Editor,

Patriot Prayer shouldn’t be welcomed on Whidbey Island.

You may be fortunate enough to have never heard of the organization Patriot Prayer; they’re often seen instigating street brawls with random anti-racist activists, with the help of other hate groups such as the Proud Boys, on the streets of Portland, Ore.

Joey Gibson, Patriot Prayer leader, wasn’t always the head of a violent far-right “patriot” mob, but after Donald. J Trump’s election things started to change. He organized his first “freedom rally” in April 2017, officially starting his campaign to “take back the Pacific Northwest”.

Since Patriot Prayer’s beginning, hate watch organizations have identified multiple members of white supremacist and neo-Nazi organizations in their ranks, such as Identity Evropa, the Traditionalist workers party and even the KKK.

I think I can speak for the majority of Whidbey Island when I say, these guys should not be welcome here.

Jc James

Coupeville