DOJ Reviewing Ejection of 'Save Women's Sports' Fans From a Portland Thorns Match After Video Showed Them Hit With Flagpoles
A department official says the case appears to raise viewpoint discrimination and First Amendment questions. No charges have been announced.
The Justice Department is reviewing why women's sports supporters were removed from a Portland Thorns match, after video showed them struck with flagpoles and forced out by stadium security, Breitbart News reports, citing OutKick.
What happened. OutKick reported Friday that about 20 spectators at Providence Park hid their XX-XY Athletics shirts through the first half of the Thorns' game against the North Carolina Courage. At the start of the second half they revealed the shirts and unfurled a large "Save Women's Sports" banner. Footage OutKick reviewed showed members of the group hit with flagpoles carrying transgender flags, cursed at, and removed by security. Organizer Amy Sousa said: "We were attacked by fans. We were hit with flags." Activist Brandi Kruse said security pinned her arm behind her back. OutKick reporter Matt Calkins said his phone was knocked from his hand and beer was poured on his neck.
The DOJ response. A spokesperson told Fox News Digital the department "will review the matter thoroughly. Where the facts and the law warrant action, the Department will not hesitate to act." A separate DOJ official said the conduct appears to raise viewpoint discrimination and First Amendment questions, not sex discrimination.
The police account. Portland Police said off-duty officers working the game were not involved in the removals and were called only when some people blocked an exit. Two potential crimes were reported, one of harassment and one of vandalism. No injuries were reported, and no arrests or citations were made.
Why public ownership matters. The city owns Providence Park, and Peregrine Sports operates it. RAJ Sports owns the Thorns. OutKick reported that the public ownership could let the DOJ look at whether officials helped enforce the removals under 18 U.S.C. § 242, which covers deprivation of federal rights under color of law. The department has not named that statute.
The earlier incident. In September the club removed eight fans in XX-XY apparel from a match against the Washington Spirit for what it called distributing unapproved materials. Sousa disputed that.
Note for readers: the account of the flagpole strikes rests on OutKick's footage and the activists' statements. We have not seen the video, and Breitbart's piece includes no comment from the Thorns, Peregrine Sports or the fans involved in the confrontation.