like to know where to get a Kevlar vest to protect me when I leave a bank with money for food, etc. and see someone following me. I always feel vulnerable when I leave the bank! I do carry a large stick which takes the place of a crutch and lets me put both hands on it in order to stand up without having so much pein in my back. Last night, I was surprised when a person in line at Walmart let me go in front of him because he was a true gentleman and saw that I was in pain. There are some good people in the world.
The real question is how does the judicial system respond? Do they prosecute? How vigorously?