Joey Gibson (political activist)


Joseph Owan Gibson is an American right-wing political activist, the founder of the far-right group Patriot Prayer which has organized protests in Portland, Oregon, and other cities.

Career

Gibson founded the far-right group Patriot Prayer in 2016.
On February 25, 2018, Gibson announced that he would be running as a Republican in the 2018 election for the United States Senate seat from Washington, seeking to unseat incumbent Democrat Maria Cantwell. Gibson was defeated in the primary election, receiving only 2.3% of the votes cast.
During a March 2018 campaign rally in Spokane Valley, Washington, Gibson expressed opposition to Antifa, a group that frequently protests at his events, and said regarding white nationalists, "I would say the same thing to them that I would say to any black nationalist or Mexican nationalists group, we have to drop the identity of politics and focus on what is on the inside." He has said freedom of speech is a central element to his platform. Gibson's views have been described as "a complicated muddle" by the Inlander and "basically Alex Jones meets Bernie Sanders" by The Stranger.
The Proud Boys, a far-right group, have also been present at several of Gibson's events.
In February 2019, Willamette Week reported that a Portland police lieutenant kept in close touch with Gibson, passing on to him intelligence about the anti-fascist movement in the city. He also advised Gibson on how a Patriot Prayer member could avoid being arrested. Portland's Independent Police Review investigated and cleared the officer because he was gathering information on the groups and trying to defuse potential clashes with his advice.
In August 2019, Gibson, along with five other men were criminally charged for allegation of involvement in a violent altercation on May 1 in a riot, which took place outside Cider Riot. A woman was beaten unconscious and had her vertebrae broken. He was indicted for felony riot by the Multnomah County District Attorney on August 15. The owner of the business has also sued Gibson and associates for $1 million for their actions. A Navy veteran referred to as "Ben", who had infiltrated Patriot Prayer and took videos of the violence at their rallies, was expected to testify at Gibson's trial.

Political positions

Gibson describes himself politically as a "moderate libertarian", but his organization has been described in the media as "alt-right". Gibson denies that his group is alt-right, and has disavowed white supremacists who frequently appear at his events. The Anti-Defamation League describes his views as appearing to be alt-lite.
Gibson supports a pathway to citizenship for non-criminal illegal immigrants. He supports decriminalization of marijuana, and same-sex marriage. Gibson advocates for establishment of term limits for the U.S. Congress, implementation of a national sales tax, and abolition of the Internal Revenue Service. He opposes what he describes as undue influence of the pharmaceutical industry on healthcare in the United States.

Personal life

Gibson resides in Vancouver, Washington. He was born in Clark County, Washington, and is of Irish and Japanese descent.