Words as weapons appeared to be a valid argument in one leftist haven after race played into the acquittal of an admitted stabber.
Popular messaging about sticks and stones looked to be in need of an update in Portland, Oregon, where the soft-on-crime society sank to a new low. After Gary Edwards reportedly admitted to stabbing Gregory Howard Jr. in July, the black man was acquitted of wrongdoing at trial after the defense argued the white victim had used a racial slur at the time of the incident.
Rather than face a guilty conviction and a potential of five years and 10 months in prison for an alleged attack captured on video surveillance footage, a jury acquitted Edwards of second-degree assault because the victim was said to have used the N-word just prior to or after he was stabbed.
Oregon Live reported, “Transit cameras showed Edwards, a fixed-blade knife clasped at his side, approaching Howard from behind as he sat on a bench. The video has no sound, but Howard springs up and pushes Edwards as soon as he sees him. The duo scuffle against a wall for a brief moment, ending with Edwards stabbing Howard in the shoulder.”
A Portland, Oregon, jury has cleared a black man of assauIt charges for stabbing a white man — because the victim said the N-word AFTER the attack.
Edwards admitted to stabbing Howard Jr., but claimed it was in self-defense after the victim had used racial slurs, Oregon Live… pic.twitter.com/aTDiuiTCLw
— TaraBull (@TaraBull) December 8, 2025
“Defense attorney Daniel Small said the most relevant evidence was recorded later, when security officers heard the wounded man shouting the racist slur and captured it on their body cameras as he described the incident,” continued the report that suggested the slur hadn’t been used until after the stabbing.
Small had argued his client had been offering the victim his knife as a trade for cigarettes, as he expressed to the jury during the trial, “What other than racism could explain why Mr. Howard perceived hatred, animosity, and aggression from a complete stranger.”
Prosecutor Katherine Williams asserted the contrary and said, “The defendant is not scared for his life. He didn’t retreat, he sauntered up — and he sauntered away after he stabbed someone.”
“The defendant created the situation,” she’d further contended. Edwards had previously been sentenced to three years’ incarceration for a 2020 stabbing in addition to other charges on his record. Howard had previously been convicted of felony rape of a child in 1997.
Reactions to the acquittal honed in on the inanity of racial politics permeating the justice system and other areas of society. This included The Daily Wire’s Matt Walsh, who brought up the outcome of the trial as well as the murder of Austin Metcalf in Texas, allegedly at the hands of Karmelo Anthony, who raised money while positioning himself as the victim. At the same time, public attention had been steered toward a Wisconsin Cinnabon employee fired for being seen using the same racial slur directed at a Somali couple.
“A black guy in Texas was awarded over half a million dollars in donations for stabbing a white kid to death,” wrote Walsh. “A black guy in Portland was just acquitted by a jury after they learned that the white man said the n-word AFTER the assault. In America, black people are given hundreds of thousands of dollars and a literal get-out-of-jail-free card if they hear a word that hurts their feelings. To me, that’s a much bigger story than a minimum wage Cinnabon cashier using naughty language.”
A black guy in Texas was awarded over half a million dollars in donations for stabbing a white kid to death. A black guy in Portland was just acquitted by a jury after they learned that the white man said the n-word AFTER the assault. In America, black people are given hundreds…
— Matt Walsh (@MattWalshBlog) December 8, 2025
Agreed. Karmelo’s family didn’t just receive over half a million dollars. Karmelo was allowed to graduate, sits at home during the holidays, and is now attending a prestigious college—all while awaiting trial for first-degree murder in Texas.
— Sarah Fields (@SarahisCensored) December 8, 2025
Because the N word is the same level of violence as stabbing someone. FFS
— (@AngloGenXer) December 8, 2025
You can’t call people names while they’re stabbing you. You have to be nice and accept their traditional values. Maybe a warm hug and a thank you for stabbing me would be more appropriate.
— P A T (@IVPATXX) December 8, 2025
Native of Brooklyn, NY, Kevin Haggerty is a graduate of Hunter College where he studied Cultural Anthropology and Geography. An avid reader and truth seeker, he currently resides in Texas with his wife and their dog and, when he isn't researching current events and their impacts, you'll find him spending time with friends and family or working on his next novel.
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