Portland GOP Chair Explains Why They're Considering Using a 'Security Force' to Protect Free Speech

It's been quite a week here in Portland. First, there was the tragic murder of two men attempting to protect two girls, one of whom was a Muslim, from a knife-wielding maniac who was screaming insane white supremacist and ethnic slurs. In response, Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler pleaded with federal authorities to revoke the permit for a pro-Trump, pro-free speech rally (it's in a federal park, so the city has no jurisdiction to revoke the permit).

Now, in response to this latest episode of the city's failure to protect the First Amendment rights of those with which the city disagrees (see, for instance, the riots that were allowed to rage uncontrolled after Trump was elected, and the threats to the Multnomah County GOP that got an entire parade canceled), the chair of the Multnomah County Republican Party responded in an interview by saying that if Portland would not guarantee security for Republican Party attendees at public events -- events in which they've participated peacefully for years -- they would consider bringing in Oath Keepers and the Three Percenters group to handle security. The liberal world exploded at that musing from the chair, as the media descended to describe these groups as "paramilitary white supremacist anti-government hate groups" (using the Southern Poverty Law Center's definition).

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