Mike Strickland was summoned Wednesday to his Multnomah County Parole and Probation Officer (PO). As Strickland tells it, his PO demanded that the Portland man cease mentioning two people who were involved in the melee in July 2016, which resulted in Strickland drawing his legally possessed pistol to back off a converging crowd of Antifa and other protesters. Read about Strickland’s case here.
Strickland says that his PO gave him two choices, 1) Sign revised parole and probation conditions which forbid him from speaking about convicted hacker, police impersonator, bomb hoaxer, and conspirator against Strickland, Ben Kerensa, and self-described ‘peacemaker’ Malcolm Chaddock. Chaddock attempted to distract Strickland while the 400 pound Kerensa ran at him on the other side. Both men testified against Strickland at his trial.
Or, 2) Go before a Multnomah County judge and try to retain what’s left of his First Amendment rights.
Strickland once again will take his chances with a judge sometime in August.
But here’s the kicker. Strickland’s new gag order condition also included “third parties.” Since I’m the one who’s been chronicling his case since it happened, it appears that I’m the target of the PO’s ire. I can’t imagine that a document Strickland would sign would in any way extend to me. Good luck with getting me to shut up.
Here are some examples of Strickland talking about these two:
The PO told Strickland that this kind of talk represented “psychological abuse” of the two people. Strickland told me that on the list of psychologically abusive things was ‘using one’s size to intimidate and/or threaten another person.’ This is precisely what the two men attempted to do to Strickland.
Strickland would know something about what’s psychologically abusive. He was threatened with a 50 year prison sentence after being charged. That’s certainly “psychologically abusive.” Instead, he spent 41 days in jail – certainly “psychologically abusive.” His First and Second Amendment rights were stripped and therefore his ability to make a living. That’s “psychologically abusive.” His right to speak was eventually restored though he can’t video political events anymore which is most certainly “psychologically abusive.”
Strickland told me that his former PO said his behavior on Twitter did not rise to the level of intimidation of the two people. He has operated under those rules for the past two years. Now, with ten months left in his probation, Strickland is threatened with more punishment for using his freedom of speech.
Organizers of the anti-gun march and rally admitted at Strickland’s trial that they conspired to kick the videographer out of the rally, one of dozens that Strickland had covered in his role as an independent journalist.
His phalanx of attackers were magically transformed into ‘victims.’ Here are some of Strickland’s ‘victims’:
Only two of Strickland’s ‘victims’ were identified at trial because they were masked up or hid their faces.
Read about Strickland’s case here.
See Strickland discuss what happened here:
Strickland’s case is under appeal at the Oregon Appeals Court.
