There were far more losers than winners at the BG City Council’s June 1 meeting in which Mayor Overholser issued proclamations in support of ICE and condemning Antifa. It’s beneficial to review them, lest they be lost in all the noise and national attention. Do not misunderstand, by FAR the biggest takeaway is a massive W for the people of Battle Ground and the Mayor in their efforts to restore law and order, civic pride, and decency; but the number of people who took huge L’S-all through unforced errors-is significant.
The clearest losers are Antifa. A Hollywood director could not have scripted a more embarrassing sequence of events for them. Right as a sympathetic speaker comes to the mic to say Antifa is not an organization, in walk two masked, flag-waiving Antifa members in matching regalia (another dozen or so were outside). If Antifa operated on logic instead of toddler-like entitlement with zero impulse control, they would stay home to help their sympathizers sell the lie that they do not exist. Alas, violent anarchists are notoriously hard to coordinate with. Then another speaker with prepared remarks rhetorically asked, “Where is the documented Antifa activity in Battle Ground?” Too bad her regalia-clad comrade, a mere 2 minutes prior, was just publicly arrested for screaming profanities and refusing to leave the meeting. For good measure, another Antifa member was pulling a knife that very hour on people outside City Hall and was subsequently arrested. Is that enough “activity” for you?
Antifa sympathizers, namely the Clark County Democratic Party, also have egg on their faces. In addition to the severe cases of foot-in-mouth disease displayed at the mic, the party had sent out a massive call to action (buoyed by Tim Probst’s letter to the editor and joined by Portland Antifa-related social media accounts) to swarm the meeting. Upon arrival, they were greeted by a crowd supportive of the proclamations that outnumbered them 2- or even 3-1.
The biggest loser of the night, however, was Councilor Troy McCoy. He set in motion the sequence of events that brought us these proclamations. It was Troy who (out of frustration that his Pride proclamation was dismissed in 2024) proposed changing the rules regarding proclamations, giving the office of Mayor SOLE authority over them (he was Mayor at the time, go figure). Had the old rules been in place on June 1st, his minority could have successfully tabled the proclamations! Seemingly dissatisfied with the disaster he singularly visited upon his ideological comrades, he decided to compound his error by proposing a council vote to table the proclamations, THE VERY THING HE DILIGENTLY WORKED TO MAKE SURE COULD NOT HAPPEN. I’m sure the voters of Clark County’s 5th District will be impressed with Troy’s institutional knowledge, strategic artistry, and support for Antifa as he makes his pitch for County Council this year. With a clear-eyed majority on the city council and opponents possessing the strategic foresight of a mayfly, I anticipate many more W’s for the good people of Battle Ground.
Tyler Long
Battle Ground
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