Gathering of Proud Boys, counter-protesters on Saturday was peaceful, police say
A gathering of Proud Boys and counter-protesters outside City Hall in downtown Olympia Saturday afternoon was peaceful, the Olympia police chief said.
“We did have some folks show up,” Chief Aaron Jelcick said Sunday.
He estimated the total size of the gathering at around 40 people. The majority who showed up were members of a right-wing group known as Proud Boys as well as about 10 counter-protesters, Jelcick said.
The two sides gathered for about 90 minutes, he estimated.
“Basically nothing significant happened throughout the day public safety-wise,” Jelcick said.
He said police communicated to both sides that they were free to exercise their right to free speech, but to also keep the gathering peaceful.
“And that’s exactly what happened,” he said,
The Proud Boys announced their intention to gather Saturday afternoon following a clash on Sept. 4 that resulted in a member of their group being shot in the ankle.
Portland-area media identified the man as Tusitala “Tiny” Toese, a regular Proud Boys organizer from the Portland area. He was taken to Providence St. Peter Hospital in Olympia following the shooting.
“We share the community’s shock and anger at the violence that happened here on Sept. 4,” Olympia officials announced prior to Saturday’s gathering. “None of us want this type of behavior in our community. We are taking the lessons learned from (Sept. 4) to inform our practices and processes for this weekend in an effort to ensure an effective strategy to address any safety issues.”
This story was originally published September 19, 2021 at 4:12 PM.
