The false ideology of white supremacy is being checked by civil rights leaders. A group of prominent leaders came together to condemn white supremacy. Their demands included increased accountability from city leaders in the wake of a mass shooting that left one dead and five hurt last weekend.
The civil rights leaders said that the mayor has to play his part. It is not enough to be against racism. The leaders believe that Mayor Wheeler, Police Chief Chuck Lovell and other city officials must actively call out white supremacy. Racism is the root of the violence that erupted recently at Normandale.
The leaders set up a news conference and spoke about the issues. It was hosted by Race Talks and Don’t Shoot Portland. This was held nearly a week after Benjamin Smith is alleged to have confronted and then opened fire on a group of volunteers directing traffic around a protest at the Northeast Portland park. A former roommate told the media, “He talked about wanting to go shoot commies and antifa all the friggin time. He was just a sad angry dude. … He talked about wanting to do this for a while. He was angry at the mask mandates, he was angry at the damned liberals.”
Witnesses who saw the confrontation at 55th Avenue and Hassalo Street, the southwest corner of the park, said Smith started screaming at several women affiliated with the group, calling them “terrorists” and decrying the Black Lives Matter movement.
Other witnesses described a heated exchange in which people yelled, cursed and confronted each other. At one point, a person shouted, “Get the (expletive) out of here”.
Smith then pulled out a .45-caliber handgun and opened fire on the protest crowd, shooting people at point-blank range, said witnesses and a law enforcement source who reviewed video footage.
At least one bullet struck 60-year-old June Knightly in the head, killing her. Knightly was a longtime fixture among Portland activists. Four other protesters were shot as well. One was wounded in the neck and paralyzed; another was shot multiple times, including in the abdomen; and two were treated at local hospitals and released. Families of the deceased were in heavy grief.
The shooter Smith only stopped shooting when an armed man in the protest crowd is reported to have shot back, striking Smith in the hip, according to court documents. Smith underwent surgery and remains at OHSU Hospital. He is expected to recover. Some wondered how many more would have been shot if it were not for the shooter being shot.
Smith faces nine charges — second-degree murder with a firearm, four counts of attempted first-degree murder with a firearm, two counts of first-degree assault with a firearm and two counts of second-degree assault with a firearm.
On Smith’s social media pages were a history of racist, homophobic and anti-Semitic sentiments, including recent animosity toward people experiencing homelessness and Black Lives Matter protesters. He also expressed support for far-right groups like the Proud Boys, as well as murderer Kyle Rittenhouse.
In the wake of Saturday’s shooting, Portland police published a news release saying an early investigation indicated the incident began “with a confrontation between an armed homeowner and armed protesters” and that their investigation had been made more difficult by witnesses who were reluctant to speak with police. Some people don’t speak to the police to to fear.
