The estate of the man gunned down by a “100% Antifa!” assassin is suing the city of Portland, Oregon, for its abject failure to keep violent antifa rioters in line.
Aaron “Jay” Danielson was killed by a gunman, who was lying in wait, after a car rally for President Trump in downtown Portland in September of 2020–the “summer of love.” Danielson wore a “Patriot Prayer” hat. Patriot Prayer is a right-leaning group of Trump supporters whose rallies often met with violence by violent left-wing attackers.
It's beginning to look like It was premeditated murder. Michael Reinoehl antifa hitman murdered Aaron Jay Danielson pic.twitter.com/lcASzxNUQO
— Billy (@BillyJo12874054) October 1, 2020
The man responsible for his death, Michael Forest Reinoehl, went into hiding in a rural area of Washington state, where federal lawmen found him days later. Reinoehl died in a shootout.
Fox News reports that the Danielson’s estate’s lawyer, Christopher Cauble, said Portland’s flaccid response to antifa violence set the stage for the shooting.
Time and time again, City leadership and law enforcement have failed to find an effective response to clashing groups of protesters. For well over a year, they have known when and where these rallies would occur and the likelihood of escalating violence. Yet no strategy of protective intervention has been utilized to this day. This reckless dereliction of duty, cost our client, Aaron Danielson, his life.
Portland police successfully kept the two sides apart during a planned free speech rally by the right-of-center group. At that event, there was no violence. But the city soon after went back to a more hands-off approach. What the city hasn’t figured out, notwithstanding plenty of evidence, is that when antifa doesn’t show up there’s no violence.
The lawsuit targets the city of Portland, Mayor Ted Wheeler, District Attorney Mike Schmidt, and the Portland Police Bureau for their infamously lax oversight of the out-of-control and violent left-wing attacks on anyone who doesn’t agree with their political viewpoints.
The leftist extremists dismiss entire swaths of people as “fascists” whom they need to eradicate from Portland. The city gives support and encouragement to the antifa thugs, suggesting Trump supporters and groups like Patriot Prayer are fascists and the cause of antifa violence. Portland’s support of antifa and tacit approval of their ideologically driven violence continues to this day.
“Rest in Piss Jay”
I took this video on Sept. 26th at Peninsula Park in Portland. Oregon. There was hundreds of radicalized antifa black bloc antifa militants organized in the park.
This “Jay” may be Aaron “Jay” Danielson who was assassinated by Michael “100% Antifa” Reinoehl. pic.twitter.com/J9HlLoZSRg
— Kalen From Scriberr (@FromKalen) October 4, 2020
The lawsuit was filed in federal court–in the same building that antifa and BLM rioters continually attacked, bombed, and attempted to set on fire over months of nightly rioting.
Estate of Aaron ‘Jay’ Danielson, man killed in downtown Portland after pro-Trump rally, sues city, mayor and DA https://t.co/jNoQwDzVDP
— braingarbage (@braingarbage) September 12, 2021
The lawsuit alleges DA Schmidt’s political kindred in antifa got a pass for many crimes, giving them a swagger of invincibility. They could do almost anything. And they did.
The Oregonian reports:
The Danielson estate also accused Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt of playing a role by broadcasting last summer that he had adopted a new policy and generally wouldn’t pursue what he considered public order crimes such as criminal mischief, interfering with an officer or a stand-alone riot charge, and instead would focus on deliberate property damage and threats of force or actual force against others.
The city has seen a surge of violence, particularly shootings, since Mayor Ted Wheeler defunded police by millions of dollars, got rid of a gun-violence task force (which had to be reconstituted), and ordered a hands-off approach by officers.
The entire riot squad walked off the job and refused to participate in the voluntary duty after Schmidt filed charges against a cop while letting most vandals, looters, and rioters go.
An antifa rioter was recently arrested for the attempted murder of two Portland police officers.
A gathering of Christians for a rally on the waterfront was broken up by antifa. Families and kids were pepper-sprayed by the leftist thugs. One attacker taunted the group with: “Where is your God now?”
Antifa and Black Lives Matter protesters recently took over a North Portland street and set up an armed checkpoint, stopping drivers, holding them at gunpoint, and beating two victims.
In August, a 65-year-old man got in a shootout with two antifa black bloc shooters in broad daylight when antifa came to a right-wing rally. The rally moved to another location, but they continued scouting for “fascists” to maim or kill. Meantime, antifa crashed the rally and beat and bear-sprayed a left-of-center reporter. Though antifa has been committing these assaults for years, that episode got the mayor’s attention and he apologized.
In many other cities, the political attacks by antifa on lawful citizens would be considered hate crimes, including the murder of the Danielson, a person of color.
Businesses in downtown Portland have been shellshocked by pandemic-related closures and antifa violence. At one point, business in the riot zone was off by 80%. It probably still is.
Clubs and other businesses have been forced to hire private security forces to make up for the lax police response.
The police force is lean. The city has seen a record number of police retirements, and officers are leaving for places that respect the rule of law.
Maybe this lawsuit will help Portland put its house back in order, but don’t count on it.
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