Chris David of Portland, Oregon says he is "not made of steel" but you wouldn't be able to tell that from watching the video shot by Portland Tribune reporter Zane Spalding last night (embedded below). In the video you can see David standing in frot of the Mark O. Hatfield United States Courthouse when he was attacked by federal officers with batons. The batons did not phase him at all and they had to spray him in the face with mace just to make him turn around. David said that he had gone their to ask those same federal officers questions about their oaths.
David himself took the same oath to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States from all enemies foreign and domestic. It is the same oath sworn by all members of the armed forces and federal law enforcement. David took the oath many years ago when he was commissioned to serve as an officer in the U.S. Navy. The photo above includes an old picture of the now 53 year old David taken when he was a Naval Lieutenant.
For those of you that don't already know, police batons hurt. They are well known for shattering bones and typically just one strike is all it takes to bring the toughest of men to their knees. Was Chad David on something? Just blood thinners according to him, but he also says he has a lot of long term physical damage from his time in the military, so he could be on all sorts of pain killers for all we known. Still, even if he were high as a kite on OxyContin that still would not explain his tolerance for pain. A lot of protesters show up high on opioids only to flee in tears the second they are hit with a pepper ball. Chris David's pain tolerance must come from something else. We think he may have been hit with batons or worse in the past and went in there expecting the pain, only to be shocked by the mace. Whatever his reasons, Chris David is one tough dude that unlike his attackers, actually showed up to honor his oath.
UPDATE: Chris David testified before Congress today regarding his experience. You can watch his entire testimony at https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=313812939668708 in which he described his experiences at the Naval Academy, how seriously he took his oath, and that "To some people the oath is just a set of words and not a calling." He talked about how disgusted he was to see his fellow Americans abused by their government so severely, stated that he was there because "Black Lives Matter," and concluded by saying "I exist, I'm not fake news."
UPDATE: The video below has been changed to a new story about how this incident has impacted Mr. David's life. He finally was able to go back to work recently after having surgery to repair his arm.