Hundreds gather for pro-Trump vehicle rally in Portland suburb

Hundreds of pro-Trump demonstrators gathered in Oregon City on Labor Day for a planned vehicle rally.

The event came a week after a man shot and killed Aaron “Jay” Danielson, a member of the far-right group Patriot Prayer, at a similar vehicle rally in Portland.

Vehicles waving flags for President Trump, QAnon and the Thin Blue Line gathered at Clackamas Community College around noon Monday for the rally.

A college spokesperson said the school was not aware of the gathering beforehand and that it wasn’t sanctioned by the school.

“The organizers did not go through the standard process for events such as this,” said Lori Hall, the head of the college’s public relations department. “For the safety of participants and the general public, the college is working with the Oregon City Police Department.”

Hall said the school would rely on local police for security.

The rally’s organizers did not lead the caravan into Portland, as happened at the previous week’s event. Instead, vehicles drove from Oregon City and headed south on Interstate 5. Some drivers traveled with their vehicle doors open on the highway, or with people perched on top of vehicles as they drove.

When the caravan reached Woodburn, organizers said the official rally was over.

“Thank you to everyone for being involved in Oregon For Trump 2020 Labor Day Cruise Rally and helping make this event a HUGE success,” the group wrote on its Facebook event page around 3 p.m. “Once you exit at Woodburn you’re free to head your own route home.”

Members of the Proud Boys, an extremist group that regularly engages in street violence, and other demonstrators traveled to Salem after the official rally concluded. There, they joined an “American Lives Matter” rally at the Oregon State Capitol Building, where some carried firearms and baseball bats. Others waved flags. A small group of counterdemonstrators also gathered near the Capitol.

In one clash between the groups, members of the pro-Trump group attacked a counterprotester with a baseball bat and pepper spray. After a second similar attack, Salem police officers and Oregon State Police troopers detained two men with the conservative demonstrators.

Ty Parker, 53, of Durango, Colorado, was cited for misdemeanor assault and first-degree intimidation. Trenton Wolfskill, 37, of Eugene, was cited for misdemeanor assault. Both were released by police on scene after they were cited.