Camas Rally For The Blue Supporters Square Off With Black Lives Matter
More than 300 Camas Rally For The Blue supporters, and approximately 150 Black Lives Matters (BLM) squared off Friday night mostly at 3rd Avenue and Dallas Street to express their beliefs.
The BLM rally started off at Camas Public Library at 4 pm and within about 20 minutes the group migrated to the ARCO station where they stayed for the duration — until just past 10 pm. The pro-police rally was scheduled as a stand-alone event, but Tuesday night local students organized a counter BLM protest.
The Camas Rally For The Blue began a little before 5 pm at two locations — between Camas Safeway and Dairy Queen — but eventually migrated to occupy three of the four corners at 3rd and Dallas.
”We just want to stand up and say Black Lives Matter,” said Cindy Graham, a Camas resident who rallied with the BLM team. “Middle class white people care about black lives and I don’t want to say anything negative about the police because I know a lot of Camas cops are good friends of mine and they are great guys. But that doesn’t negate the fact that we need to stand up and do something to help African Americans. In my opinion the BLM movement doesn’t stand for socialism like some of these people are saying, it just stands for black people have been oppressed and we often don’t understand how oppressed they are so we need to make more of an effort. All lives matter, but black lives matter needs to be said when this is happening in our country.”
She said this is a vote for Black Lives Matter.
“We need more white middle class people to stop screaming at their televisions and get out here and stand peacefully on the corner and say that,” Graham added. “Actually all classes of white people need to do this.”
The interview was interrupted by a BLM supporter in blue hair who told this reporter to “get out of my face.”
”I just wanted a rally to support our police,” said Blue Rally organizer, Helen Sudbeck. “It’s a fabulous town and we have a great police department. They need to know how much we care about them and appreciate them. It’s been a rough couple months for police across the country and I think there are a lot of people in Camas who really care about our police. That’s it. We are just here to support the police. I realize there’s a counter demonstration and that’s fine. It’s a group of kids and that’s their First Amendment right, and that’s fine. They chose to have the rally at the exact same location, and that is their right, as well.”
Was it a bad idea to have this Blue rally today given the historic anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr’s “I Have a Dream Speech”?
“I just picked a Friday night after work hours to show the police we care. I didn’t have any grand plan. We know police morale is low these days. Most cops are good people who have families,” she said. “We know reforms need to take place, and I encourage people to learn more about Project 21.”
It was a lively night, tensions were high, and it wasn’t entirely peaceful.
Blue Rally supporters filled trucks and cars chanting “Blue Lives Matter” while circling city streets for hours. BLM supporters chanted “All cops are bastards,” “I see racists,” and “Black Lives Matter.”
Here are some of the things this reporter witnessed:
- One man was carrying an assault rifle, which was intimidating to many. Police stayed close to him throughout the evening.
- One Blue Rally supporter went over to speak with BLM supporters to simply express admiration they were being vocal in their beliefs. He knew the teens there and while addressing them, a professional BLM organizer got in his face with a camera demanding he wear a face mask. Another BLM supporter challenged him, as well. The video will be posted on Saturday.
- A Trump supporter threw coffee at an elderly lady while driving by. It stained her jeans.
- Joey Gibson, of Patriot Prayer, had a very nice conversation with a BLM supporter about religion and removing hate from our lives. There was a lot of good dialogue between the two individuals. But, his presence also intimidated protestors.
- Several BLM supporters didn’t want this reporter to conduct interviews and chanted “racist” to my face multiple times.
- Police broke up a couple altercations before they escalated.
- Confederate flags were brought in, which disturbed a lot of people.
- Some of the BLM teens felt intimidated by Blue Rally supporters.
- Camas Police asked everyone to break up the events shortly after 9 pm. The Blue Rally crowd quickly dispersed, while the BLM group lingered past 10 pm with about 30 people.
The evening ended with a very positive conversation between a BLM/Joe Biden supporter, who is a teacher in the Evergreen School District, and a Blue Rally/Donald Trump supporter, who had a 7-minute conversation about how to make things better. They found common ground. Initially, both sides agreed to be recorded, but after it ended, the teacher withdrew her permission for us to post it.
“I just want our cops to know we do appreciate them, but we also need to help our black people right now,” she said. “They need a voice to know that we don’t want them to be oppressed.”
The Trump supporter agreed, and then the night ended.

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I’m deeply disturbed this reporter never mentioned the Blue Lives protester who ran across a street hit a girl (who appeared to be a youth) in the face and ripped her sign whilst shoving several other Black Lives supporters
We didn’t see or hear about that. That’s terrible!
What a joke….lies….he didnt hit her he put a sticker in her sign! Love how BLM wants the police defunded and or removed yet they were the first to call the police
Here is what I personally witnessed which the author seems to have missed even though they dominated the evening:
1. the supposed ‘support blue’ crowd turned into a trump parade with trump flags and loud trucks cruising continuously through the intersection being purposefully loud to drown out the protesters
2. At least three big dudes showed up with assault rifles. One of them went to the blm side and stood with his hands on his gun behind some kids. One of them frequently made masturbation motions toward the blm protesters. I didn’t see a single on duty police officer anywhere (except driving by in vehicles a couple times) I saw one off duty portland police officer but he was working to intimidate the kids, see #3
3. Several people including some big dudes decided to walk back and forth for at least two hours directly in front of the blm protesters (mostly high school aged crowd) and interfere with their right to protest by waving flags in their faces and shouting in their faces, some not wearing masks. I saw a big off duty portland police officer chest bump a small female to intimidate her. I did not see the blm group interfering with the the other side right to protest. When three blm teenagers walked by the (mostly adult) blue side, they got flags in their faces.
4. Lots of people had different colored hair so I’m not sure why that matters except to show the author’s bias. The author’s reporting of what that person said seems to have changes from the instagram post to the story.
5. The blm group ALSO (and more frequently than what was reported) chanted: ‘say his name George Floyd, say her name Breonna Taylor, say his name Jacob Blake’, ‘What do we want? Justice. When do we want it? Now.’, and ‘No justice, no peace. No racist police’.
Organizing a support blue rally on the anniversary of MLK speech, then it becoming a white nationalist trump event is tone deaf. Supporting officers AND supporting the lives and safety of POC in our community should not be mutually exclusive. If our officers are so great, and I have no doubt they are, then they ALSO would support the lives and safety of POC in our community.
The police at no point requested the BLM crowds disperse at 9, and in fact stayed well after 9 whilst talking with some of the BLM folk and keeping eye on some left over blue lives folk. This article also doesn’t mention nearly any of the provocations by blue lives, including the man running across a street to hit a young girl and attempt to steal her sign away. It’s pretty irritating to see it be covered this way. As for the chanting supposedly at the reporter, I witnessed it, and the chanting was actually directed at a car sitting at the stoplight very close to the reporter. If he thought that was directed towards him rather than the car flipping BLM protesters off, then that’s his own fault.
According to Chief Lackey that’s what happened.
Report this bias. It is dangerous to misinform the public.
https://blacklivesmatter.com/help-us-fight-disinformation/
No everyone has a “important speeches made by civil rights leaders” calendar with all the dates marked off. To imply that it was organized on that day on purpose- a pro-police rally – is just willfully ignorant.
Second – anti-protesting is stupid, by both sides. Many if not all of these issues would be avoided if people just minded their own business and let people organize and congregate peacefully instead of “counter-protesting.”
While its unfortunate that bigoted jerks showed up to this rally, its also unfortunate that violent Antifa thugs show up to every left-leaning rally as well. But make sure you conveniently leave that part of the narrative out – it can only be one side that has undesirables…. except Antifa isn’t undesirable for the left. They welcome them as their “muscle” and turn a blind eye when they murder people, attack the elderly, destroy property, etc.
Your last statement is inflammatory and simply false – the police DO support the lives of POC in our community. If you’re going to use examples of people being rude to each other and the police not coming to take your side over the other as an example of lack of support, then I’m afraid your worldview is horrible skewed and possibly beyond repair.
Two sides to every story! First off this event has been planned! Blm bamdwagons off EVERY Back The Blue event! Trump supports the police which is why people had Trump Flags. SUPPORT THE POLKVE SUPPORT THE COUNTRY SUPPORT THE PRESIDENT! Its the rights of the citizens to carry firearms….. so get over yourself! And after my friend Jay was shot and killed by one of ghe POS BLM members at Camas….. now I 100% support them carrying guns. If police are not allowed to do their job….the citizens must be abke to protect themselves! The BLM side did interfer with our rally I have it on video! Ghe loud trucks you speak of I also have BLM members in a giant diesel dojng that to the Blue side…. so stating the facts instead of lies would be appreciated! I have video of them saying F**k Donakd Trump All Cops Are Bastards and flipling us off…. so dint paint the innocent teen BS! I asked about Cannon the litgle 5 year old and the other 15 chikdren who were killed and black on black crime….. no one wanted to talm about those lives! ALL LIVES MATTER!
Thoughtful and measured response, Peg.
Thank you.
This author is clearly biased and decided to write a garbage article. Nice piece of fiction here. Stick to sharing birthdays and anniversaries. I wish there was some way to stop this stupid free magazine from being mailed to my house. Pathetic.
We don’t publish a print magazine. Call Camas Life and cancel your subscription.
Here is what I witnessed being there from only 5:20-7pm.
1. Walking to get to the intersection from where I parked to properly cross the street I had multiple (probably 6-10) BLM signs shoved in my face causing them to hit me.
2. A few BLM supporters chose to dig in on one of the 3 Blue Rally corners (which is their right but fans the fire).
3. Every car that passed in support of BLM (which many I saw multiple times) either stuck a fist out in support or flipped off the Blue Rally people…and sometimes did both. They were just as loud roaring engines and screeching tires as those in support of the Blue Rally…there just happened to be more support of the Blue Rally cars/trucks.
4. There was an altercation between Blue Rally supporter (male) and a BLM supporter (female) in the DQ parking lot (mostly occupied by Blue) that ended in drinks thrown on the man, phone shoved in his face, so said phone was grabbed by the male and thrown into the intersection.
5. I personally was concealed carrying. I did see one other older man with a visible hand gun. I did not see any larger guns, but that doesn’t mean they weren’t there. Those who are of age and have gone through the proper channels to carry guns have EVERY right to have them. Our rights don’t end where others fear begins. I am 💯 against anyone brandishing to intimidate, hence why I choose to conceal, but know that larger guns can’t be concealed, so the mere presence is not brandishing.
6. There was a very small older gal who walked from the BLM group over to DQ side who told me she was knocked down by the group. I asked her if she needed help (medical) and she shakily said she thought she was ok.
7. The shouts I heard from BLM in order of heard most to least:
“Black Lives Matter”
“What do we want, justice; when do we want it, now”
“A-C-A-B, all Cops are Bastards”
“No Justice, No peace, No racist police”
“Say his name, George Floyd; say her name, Breonna Taylor; say his name, Jacob Blake”
“I see Racists”
8. I saw teenagers smoking. They were kind enough to share bottled waters, but let their trash and bottles roll into streets and sidewalks.
9. I saw a BLM supporter holding a sign with a blue ‘smurf’ and heard several times “Blue Lives don’t exist” (as if ANYONE thinks that saying ‘Blue Life’ is talking about a race!).
10. Walking back to my vehicle and attempting to nicely ask all who were blocking traffic to move to the sidewalk, a young female BLM supporter SCREAMED in my face “SAY HIS NAME”, to which I replied “Connor……George, Jacob….they ALL matter”.
It is everyone’s right to have an opinion, and we all need to learn to agree to disagree. I think the majority of the BLM supporters don’t understand that those there in support of Police DO think that a black life matters, but that we do not support the Organization ‘Black Lives Matter’. There is room to support police AND want justice for murder. We may not agree on specific names or details of situations, but we do agree that anyone, not just police, who unjustly takes a life should be held accountable. There is a system for that though. It includes investigating and getting all facts and moving parts in those moments. It includes a right to trial by a jury of peers. It involves judges and lawyers. It involves bringing information and truth to light so a correct and due punishment can be made. How many innocent people sit in jail? Let’s try and avoid that. Let the judicial system work. We can’t jump past all the above mentioned and become ‘judge, jury and executioner’ by simply watching one video.
For those who chose to form and support a counter protest know that it is your right, but the confrontation and conflict that arose is mostly on your shoulders for being there. This is why so many don’t support the “BLM” organization and groups bc they incite anger and discord, EVEN at events that have nothing to do with race such as this one.
2. There was one guy with a rifle. Not three. And he was told to get lost by people on both sides.
3 & 4. It’s not interfering with anyone’s right to protest to wave a flag in front of them. You didn’t see any “off duty cops” intimidate teenage girls. You’re delusional. There was literally just the one dude with blue-ish hair. He was an instigator.
5. Yeah, BLM chanted their usual stuff despite the fact that supporting the police in Camas has nothing to do with any of those events. Teenagers need to get off Twitter.
It wasn’t White nationalist. The blue lives side was more diverse than the BLM group. You need a break from social media because you’ve gone insane.
https://blacklivesmatter.com/help-us-fight-disinformation/
This is where you can report disinformation campaigns
This article should be titled: “Organized Patriot groups with paramilitary insignia, concealed guns and openly carrying, confront local high schoolers .”