Arizona Republic by Helen Wieffering 7/21/2020
'Captain Portland': Man famous for being beaten in Oregon protest said his Arizona youth is 'core part of who I am'
Christopher David called his parents last weekend with bad news.
"Mom, Dad," he said, "I have become famous."
That's how Mesa residents Sonja and Richard David learned their 53-year-old son, a Navy veteran, was being heralded as "Captain Portland" around the country and across the web. A video of David standing strong against blows from federal agents at a Portland protest has been viewed over 13 million times on Twitter alone.
In the aftermath of the beating, which broke his hand in two places, David has been likened to a stoic defender of the movement against brutality in law enforcement.
He may live in Oregon, but he said his childhood in Arizona forms "a core part of who I am."
David credits his free-spirited years in Arizona, where his family lived for five years on the San Carlos Apache Tribe's reservation, for giving him the self-confidence and independence on display at the protest on Saturday.
More:
https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona/2020/07/21/captain-portland-christopher-david-famous-oregon-protests-has-arizona-roots/5476093002/