Former Reporter Charged In 4 Bias Attacks Linked To 5th Attack

PORTLAND, OR — Michael Bivins, the 34-year-old former reporter who faces 10 charges in connection with the four bias attacks on houses of worship, was arraigned for a second time Tuesday after police linked him to another attack.

Bivins is charged with 11 crimes in connection with five attacks committed over a five day period. He has pleaded not guilty and is being held at the Multnomah County Detention Center after instructing his law not to ask for his release.

The new charge concerns a May 1 attack on a Black-owned restaurant, Everybody Eats PDX. Prosecutors said that Bivins smashed the front window to the restaurant, causing $1,800 in damage.

Bivins, who had covered extremism in Portland, is also charged in connection with:

• The April 30 attack in which a window was broken at Congregation Shir Tikvah at 2420 N.E. Sandy Blvd.
• The May 2 spraying of graffiti on an outside wall of Congregation Beth Israel at 1972 N.W. Flanders St.
• The May 3 fire set while people were inside the Muslim Community Center at 5325 N. Vancouver Ave.
• A second attack – on May 4 – at Congregation Beth Israel, one in which a rock was thrown through a window in the building's library.

In court papers, prosecutors said that after the attack on May 4, Bivins went to KPTV and told a reporter that he was responsible for the recent string of attacks and would continue on that path. The reporter, who has not been identified, told police that Bivins had made "antisemitic remarks" and "indicated" that he had been behind the attacks.

The reporter added that Bivins said he would also break the "window of any Black-owned or minority-owned business."

Bivins told the reporter that he would return to the station on Friday.

When he did, he was arrested.

Bivins, who had his name on about 20 Willamette Week stories from 2019 back ro 2016, developed a reputation for covering protests throughout Portland, often recording video and sharing it with local news outlets.

In recent months, his Twitter feed, has taken an angry turn with many Tweets referring to "the Biden Crime Family," as well as personal attacks on people such as Vice President Kamala Harris and Chelsea Clinton. He also tweeted that "Portland is turning into Mexico."

On April 15, he tweeted that Oregon should repeal bias or hate crime laws.
Two days later, he tweeted that Twitter had temporarily locked his account for violating their terms of service with a tweet about a death row inmate.