As Michael Strickland’s May 3rd sentencing draws near, it’s important that the full story of his defense be brought out into the open. That’s why Judge Thomas Ryan should release Michael Strickland’s own video which has been hidden from public view since the videographer’s arrest.
Strickland is the freelance journalist who drew his legal, licensed concealed hand gun to fend off a violent mob of anarchists while covering a Black Lives Matter/Don’t Shoot PDX march and rally July 7, 2016.
Here’s the key point:
After covering the event for awhile, Strickland was assaulted by a group of protesters who admitted in court they conspired to throw him out. They assaulted him once and then came back after him. Strickland was forced to draw his weapon after efforts to back them off with verbal commands and defensively using his monopod failed to back them off.
The mob came from three sides in order to attack and stop him from covering the rally.
Rightly believing he was in danger, Strickland swept the black bloc attired mob, without his finger on the trigger, to stop the threat coming at him. It worked. He was able to back up the street to safety — until the Multnomah County DA’s office victimized him again.
He was convicted on 21 charges, ten of which were felonies, by a Multnomah County judge in February after two minutes consideration.
The view we’ve seen so far should have been defense enough:
Advancing Mob on Mike Strickland #LaughingAtLiberals at Black Lives Matter/Don’t Shoot PDX
Black Bloc anarchists and other protesters converge on videographer Michael Strickland on July 7, 2016 in this lesser seen video. The videographer, reporter …
Multnomah County surveillance video, which included the entire scene, may help see the first attack, but Michael Strickland’s own video clearly tells the tale.
It was shown in court, but the judge made attempts to keep onlookers from seeing it. Why? Because it clearly shows that Strickland was roughed up, assaulted, beaten about by a gang of thugs. And then they came to do it again. And even though Strickland knew their intent, he tried to talk them out of it, gave verbal commands, used his monopod as defense and then, as a last resort, pulled his gun. His finger was never on the trigger,
but the mere presence of that gun backed off the
oncoming thugs giving Strickland the ability to back away.
That’s just another reason why this case is such a travesty.
Free the tape. Free Michael Strickland.
