Patriot Prayer Vancouver meeting point moved; hundreds head to Portland

By Katie Gillespie, Columbian Education Reporter

Published: August 4, 2018, 12:07 PM

As far-right groups and antifascist protesters faced off in downtown Portland, a group of more than 150 Patriot Prayer supporters stood by in Vancouver on Saturday, awaiting bus transportation that would take them into the action. ... U.S. Senate candidate Joey Gibson, leader of the right-wing group Patriot Prayer, organized what was branded as a “freedom rally” for his campaign against incumbent Washington Democrat Maria Cantwell at Tom McCall Waterfront Park.

Gibson, who lives in Vancouver, announced this week that shuttles with armed guards on them would be available to pick supporters up from the Grand Central Retail Center just east of downtown to take them into Portland.

But security and tow trucks milled around the Fred Meyer parking lot at 2500 Columbia House Blvd., ready to pick up anyone who left their car at the private shopping center. Portland-based commercial real estate firm NAI Elliot, which manages the property, announced Friday that anyone who parked except to shop or work would be towed at their own expense.

“Once we leave, our cars are toast,” a woman with the demonstrators told the crowd. ... And nearby businesses seemed to have gotten the memo, too. Many had blocked off their parking lots, and C-Tran’s Park and Ride near the shopping center was also blockaded with a security guard standing watch.
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Katie Gillespie Columbian Education Reporter
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