Student reporter gets a not-so-subtle threat: ‘STOP FILMING’ anti-Trump protests

‘CONSIDER THIS A WARNING’

Portland State University’s student media are covering the riots against President-elect Donald Trump in their city, and someone apparently doesn’t want the attention.

Mike Bivins, who writes for the Pacific Sentinel campus magazine and has been on a tear with video from the protests, got a threatening letter that ended:

STOP FILMING. CONSIDER THIS A WARNING.

His colleague at the Vanguard student paper, Andy Ngo, posted the flyer that Bivins received. It pretty baldly demands that student journalists stop reporting – which might incidentally help police identify suspects – and start advocating for the protesters’ causes.

https://twitter.com/MrAndyNgo/status/797869339621801985

Bivins said he got the same flyer as a direct message on Twitter, just in case the paper version wasn’t convincing enough.

that flier also came through my direct messages :-/. It's definitely dangerous out there.

— Michael (@michaelbivins44) November 13, 2016

Bivins said he also got the warning in person before someone decided to reinforce it with paper and digital copies.

I wasn't gonna mention it, but at the outset of the Pioneer Square march masked protesters warned me not to film them. #PortlandProtest

— Michael (@michaelbivins44) November 13, 2016

As Ngo’s tweet referenced, the Portland Police Department said protesters had “attacked a film crew” overnight on Saturday.

Some protesters attacked a film crew. Bottles being thrown at police. Distractionary "bang" devices being used to effect arrests.

— Portland Police (@PortlandPolice) November 13, 2016

Ngo told The College Fix in a Twitter message that the Vanguard hasn’t received any anonymous warnings like Bivins did.

Much of the violence in Portland has been blamed on the region’s anarchists – the Pacific Northwest has a vocal and protest-happy anarchist population – so it seems plausible that these are threats from anarchists, particularly given their police-specific demands.

Here’s one scene Bivins captured where protesters actually followed police as they were leaving.

Riot police literally marched away and protesters followed. Situation escalating. #PortlandProtest pic.twitter.com/XWzX4VHvif

— Michael (@michaelbivins44) November 13, 2016

And some run-of-the-mill wanton destruction.