Portland Police Arrest Conservative Journalists While Antifa Attackers Walk Free

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Good Thursday morning, Patriots. Welcome back to O'Connor's Write Stand. I'm your host, John O'Connor, and I'm glad you're here. For those just joining us, a little about me. By day, I'm a software programmer, been writing code for years, solving problems, building systems. By night, I'm digging into the stories the mainstream media generally won't touch. I started this podcast because I was tired of watching conservatives get steamrolled while the media cheered and

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I often felt as Dan Bongino would say on his podcast, you were being told a story, not the story. Someone needed to hold the line and speak the truth without apology. So here we are. If you caught yesterday's episode of O'Connor's Quick Strike, my other podcast, you heard me break down the top three stories making waves in conservative politics. Quick Strike drops every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. 10 to 15 minutes, three stories straight fire.

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If you missed it, go back and check it out. But today on Right Stand, we're going to do what we do on Tuesdays and Thursdays. We are going to dig deep on a story that matters. While everyone's focused on the government shutdown drama in Washington, something far more dangerous is happening in Portland, Oregon. I'm going to tell you about three Americans who got attacked by masked thugs this past week, two journalists, and one patriot in a MAGA hat.

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You know what happened to the attackers? Nothing. But the victims? They got arrested. Let me say that again. The victims got arrested while the attackers walked free. This isn't just Portland being Portland anymore. This is a blueprint for how Democrat-run cities will handle the next four years of Trump's presidency. And every American needs to understand what's at stake here. The right stand starts now.

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Let me start with Katie Davis Quart. She's a reporter for the Post-Millennial and she's been doing something the mainstream media refuses to do. Actually covering what's happening outside the ICE facility in Portland. Tuesday night, October 1st, Katie's standing there with her camera, doing her job. A masked woman walks up to her and swings a flagpole at her face like she's swinging for the fences at Fenway Park. Connects right under Katie's eye.

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leaves her with a massive black eye that she showed on Fox News the next night. Now, here's where it gets insane. Katie immediately ran to a Portland police officer and told them what happened. But the attacker was fleeing, so Katie chased her down. For 35 minutes, Katie tracked this woman through the streets. She kept pointing her out to police, saying, this is the person who just assaulted me. And you know what the Portland police did? Nothing.

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They let the attacker walk away into an Antifa camp. But wait, it gets worse. An hour later, Portland police put out a bulletin asking the public for help identifying Katie's attacker. The same attacker Katie had pointed out to them personally. Think about that. They refused to arrest someone when the victim was standing right there pointing at the suspect, but they are happy to ask Twitter for help later. Katie told Jesse Waters,

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on Fox that covering Portland for the past four months has been complete lawlessness. Several blocks of the city are now controlled by Antifa militants who attack anyone they see as a threat. Journalists, local residents, even ICE agents themselves. The next night, Thursday, October 2nd, a conservative journalist named Nick Sartor was covering these same protests. Nick has over a million followers on X.

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And he's been documenting the chaos in Portland that local media won't touch. Federal agents had just maced some protesters who were getting violent. Nick caught it on camera. The protesters were crying and screaming about getting maced. Embarrassing footage for them. So they swarmed him, shoved him into a flower bed. Someone threw a punch. Nick's camera got broken. He swung back in self-defense and missed.

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Then he got up and walked straight to a group of Portland police officers, thinking they'd help him. Instead, they arrested him. Let me repeat that. Nick Sartor got attacked. His equipment got destroyed. He defended himself. Then he walked to the police for help, and they arrested him for disorderly conduct. The people who attacked him, they went home for the night.

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Nick sat in the back of the police car while the cops figured out what charge to hit him with. That's not how law enforcement works when you have probable cause. That's how it works when you're looking for an excuse. He spent a few hours in jail before being released Friday morning. And here's the kicker. When Nick got out, Attorney General Pam Bondi personally called him. She told him the Department of Justice was opening a full investigation into the Portland Police Bureau.

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The investigations being led by Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon. Dhillon sent a letter to Portland City Attorney and Police Chief demanding all evidence by October 10th. Body camera footage, arrest reports, internal communications, everything. Dhillon's letter specifically mentioned potential viewpoint discriminations. That's legal speak for, you are arresting conservatives while letting leftist terrorists walk free.

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The charges against Nick were eventually dropped. The county district attorney reviewed the video and admitted they couldn't prove Nick did anything wrong. In fact, the DA said Nick's actions were defensive in nature and justified under the circumstances. But here's the problem. By that point, Nick had already been arrested, jailed, and dragged through the system. That's the punishment. That's the message Portland police wanted to send. Now we need to talk about what

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Portland police said behind closed doors. Oregon and Portland sued to block Trump from sending National Guard troops to the city. During the court proceedings, an email from Portland police Sergeant Andrew Braun surfaced in the case documents. This is one of the most infuriating things I've read in a long time. Sergeant Braun called Katie Davis Court, another journalist named Shelley Baruch, and a conservative activist named Ryan Amaker, chronic instigators.

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He said they'd show up to intentionally agitate Antifa to get assaulted. A Portland police sergeant put in writing that these Americans deserve to be attacked because they showed up to report the news. It's the, your skirt was too short defense. It's victim blaming at its finest. Katie has been documenting Antifa violence for months. Shelley was actually attacked in August. Two Antifa members kicked in her head.

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Now Portland police are saying that these women brought it on themselves by having the audacity to show up with cameras. This isn't just bad policing, this is police siding with domestic terrorists against American citizens. Now Sunday night, October 6th, Nick Stortor was back out covering the protests because hey, that's what real journalists do. They don't get intimidated. Antifa attacked him again, this time

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They grabbed his American flag, the one he had saved from being burned earlier, and ripped it out of his hands. A patriot named Thomas Allen was there. He's 36 years old and from Portland. He was wearing a MAGA hat. When he saw Nick getting attacked, he stepped in to help. Video shows a guy in black bandana coming at Tommy with what looks like a weapon. Tommy knocked him out with one punch. Clear self-defense.

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Guess who got arrested? Tommy Allen, charged with fourth degree assault and second degree disorderly conduct. Meanwhile, Nick was getting attacked again, and Portland police did nothing about the attackers. Tommy told reporters later, they call it hate speech, but it's not hate speech, it's speech they hate. And that's exactly right. Portland police have been arresting Tommy all week. They got him twice in seven days. Plus,

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ICE detained him on a separate day. His crime? Standing up to terrorists while wearing a MAGA hat? Here's what the Trump administration is doing about this mess. President Trump authorized Pete Hegseth, the Secretary of War, to send National Guard troops to Portland. About 200 troops. Their mission? Protect the ICE facility from Antifa attacks and restore order to a city that's abandoned the rule of law. Oregon Governor Tina Kotech

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and Portland Mayor Keith Wilson immediately sued to block it. They said, there's no national security threat in Portland. They said their communities are safe and calm. Safe and calm? Katie Davis Court has a black eye. Nick Sorter's been arrested twice for defending himself. Tommy Allen's facing criminal charges for stopping an attacker. But sure, everything's fine. A federal judge sided with Oregon and blocked the National Guard deployment.

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Trump's lawyers are appealing. Meanwhile, White House Press Secretary Caroline Levitt announced Trump is reviewing all federal funding to Portland. And I quote, we will not fund states that allow anarchy. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem told a podcaster, what we saw happen to that journalist last night will not happen again. The DOJ investigation isn't just looking at Nick's arrest.

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Harmeet Dhillon's team is examining Portland's entire response to these protests. Why they arrest conservatives but not Antifa? Why they refuse to protect journalists? Why they blame victims for getting attacked? Dhillon wants to know if Portland violated a 2012 settlement agreement the city has with the Department of Justice. That agreement was supposed to reform Portland police. Clearly, it didn't work.

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Let me connect the dots for you, patriots. Portland isn't unique. It's a test case. Democrat mayors across America are watching to see if they can get away with this. Can they let Antifa control the streets? Can they arrest conservatives who defend themselves? Can they ignore federal law and tell ICE to get lost? If Portland succeeds, every blue city in America will try the similar playbook. Look.

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Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson just created ice-free zones to block federal immigration arrests. That's not legal, but he's doing it anyway because he saw Portland do it first. New York, Los Angeles, Seattle, San Francisco, they're all watching Portland to see what they can get away with. This is why the DOJ investigation matters so much. This is why Trump sending them in the National Guard matters. Because if we don't draw a line here,

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Democrat cities will become no-go zones for anyone wearing a MAGA hat or carrying a camera. Portland police chief Bob Day went on CNN and claimed crime is down by double digits. He said federal intervention isn't needed. But here's what he won't tell you. More than 100 nights of violence outside the ICE facility. Journalists attacked with impunity. Federal property under siege. And his police force is arresting the victims instead of the criminals.

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That's not law enforcement. That's protection racket for terrorists. We need to talk about who's really controlling Portland streets. Antifa isn't just some loose collection of angry protesters. I've done a whole episode on them. They are organized. They have safe houses where they hide attackers from police. They have bail funds. They have legal support. They have a command structure. Trump recently designated Antifa as a domestic terrorist organization.

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That designation comes with serious consequences. Federal prosecutions, asset seizures, enhance penalties. But none of that matters if local police refuse to make arrests. That's the catch-22. Federal law enforcement can't be everywhere. They need local police to do their jobs. When Portland police stand down, Antifa wins. And make no mistake, Portland police are standing down.

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They are not just failing to stop Antifa. They are actively enabling them by arresting anyone who resists. This episode isn't just about informing you. It's about mobilizing you. First, share Nick Sordor's story. Share Katie Davis Court's story. Share Tommy Allen's story. The mainstream media won't cover this. It's up to us to make sure that every American knows what's happening in Portland. Second, support these journalists and activists.

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Katie and Nick are risking their safety to document the truth. Tommy Allen is facing criminal charges for defending someone. They need our support, financial, moral, and legal. Third, demand accountability. Call your congressman. Tell them Portland needs to face consequences for harboring domestic terrorists. Tell them federal funding should be cut until Portland police start doing their jobs. Fourth, watch what's happening in your own city.

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Is your mayor creating sanctuary zones for illegal immigrants? Is your police chief ordering officers to stand down during left-wing riots? These are the warning signs that your city might become the next Portland. Fifth, prepare for 2026. Every single one of these Democrat mayors and city council members is up for election eventually. Remember, which one sided with Antifa? Over law-abiding citizens.

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Patriots, what we're watching in Portland is the left's endgame. They can't beat Trump at the ballot box. They can't beat him in Congress. They can't beat him with lawfare anymore because Pam Bondi and Harmeet Dhillon aren't playing games. So their last option is chaos. Make Trump's America look ungovernable. Make it look like federal authority means nothing. Make it look like you can't be conservative in a blue city without getting attacked and arrested. That's the strategy.

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And Portland is where they're testing it. But here's what they didn't count on. Trump's not backing down. Pam Bondi's not backing down. Harmeet Dhillon isn't backing down. And neither are we. Nick Sartor said it best after his charges were dropped. Trust me, this is only the beginning. He's right. The DOJ investigation is just getting started. The National Guard deployment is still being fought in court. The funding cuts are coming.

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And every single one of these corrupt Portland officials is about to learn what accountability looks like. Let me speak directly to the mayors and police chiefs in other Democrat-run cities. You are watching Portland. I know you are. You are wondering if you can do the same thing in your city. Here's what you need to understand. The Trump administration has made Portland the test case. They picked this fight deliberately. They are throwing everything at it.

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DOJ investigations, National Guard troops, funding cuts, criminal prosecutions. Why? Because Trump knows that if he can break Portland's corrupt system, every other blue city will fall in line. You can't hide behind local policing anymore. You can't claim states' rights when you harboring domestic terrorists. You can't arrest conservatives for defending themselves while letting Antifa walk free. The old rules are gone.

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Biden's DOJ looked the other way for four years. Trump's DOJ won't. So ask yourself, is protecting Antifa worth losing your federal funding? Is it worth a civil rights investigation? Is it worth watching your police chief get led away in handcuffs? Because that's where this is heading. Portland's been a mess for years and everyone knows it. But what happened this past week crossed the line. When police start arresting journalists for getting attacked,

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We don't have law enforcement anymore. We have political enforcement. When police blame victims for instigating their own assaults by showing up with cameras, we don't have justice. We have thuggery with badges. When police let mass terrorists control entire city blocks while arresting patriots in MAGA hats, we don't have a city. We have an occupied zone. Portland Police Chief Bob Day wants us to believe everything's fine. Crime is down, he says.

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The situation is calm, he says. Tell that to Katie Davis-Corp's black eye. Tell that to Nick Sortor's broken camera. Tell that to Tommy Allen's criminal charges. The truth is, Portland has become a war zone. Not because of Trump's rhetoric, but because Democrat leaders have allowed it to become one. They have given Antifa free reign to attack anyone they want. They've ordered their police to arrest victims instead of criminals. This isn't sustainable.

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And patriots, it's not going to continue much longer. Pam Bonni and Hermete Dillon are coming. The National Guard is coming. Federal accountability is coming. And Portland's corrupt officials are about to learn what happens when you side with domestic terrorists against the American people. Katie Davis Court said something that really stuck with me. She told Jack Pozobek that the woman who attacked her was trying to blind her. That flagpole to the eye socket could have caused brain damage.

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could have killed her. Think about that. These aren't protesters, they're not activists. They are violent criminals attempting to cause serious bodily harm to journalists who only crime is documenting their behavior. And Portland police are protecting them. That needs to end now. Patriots, I know this episode is heavy. I know it's frustrating to hear about Americans getting attacked and arrested for standing up for what's right. But here's the thing.

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We are winning. Nick's charges were dropped. The DOJ is investigating. The National Guard is coming. Federal funding is getting cut. And every day, more Americans are waking up to what the left has created in Portland. The fight isn't over. In fact, it's just beginning. But we have the momentum. We have the truth. We have the Trump administration backing us up. And most importantly, we have patriots like Nick.

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Katie and Tommy who refuse to be intimidated. So don't get discouraged, get motivated. Share this episode, spread the word, support these brave Americans and let Portland's corrupt officials know that the entire country is watching. The left wants you to think that Portland is normal. They want you to accept this level of lawlessness as the new standard. Don't let them gaslight you. What's happening in Portland is insane. It's criminal and it's about to end.

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Stay strong, patriots. Keep holding the line. And remember, we don't back down. We don't give up. And we sure as hell don't let mass thugs and corrupt cops intimidate us into silence. Make sure to check out yesterday's and tomorrow's episode of O'Connor's Quick Strike. And as always, thank you for listening. I will see you next Tuesday on this podcast with another deep dive. This is John O'Connor, signing off.