JOEY Gibson is the leader of the Patriot Prayer, a conservative, far-right advocacy group.
The Christian group has organized several marches and rallies around Portland in support of "free speech, gun rights, medical freedom, and sanctuary counties for the constitution."
They have clashed several times with liberal protests and demonstrators, particularly in the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement.
Who is Joey Gibson?
Joey Gibson is the head of the far-right Patriot Prayer group.
The 36-year-old is an outspoken, staunch Republican and Trump supporter.
Last year, Gibson was arrested for rioting in connection with a May Day fight at a Northeast Portland cidery.
“I think it’s a shame," Gibson told radio host Lars Larson at the time.
"This is a complete attack on the First Amendment. I literally stood on a sidewalk and got attacked.”
Patriot Prayer is known for clashing with left-wing adversaries around Portland.
What is the far-right Patriot Prayer group?
Patriot Prayer is a local far-right group that describes themselves as advocates for free speech.
The Christian group, who promotes smaller government, has clashed with Portland protesters repeatedly over the three consecutive months the city has seen civil unrest.
The Southern Poverty Law Center has reported that some Patriot Prayer events have drawn white supremacists to its crowds.
What is the Patriot Prayer logo?
The Patriot Prayer logo features the group's name in embolden letters across the American flag.
The group claims they are not racist and that the media paints a negative narrative around them.
What’s happening in Portland?
Portland has been home to daily Black Lives Matter protests since the police killing of George Floyd, a black American who died in Minneapolis after an officer knelt on his neck for eight minutes.
Riots have been declared in the city nearly 20 times since the start of the protests after Floyd's death in May, according to The Daily Mail.
Portland is not the only city that has erupted into unrest after the police shooting of yet another black American.
Wisconsin, where Jacob Blake was shot, has also been home to demonstrations that have turned violent at times. The city of Kenosha has now put an 8 pm curfew into place in an attempt to discourage protesters.
Protests in Kenosha erupted the day after police shot Blake – who was apparently trying to break up a fight between two women, and was walking back to his car that his sons were sitting in, when the cop fired at his back.
Who was shot and killed at the protests?
A pro-cop man was shot dead as a caravan of Donald Trump supporters clashed with Black Lives Matter protesters in Portland.
Shocking pics show the man lying bleeding on the ground wearing a Patriot Prayer cap and a "Blue Lives Matter" patch as riots unfolded around him.
The fatal shooting came as a large caravan of Donald Trump supporters in about 600 vehicles surged into the city where they clashed with Black Lives Matter counter-demonstrators.
Why are there protests in Portland?
Black Lives Matter advocates have been protesting in the city for months.
- Black Lives Matter demonstrators have been protesting against police brutality and racial injustice in Portland
- Police have threatened to use "tear gas and impact weapons" to control crowds
- The unrest has seen cars torched, buildings set ablaze, and a church nearly destroyed in an inferno
- Russel Burger, U.S. Marshal for the District of Oregon, said in the news release: “The nightly violence has to stop. “It is drowning out the voices of the many who are calling for change and pulling police resources away from their primary mission of keeping this community safe"
“This violence is completely unacceptable, and we are working diligently to find and apprehend the individual or individuals responsible,” Police Chief Chuck Lovell said in a press conference.
An Associated Press freelance photographer heard three gunshots and then observed police medics working on a man who had been shot in the chest.
It is unclear who killed him.
Joey Gibson confirmed the man shot was a good friend of the far-right group based in Portland.
"I can't say much right now. All I can do is verify that he was a good friend and a supporter of Patriot Prayer," Gibson said of the shooting victim in a text exchange with The Associated Press.
He said he would make a fuller statement later Sunday.
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