Gibson, 36, a former real-estate agent in Vancouver, Wash., first appeared in Portland to lead rallies for "free speech" and then to drum up headlines for his U.S. Senate campaign. He has led a group of far-right extremists who frequently rally and brawl in downtown Portland. He told WW in 2017 that his aim was to bait antifascists into fights and capture the violence on video for news reels and his social media channels.