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Patriot Prayer protests at closed Clark College campus, to return Wednesday

Patriot Prayer protested against Washington Initiative 1639, a gun safety bill, at Clark College on Monday. The right-wing group also said it will return to the campus on Wednesday.

VANCOUVER, Wash. — Right-wing group Patriot Prayer went forward with its planned protest against a Washington gun safety bill Monday at Clark College in Vancouver, even after the college canceled all classes in anticipation of the protest.

The group said it plans to return to the campus Wednesday when classes are in session.

Last week, Clark College President Bob Knight announced the decision to suspend classes Monday in a post on the college’s Facebook page. In addition to classes being canceled, all employees were told to stay home unless otherwise requested by their supervisors.

“I have heard these fears expressed by our staff, our faculty, our neighbors — and most importantly, by our students. I want you to know that I have heard those fears and take them seriously,” Knight wrote.

Last week, Patriot Prayer announced its plans to protest Washington Initiative 1639 at the college Monday, according to a post on the group’s Facebook page. In a follow-up post, the group said it will go back to the Clark College campus on Wednesday.

A similar event is also planned for Tuesday at Washington State University's Vancouver campus.

Read more: What is Washington I-1639 on gun safety?

The initiative would raise the purchase age of semi-automatic rifles to 21, incentivize secure storage, and require enhanced background checks and a waiting period similar to what's required for handguns.

Clark College students told KGW they agreed with Knight's decision to cancel classes on Monday.

“If he’s looking for a standpoint of like, he doesn't want there to be violence between two groups, I guess that’s fine,” one student said.

“If it’s going to be a violent thing, it’s good that school is canceled,” said another Clark College student.

Knight says Clark College values free speech and an open debate, but given the history of violence associated with Patriot Prayer, including a recent street brawl with counter-protesters in downtown Portland, college administrators decided suspending operations for the day was the safest option.

“We realize this action is not a permanent solution to protecting our community from an increasingly violent political climate. We are in the process of reviewing and revising our incident response protocol to better respond to the kinds of risks we are seeing present at educational institutions across the country,” said Knight.

The Washington State University Vancouver campus has decided not to close on Tuesday when Patriot Prayer plans to hold another rally from 12 p.m.-2 p.m.

“The biggest issue is campus safety. So we are an open space and people have the right to exercise their first amendment right here. But we do not condone violence and we will not tolerate it,” Brenda Alling, the Director of Marketing and Communication at WSU Vancouver said.

She said students, faculty, and staff have the option to stay home on Tuesday if being on campus makes them uncomfortable. If things do get violent, Alling said the school is prepared.

“We have been in contact with the Clark County Sheriff’s Office and also with the Washington State Patrol and they’ve been briefed by our campus police,” Alling said.

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