Aaron “Jay” Danielson Mourned Saturday at Memorial Service, Candlelight Vigil

Vancouver, WA — Hundreds gathered peacefully Saturday at Esther Short Park to honor the life of Aaron “Jay” Danielson, the man who was murdered last Saturday in downtown Portland following a Donald Trump re-election rally and caravan.

Organizers of Saturday’s two events — a 4 pm memorial service, and an 8 pm candlelight vigil — said attendance far exceeded the planned 600 for the event. The candlelight vigil had approximately 250 supporters. T-shirts and stickers calling for justice for Danielson were handed out while people grilled hot dogs and hamburgers and friends waved flags.

Danielson, 39, who died just six days shy of his 40th birthday, was a supporting member of the controversial Patriot Prayer group. The group’s leader, Joey Gibson, addressed mourners at both events.

Gibson encouraged people to remove hate. He spoke of Danielson’s love for life, and vowed to keep his memory alive.

“They got everything going up against us, but it doesn’t matter, guys. It doesn’t matter if you fight for what you believe in. If you fight for what you believe in, God will have your back,” Gibson said.

Mourners at the candlelight vigil had the opportunity to speak of their memories of Danielson, and were joined by a local Christian singing group.

“If anybody wants to say anything, we are going to keep this an open forum,” said Gibson. He then opened the vigil with a prayer asking God for peace. 

“We are so tired of all the lies, hatred and division, we are asking you to humble us as a nation, humble us an individuals, we apologize for the way we’ve acted as a nation. We apologize for the way we have treated one another. Give us the strength to forgive, and give us the strength to stand up as a voice in this nation … and guide us in the right direction.”

Several people spent the next 45 minutes sharing their experiences with Danielson.

“Jay could light up the day like today at noon with the sun straight above us, bright as hell, he could light that room up, just with his smile,” said one friend.

“I honor him because there was never a dull moment just being around him,” said another friend. “He was very intelligent. A smart man. A patriot. A God-fearing man. What I remember the most is he didn’t have to try to fit in. He would go wherever he wanted to go. I told him he was accepted and the he was my friend. A lot of people turn from others because they are not the same as us. I just want to say that he will be missed …”

The man believed to have killed Danielson was himself killed by law enforcement Thursday when he pulled a gun during an arrest attempt, according the U.S. Marshals Service. 

The alleged shooter, Michael Forest Reinoehl, 48, was present in Camas at the BLM rally held on Friday, August 28 described himself in a social media post as “100% ANTIFA.” 

What is Patriot Prayer?

Patriot Prayer is not an official organization, but the group does attract controversy. Gibson was accused of starting a Portland riot last year and is a frequent target of ANTIFA and other groups.

A close friend of Gibson’s, who was attacked by an ANTIFA group following last week’s Trump rally, explained what the group is about. 

“Patriot Prayer is a fight to bring God back into this country,” he said. “This country is founded underneath God. He’s given us all our liberties and rights and freedoms. We have these rights because we were born as human beings because of God. Patriot Prayer is exactly that. We stand up for this country under God because all of us are created equally and we need to remember where that glory goes to. It all goes to God.”

The group says it attends these political events to help persuade to stop hating and to turn to Christianity.

Gibson’s Facebook and Instagram pages were removed by Facebook earlier this week.

“Antifa groups murdered my friend while he is walking home, and instead of the multibillion dollar company banning Portland antifa pages they ban Patriot Prayer and myself,” Gibson said in a statement.

Facebook confirmed the pages were removed due to its “Dangerous Individuals and Organizations” policy.

“They were removed as part of our ongoing efforts to remove Violent Social Militias from our platforms,” a Facebook spokesperson said in a statement, who pointed to the policy that was expanded last month.

Joey Gibson was charged with felony riot for his alleged involvement in a 2019 May Day brawl at a Portland bar called Cider Riot.

On August 27, 2019, Gibson pleaded not guilty to a felony riot charge. He was booked at the Multnomah County Detention Center on $5,000 bail, posted bail a few hours later and was released.

Gibson said he believes the felony riot charge is politically motivated and an attempt by the city of Portland to ban him from the Rose City.