Patriot Prayer and the Proud Boys Are Rallying in Seattle on August 18

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

Fresh off a disorderly rally in Portland, Joey Gibson and his far-right political group Patriot Prayer are on their way to Seattle. The group has a permit to bring their free speech and guns to City Hall Plaza next Saturday, August 18, with a rally they are calling "Liberty or Death - Rally Against Left Wing Violence."

Gibson, a Republican Senate candidate in Washington, has a track record of provoking intense counter-protests at his rallies. The far-right group Proud Boys are closely aligned with Gibson and extremists have been attracted to the Republican Senate candidate, including the white supremacist that allegedly killed two people in Portland last year. Nicholas Boling, the vice president of Seattle’s Proud Boys chapter, confirmed to The Stranger that his group will attend the August 18 rally.

While this past weekend’s rally in Portland fell short of being “the next Charlottesville” as the Southern Poverty Law Center warned, the city was still partially shut down by protests, cops fired rubber bullets into crowds, and at least one journalist was sent to the hospital with blood pouring from their head.

Gibson rarely brings more than 100 followers to his rallies—only seven people have currently given itemized donations to his Senate campaign—but he has a talent for drawing large counter-protests. The upcoming rally in Seattle is officially in opposition to I-1639, an initiative on the ballot in November that would expand background checks, storage requirements, and waiting periods for gun purchases if passed.

Tallman Trask, the spokesperson for the Alliance for Gun Responsibility, which is backing I-1639, said his group is intentionally not going to organize a counter-protest.

“We find it a lot more effective to go talk to voters than it is to host these purposefully ridiculous rallies like they do,” Trask said. "The kind of conversations that are going to be had a Patriot Prayer rally, or NRA rally, or Second Amendment Foundation rally, are the kinds of discussions that aren’t really productive for making real changes. Those conversations happen at phone banks and happen during canvassing and talking to voters who are undecided."

https://www.thestranger.com/slog/2018/08/06/30302621/patriot-prayer-and-the-proud-boys-are-rallying-in-seattle-on-august-18

[Haggis for Breakfast]

1. Thanks, Mama, for the heads-up

I will avoid Seattle that weekend. The Northwest Fair is happening in Lynden that weekend, always fun. And lots of local goodies. Might just be a good alternative.

Why do these neanderthals continue to come into our beautiful northwest pacific peace ? If they're trying to turn us, it aint gonna work.

[BigmanPigman]

2. I wouldn't go near it...they are violence provocateurs.

Liberty or Death Rally says it all. The Proud Boys are vile. I encountered them at a rally and experienced them first hand. The local sheriff's also supported them by not separating them from our peaceful rally when they started to antagonize our guest speakers and allowing the to drown the speakers out with their bullhorn sirens. One of the speakers was a former council member and called the chief of police to call the Sheriff's Dept and tell the sheriffs to stop the Proud Boys or there would have been violence. Then they finally got off their asses and did something useful. AVOID that rally!

[TexasTowelie]

3. I saw that Joey Gibson finished down the list in the "Others" category.

It's reassuring to know that the voters in your state are still sane.