Mayor and Police Chief Are Hosting Listening Session About Chummy Joey Gibson Texts—And Patriot Prayer Plans to Attend

Patriot Prayer at a Portland protest last August. Steve Dykes / Getty Images

In the wake of the bombshell revelation from the Mercury and Willamette Week about Portland police officer Lt. Jeff Niiya exchanging chummy, and more alarmingly, protective texts with Patriot Prayer leader Joey Gibson, the city will be holding a community listening session tonight, February 21, to field questions from concerned citizens.

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Mayor Ted Wheeler and Police Chief Danielle Outlaw will be in attendance at tonight's sure-to-be crowded listening session at the Marantha Church (4222 NE 12th) from 6-8 pm answering questions from the crowd—but if the signs going up around Northeast Portland are to be believed, alt-right members of the Joey Gibson fan club may also be in attendance.

I will be attending this today... 😉 pic.twitter.com/dLzH65UGRY

— The Oregon CopWatcher (@TheCopwatcher) February 21, 2019

Sure enough, Patriot Prayer organizers are encouraging their followers to attend tonight's meeting.

If they do attend, it certainly wouldn't be a surprise. Patriot Prayer members have made appearances at city-sponsored meetings in the past, including the city council's recent successful vote to reject white nationalism, white supremacy, and alt-right hate groups, where Joey Gibson and his followers complained that they were being unfairly mischaracterized by the resolution. Members of Patriot Prayer offshoot group PDX Crew have also been spotted recently showing up to random city council meetings to demand the resignation of Mayor Wheeler.

While unsubstantiated so far, unknown members of the alt-right are being accused by those in the LGBTQ community of being behind recent reported hate crime attacks in Southeast Portland. As stated in the posters, activists are warning residents of the neighborhood to be on the lookout for alt-right members who may be in the area tonight.

The Portland chapter of Democratic Socialists of America will lead a 5 pm rally outside of Marantha Church before tonight's listening session, in which activists will call for Wheeler to step down as Portland's police commissioner—and give the title to Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty.

Our Alex Zielinski will be in attendance tonight at the meeting and will be live tweeting the event. Follow her here, and stay tuned for our recap of the event and any further updates.