Two members of the Proud Boys who participated in an Aug. 22 rally in Portland’s Parkrose neighborhood have been indicted for several acts of violence they engaged in during the event. The indictments were handed down Dec. 16 and unsealed Monday after a judge arraigned Furrow in Multnomah County Circuit Court.
Tusitala “Tiny” Toese, a notoriously violent and frequent attendee at far-right rallies, was charged with six counts of assault, two counts of unlawful use of a weapon, two counts of riot and two counts of criminal mischief.
Miles Furrow, 41, a Proud Boy who was photographed beating a man in the front seat of a pickup truck Aug. 22, was charged with six counts of assault, one count of unlawful use of a weapon and one count of riot.
Tusitala "Tiny" Toese and other Proud Boys fight anti-fascist counterprotesters during violent clashes in Northeast Portland's Parkrose neighborhood on Aug. 22, 2021 in Portland, Oregon.
Jonathan Levinson / OPB
A third person, Justin Glidden, 36, had his assault, unlawful use of a weapon and criminal mischief charges dismissed. A spokesperson for the Multnomah County District Attorney’s office said Glidden’s case was referred back to the Portland Police Bureau for further investigation.
Toese is currently in custody in Washington state facing charges for assault, obstructing law enforcement and criminal trespass. He will be arraigned in Multnomah County after his charges are resolved in Washington.
The Aug. 22 Proud Boy rally was held to mark the anniversary of a rally the year prior held downtown in front of the Multnomah County Justice Center. Both rallies devolved into over an hour of unchecked street violence, as Proud Boys and anti-fascist counterdemonstrators exchanged volleys of chemical irritants, full soda cans, paintballs, rocks, fists and, in some cases brandished firearms.
During last year’s rally, violence spilled over from an abandoned Kmart parking lot where it was being held and into traffic along Northeast 122nd Avenue, eventually finding its way to nearby Parkrose High School.
After a group of Proud Boys cornered a counterdemonstrator inside a pickup, they proceeded to smash the truck’s windows, slash its tires, and Furrow crawled inside the cab. There, he allegedly assaulted the occupant, who was covered in bear spray and unable to escape.
Miles Furrow beats a cornered anti-fascist counterprotester during violent clashes in Northeast Portland's Parkrose neighborhood on Aug. 22, 2021 in Portland, Oregon.
Jonathan Levinson / OPB
Both Aug. 22 rallies led to charges against far right extremists. Former Proud Boy and violent agitator Alan Swinney was sentenced to 10 years in prison for his participation in the 2020 event.
In both cases, the police bureau was largely absent during the demonstrations and allowed the political street battles to occur. In 2020, the police bureau said it was too short staffed to intervene. In 2021, despite more than a week of community pushback ahead of the rally, the police bureau said officers would be in the area,but criminal acts likely would be investigated after the fact.
Simultaneous rallies between the Proud Boys and anti-fascists culminated in a shooting in downtown Portland, Ore., Aug. 22, 2021. Dennis Anderson, 65, of Gresham, gets into a brief firefight with anti-fascists. Witnesses say Anderson made racist remarks to two people and pulled a gun after a crowd confronted him for being racist.
Jonathan Levinson / OPB
The day ended after Dennis Anderson, 65, of Gresham, exchanged gunfire with anti-fascists across a busy downtown street. Anderson has pleaded not guilty and is currently out on bail.
Correction: A previous version of this story misstated the status of Toese’s case. Toese has been indicted in Multnomah County but has not yet been arraigned.
