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| -Land of the Free |
| Conservative blogger Michael Strickland arrested after drawing gun at BLM protest |
| 2016-07-09 |
| [Wash Times] A conservative blogger who says he feared for his life during a Black Lives Matter protest Thursday night in Portland, Oregon, has been arrested after he briefly drew a handgun. The man, identified by police as 36-year-old Michael Strickland, was at the demonstration near Pioneer Square taking pictures when he got into an argument with protesters, reported a local Fox News affiliate, which caught part of the incident on video. Mr. Strickland pulled out a gun and held it out in front of him for a moment before putting it back in his waistband, Fox reported. Mr. Strickland, a conservative activist who contributes to the Progressives Today blog, according to the Portland Tribune, later explained his side of the story. "What happened was there were about 10 or 12 people that surrounded me," he told Fox. "They started pushing and shoving me. They were using their flag staffs as weapons. I’m backing up, they kept coming towards me. They kept coming towards me. That’s why I drew. ... I was outnumbered, they were pushing and shoving me. They were using their flag staffs as weapons. I was backing up, they kept coming towards me. I feared for my life because I was outnumbered and they had weapons." Another video uploaded to YouTube by the Willamette Week shows protesters following Mr. Strickland as he backs away from them. No one is seen putting their hands or other objects on him before he pulls a gun out of a holster on his right hip and points it excitedly at several people in the crowd. He holds the gun up for about 10 seconds before re-holstering the weapon. |
| Posted by:Besoeker |
| #4 How was his judgement faulty? He purposely put himself in a dangerous situation (probably with the intent of provoking a response.) He brought out the gun when he probably should not have used it, and almost certainly could not have done so effectively. If he HAD used it, the excrement would really have flown. |
| Posted by: Glenmore 2016-07-09 12:40 |
| #3 How was his judgement faulty? Outnumbered, the others armed, he attempted to back off. I'll fault him for not keeping his mouth shut, but not for fearing for his life. |
| Posted by: Rob Crawford 2016-07-09 11:53 |
| #2 He'll lose his gun and his carry permit, I expect. Probably should - doesn't seem to exercise the best judgement. |
| Posted by: Glenmore 2016-07-09 09:32 |
| #1 He has been charged with menacing and disorderly conduct. Simple misdemeanors in most states. I recommend he make the court appearance, pay the fine and consider himself lucky. Finding a new hobby which does not involve photographing the entitlement class might also be in order. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2016-07-09 06:54 |