DAY ONE: Trial of Andy Ngo vs. Rose City Antifa, et al.
Opening statements and witness testimony from @MrAndyNgo was argued before the jury 🧵
Judge Champone P. Sinlapasai enacted heavy media restrictions, allowing only photographs to be taken during court proceedings.
The protections are in place due to alleged threats of violence and doxxing of jury members made by unspecified individuals, according to the judge.
Opening Statements: Plaintiff
Dorothy Yamamoto, Andy Ngo's attorney, argued to the jury that the alleged physical assaults, unprecedented threats of violence, and severe intimidation that Ngo has had to endure by alleged members of Antifa, including Hacker and Richter, resulted… https://t.co/99uZf5dvw6twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
Yamamoto explained that while this trial involves violent attacks against Ngo, in which Hacker and Richter were allegedly involved in, that occurred on May 7, 2019 and May 28, 2021, further acts of violence on different dates that have been carried out by affiliated members of… https://t.co/LSeq5CepR4twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
Yamamoto told the jury that during this time, Ngo was "not popular" and was merely a "ground investigative journalist" that found a niche in covering political protests due to the lack of reporting by mainstream media during times of hyper-political polarization in the US. The… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
Before the confrontation at the gym, Hacker had allegedly helped organize an event on May 1, 2019, outside of Cider Riot in Portland, in which Ngo was assaulted multiple times by alleged members of Antifa. Ngo had reported on that event, and Hacker allegedly brought up Ngo's… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
On June 29, 2019, Ngo went back out into the field to cover an event organized by Rose City Antifa in Portland, Oregon. Dueling counter protests by right-wing groups were also organized at the same time.
Ngo was brutally beaten by members of Antifa while reporting on this event,… https://t.co/hQVVk2NDNTtwitter.com/i/web/status/1…
However, after months of avoiding ground reporting, Ngo decided to cover a direct action in Portland on May 28, 2021, an event that Yamamoto argued, "broke my client," which involved both Hacker and Richter.
On May 28, 2021, Hacker and Richter allegedly participated in events… https://t.co/76d756v5f3twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
Ngo was able to escape the beating and run into The Nines Hotel to seek refuge after another journalist stepped in to distract the group. This is when defendant Elizabeth Renee Richter allegedly followed Ngo into the hotel, live streamed his location, and spewed violent verbal… https://t.co/YLWO5kpmAetwitter.com/i/web/status/1…
Yamamoto argued that "Andy did everything he could do and had to flee Portland" due to his safety being in jeopardy.
"After The Nines, my client decided to relocate. It was too much after the May 28, 2021 attack. Andy made up his mind to leave his parents behind and had to… https://t.co/lXz22v3cbDtwitter.com/i/web/status/1…
Opening Statement: Defense Richter
Brinson Cooper, Richter’s attorney, began his opening statement arguing before the jury that Andy Ngo is a "famous, controversial, and polarizing" journalist and that his client was allegedly not involved in any of the physically violent… https://t.co/XL1mwlZtpUtwitter.com/i/web/status/1…
Brinson made it clear to the jury that "Richter does not like Ngo" and admitted that she had made violent threats towards Andy, which the jury will see on video when evidence is presented.
After referring to Ngo as a "provocateur," the attorney argued that the only crime Richter… https://t.co/PJsCIm9rigtwitter.com/i/web/status/1…
Opening Statement: Defense Hacker
Michelle Burrows, attorney for John Colin Hacker, began her opening statement arguing before the jury that while admitting her client had committed a crime at the gym on May 7, 2019, Hacker was not involved in the physical assaults that took… https://t.co/jyQZaJzQeEtwitter.com/i/web/status/1…
The attorney described both Hacker and Richter as two "progressive activists that are trying to make the world a better place."
While explaining to the jury about why Hacker was at the May 28, 2021 event, she said that Hacker "likes to record cops to keep the accountable for… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
WITNESS: ANDY NGO TAKES THE STAND
@MrAndyNgo testified under oath, answering a series of questions from his legal team about the violence he has endured from Antifa as a journalist, and the impact it has had on his life.
Ngo testified that between 2019 and 2021, "I have been the victim of several attacks, and between that time and after, I have been the victim of ongoing campaigns of hate and death threats because of my reporting on violent extremists in the United States."
Yamamoto asked Ngo… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
Ngo testified that he graduated from UCLA with a BAS in Design Media Arts, and got into journalism after deciding to attend graduate school at Portland State University in 2017, where he contributed to the school's newspaper.
Ngo testified that he struggled finding employment… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
Ngo said that he liked to write about things that "went against the grain" because "those are the stories worth sharing and most interesting to read." He explained that he found his work "fulfilling" and that it had also given him "confidence."
An example of his work as an… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
After Ngo had left PSU, he was introduced to national publications and continued his career in journalism as a freelance writer.
He explained that his work was featured in publications like the Wall Street Journal.
As time progressed, Ngo grew fond of covering politically… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
Ngo testified that he started covering protests in 2017 after the US presidential election, the first being a riot in Portland.
Ngo explained that he started on-the-ground reporting because the reporting is "much stronger when people see photos and videos."
Ngo said that… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
Ngo explained that he first became aware that Antifa was a real entity was through social media posts made by Rose City Antifa, and alleged Antifa affiliated members showing up to protests with Antifa insignias such as iron crossed and Anarchist flags.
By Fall 2018, Ngo… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
Ngo testified that his reporting tactics began to shift after the May 1, 2019 incident in which he was attacked by alleged members of Antifa while reporting on the Cider Riot event.
During this event, Ngo testified that he was doused with bear mace, and was punched in the head… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
Regarding the May 7, 2019 incident involving John Colin Hacker at the gym, Ngo testified that's when "I started to become scared being in Portland."
"That was the first time that somebody had confronted me outside a reporting context about their dislike and hatred because of my… https://t.co/yyW1Ts3PHWtwitter.com/i/web/status/1…
Ngo confirmed the accusations against Hacker and explained that during the altercation Hacker, who he thought was another independent journalist at the time, was "very angry" about his reporting and had repeatedly called him a "fascist." This was when Ngo realized Hacker has a… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
In regards to the brutal attack on June 29, 2019, Ngo testified that there was hatred of him online by far-left extremist accounts. He said that he had contemplated wearing a helmet that day but refrained because he didn’t want people to think he was heading into a battle.
On… https://t.co/w8WU1RJTH9twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
Reporting by: @KatieDaviscourt
@KatieDaviscourt UPDATE CORRECTION: Ngo testified the Bolen allegedly punched him in the stomach, which is also stated in the complaint.
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