Proud Boys leader complains police didn’t protect him during Portland clash

Far-right and far-left demonstrators clashed across Portland on Sunday

As hundreds of protesters clashed throughout Portland over the weekend, a well-known member of the violent, far-right Proud Boys vigilante group complained that police weren’t doing enough to intervene.

"To all those cops out there at the moment, you put that, f***ing duty down and stand down because of the orders from a tyrant? You’re a disgrace to that f***ing patch," Tusitala “Tiny” Toese told right-wing journalist Tara Szczepanski for her website Polish American Brotherhood on Sunday. “Throw it down and f***ing walk out. Because we’re sick and tired and I know days from now I might be arrested.”

The Proud Boys, who often appear in similar circles as ultra-conservative demonstrators carrying “Thin Blue Line” pro-police imagery, have also battled with police officers, most notably during the 6 January riot at the US Capitol.

City officials warned on Friday that they wouldn’t necessarily intervene in the expected clashes, preferring instead to make arrests later.

“We are dedicated to keeping the peace. Our ask is simple: We are asking you to choose love,” Mayor Ted Wheeler said on Friday during a press conference. “People should not necessarily expect to see the police standing in the middle of the crowd trying to keep people apart. People need to keep themselves apart and avoid physical confrontation.”

That appeared to be the case on Sunday, as rival factions used fists, clubs, pepper spray, paintball guns, fireworks, and other explosives in running battles around the city with little police intervention. A 65-year-old man was arrested and charged with unlawful use and possession of a weapon after firing a handgun at a group believed to be anti-fascist protesters.

The day began with hints of violence. Mr Toese was one of the emcees at the event, and made remarks about attacking trans people who used bathrooms matching their gender.

The Proud Boys brawler was arrested last year for violating the terms of his parole from a 2018 misdemeanor assault conviction, where an attack on an anti-fascist activist left the victim with stitches and a concussion.

After pleading guilty to the assault, Mr Toese seemed to disavow his past behaviour.

“All I’m going to say is God bless the Proud Boys; God bless everyone of the left; let’s just pray for them,” he said last year. “But as for me, I’m Tusitala. No more Tiny. There’s no more big boy Tiny. No more Samoa prowler in the streets; this and that. It’s just Tusitala Toese who I was born and created by God to be."

The clashes on Sunday began after a “Summer of Love” rally, where the Proud Boys commemorated a protest last year that descended into widespread violence.