Joey Gibson, Five Others Formally Indicted for May 1 Melee at Northeast Portland Bar

The indictment follows the arrest of the six men for their actions outside Cider Riot.

Joey Gibson, Aug. 17, 2019 (Wesley Lapointe)
By Nigel Jaquiss

Patriot Prayer leader Joey Gibson and five other men were formally indicted today by Multnomah County District Attorney Rod Underhill today on a charge of felony riot for their role in the events outside Cider Riot in Northeast Portland on May 1.

Those charges include Christopher Ponte, 37, Ian Kramer, 45, Gibson, 35, Mackenzie Lewis, 29, Matthew Cooper, 24, and Russell Schultz, 50.

The indictment comes after the owner of Cider Riot filed a May 3 civil lawsuit against Gibson and his allies, following a confrontation between them and a group of antifacists that day. Kramer allegedly struck one woman with a metal baton, knocking her unconscious and breaking a vertebrae.

In a statement the MCDA's office defined the alleged crime: "Under Oregon law, a person commits the crime of riot if, while participating with five or more other people, the individual engages in tumultuous and violent conduct and thereby intentionally or recklessly creates a grave risk of causing public alarm," the statement said, and added a pre-emptive explanation for those who will grouse that no antifascists have been indicted for the riot.

"The Multnomah County District Attorney's Office does not prosecute individuals based on their ideologies or affiliations with political or non-political organizations," the statement said.

Willamette Week’s reporting has concrete impacts that change laws, force action from civic leaders, and drive compromised politicians from public office. Support WW's journalism today.