The camera video, tangible evidence, and online searches that prosecutors said will demonstrate that a former reporter carried out a wave of hate crimes against houses of worship and a minority-owned company in Portland in 2022 were presented in court on Tuesday.
Later this week, a Multnomah County jury is anticipated to start considering Mike Bivins’ eleven counts. First-degree criminal mischief, first-degree arson, and second-degree bias crime—the legal word for a hate crime—are among the allegations.
Prosecutor Charlie Weiss stated during the trial’s opening comments that the fundamental issue of this case is targeted acts of violence and intimidation against other members of our community due to their race and religion.
According to hazy security film shown in court, the rampage started on April 30, 2022, when a hooded guy brandishing a hammer broke a window at Congregation Shir Tikvah, an eastside synagogue, and Everybody Eats, a Black-owned eatery.
Over the course of the following few days, someone smeared the words “Die Juden” in yellow paint on the temple and broke a window in the library of Congregation Beth Israel.
Then, on May 3, while people inside the Muslim Community Center celebrated Eid, the religious holiday that marks the conclusion of Ramadan, a masked assailant doused the backwall with accelerant and set it on fire.
According to Weiss, the structure was made of fiber cement that is resistant to wildfire, therefore the fire was extinguished without anybody inside realizing it until the next day.
Then, on May 4, a man wearing a mask showed up at a television news station, seemingly angry that the majority of the occurrences had not been made public. He admitted to the damaging rampage and claimed he would return in a few days, according to the prosecution.
According to the state, Bivins was taken into custody on May 6 at KPTV’s Beaverton headquarters at the scheduled time of his return. He faces federal charges as well.
The recognizable black sweatshirt and maroon leggings from the surveillance footage were discovered during a search of his mother’s Southeast Portland apartment, along with a backpack immersed in a bucket of cleaning solution, according to the prosecution.
After obtaining a warrant for Bivin’s search history, detectives discovered that he had visited a well-known Neo-Nazi web group and looked for news reports about the damage.
In her brief statements to the jury, which consisted of four men and ten women, including alternates, defense lawyer Alicia Hercher emphasized that the state must demonstrate not only that each conduct took place but also the perpetrator’s attitude.
She asserted that neither Mr. Weiss’s nor my statements were proof. I want you to conduct your work properly because you will discover that my client is innocent of the charges against him.
Bivins, who is currently 37, gained notoriety in the middle of the 2010s by covering the tumultuous protests in Portland. He wrote over 20 pieces for Willamette Week, several of which criticized right-wing movements.
In 2019, he departed from the publication.
According to court documents, Bivins has been detained since his arrest and has already dismissed two other public lawyers assigned to the case who attempted to transfer him to the state hospital.
In heated and tense hearings, he has twice been judged to be competent.
Bivins was mostly silent in court on Tuesday and is not anticipated to testify in his own defense.
The proceedings were temporarily interrupted, but I was merely scratching my head when a deputy reported that Bivins was making an impolite gesture toward the gallery, which caused the defendant to yell!
For The Oregonian/OregonLive, Zane Sparling reports on court proceedings and breaking news. You may contact him at zsparling@oregonian.com, 503-319-7083, or pdxzane.
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Former Portland journalist committed ‘targeted acts of violence,’ prosecutor claims as trial starts
Former Portland journalist committed ‘targeted acts of violence,’ prosecutor claims as trial starts
Former Portland journalist committed ‘targeted acts of violence,’ prosecutor claims as trial starts