The Revolution Meets the Lease Agreement
Michael James Duntley, 59, known in Portland protest circles as “Spider Mike,” “Big Spider Mike,” and “Wider Mike,” was recorded on a profanity-filled livestream arguing with a woman who identified herself as his landlord. The woman said Duntley had been screaming, yelling, drinking, wearing a wig, and banging things around in a garage while frightening people inside the home. Duntley’s answer was that he and his online companions were “having a good time.” When he told her to call the police, she replied that she already had. It was not exactly a master class in conflict resolution, unless the class was taught by a comments section.
The Clip That Started Making the Rounds
A Landlord, a Livestream, and Some Very Loud Irony
During the exchange, Duntley shouted at the woman to leave and be quiet, while one person on the livestream mocked her for calling police. The woman also reminded Duntley that she had given him a place to live after he had previously been kicked out. Duntley responded that she had done him a favor six years earlier and told her to go to sleep. For a movement that often advertises “mutual aid,” this was not the brochure version. It looked more like the fine print nobody reads until the landlord is standing in the garage.
Police Arrival Was Also Posted Online
The Wig Clip Added More Internet Fuel
Duntley’s Protest Profile Is Not New
Duntley has been described as a regular presence at radical anti-ICE demonstrations outside the Portland ICE facility in the city’s South Waterfront neighborhood. He has publicly called himself an Antifa leader and even the “President of Antifa,” a self-appointed title that seems to come with all the glamour of online applause and none of the boring duties, like keeping the garage quiet. The title is not an official public office, of course, which may be disappointing to anyone hoping for a pension plan, a staff directory, or at least a working complaint department.
Earlier Allegations and a Guilty Plea
The source article also points to Duntley’s earlier publicly reported incidents near the Portland ICE facility. On January 31, he was accused of knocking an elderly disabled veteran known as “Captain Jerry” from a mobility scooter during a confrontation. Video circulated online that appeared to show the veteran being knocked from his chair and hitting the pavement, but Duntley was not prosecuted in that matter, according to The Post Millennial. On March 5, Duntley was filmed using his truck to pull a city stop sign from the ground after attaching a chain to it. Portland Police later confirmed his arrest on charges of reckless endangering, second-degree criminal mischief, and second-degree disorderly conduct. Duntley ultimately pleaded guilty to reckless endangering, while the disorderly conduct and criminal mischief charges were dismissed. In July, Multnomah County Circuit Court Judge Andrew Lavin sentenced him to one year of supervised probation and ordered him to stay at least 300 feet away from the Portland ICE building.
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