A left-wing businessman from Portland, Oregon, who championed the destruction of the city during Antifa and Black Lives Matter disturbances of 2020 and 2021 announced that it is closure his tavern after suffering significant economic losses since that time.
Nat West, the owner of Reverend Nat’s Hard Cider at Southeast 35th and Division Street, who identifies himself as him on social media, is permanently closing the doors of its bar. Tavern drinks are now an old staple in the progressive city fighting with the rise in crime, homicides and business closures following the 2020-21 riots.
The closing of West’s taproom is ironic given his strong advocacy and promotion of property destruction and vandalism in Portland.
“Please break all my windows if it’s going to be a step toward change,” West said said in a Twitter post (now X) in April 2021, nearly a year after the deadly riots in Portland began. For more than 120 straight days in Portland, far-left extremists carried out acts of insurrection against the local and federal governments through firebombings, explosive attacks, looting, arson, gun violence and property destruction.
Nat West owns Reverend Nat’s Hard Cider in Southeast Portland
The owner of Reverend Nat’s Hard Cider repeatedly voiced his support for far-left political violence in Portland, Oregon.
In response to a person criticizing the rioters for vandalizing the Oregon Historical Society in October 2020 in a direct action by Antifa, West suggested that the museum deserved it.
“Just because you’re doing a better job now than you did in the past doesn’t excuse you from a little accountability. It doesn’t demand it either. But windows are windows.” West wrote.
In March 2022, Indianapolis gunman Malik Muhammed he was convicted of vandalizing the museum and other businesses that night. He was also convicted of several counts of attempted murder, unlawful manufacture and possession of a destructive device, unlawful possession of a firearm and other offenses related to his involvement in weeks of unrest. Muhammed was sentenced to 10 years in prison in a plea deal that merged his state and federal prison terms.
Nat West, owner of Reverend Nat’s Hard Cider, appears to justify the violent attack on the Oregon Historical Society museum by a now-convicted attempted murderer and terrorist.
During the height of the riots in August 2020, West used his social media to obfuscate on behalf of Antifa and to share leaflets for the riots.
“Here is graphic proof that there is no antifa high command coordinating the resistance,” West tweeted. No organization would ever dilute the message with five different event posters. We’re concerned about the citizens of Portland, working to defund the police and lift up our black neighbors.” West then shared flyers for multiple violent direct actions where attendees are instructed to “wear black” and “mask” .
Nat West shared several flyers for the riots
Antifa supporters often deny that an organizational structure exists within their affinity group. This is a propaganda tactic. However, 61 alleged members of an Antifa-linked affinity group in Georgia were revealed last week in a Fulton County RICO Indictment, accusations of domestic terrorism and money laundering. And in San Diego, alleged members of a Southern California Antifa group will be tried for a crime of violent conspiracy. There had been several members convicted last year.
West also revealed his extremist support for political violence in response to the Portland mayor. In response to a video speech by Mayor Ted Wheeler denouncing the violent riots during a press conference in June 2020, West wrote: “Protests are effective when they cost money.” After just six weeks of unrest in 2020, City officials estimated that downtown businesses alone suffered about $23 million in damage. A full account of the damage to the city throughout the duration of the riots has never been made public.
Nat West expresses his support for political violence
Far-left extremism in the West seems to run in the family. In 2021, he revealed that federal police officers had arrested his daughter Lillian Dorothy “Beck” West during a riot in 2020. He claimed he had “permanent hearing damage” and had therefore filed a lawsuit against the US government. The suit was laughed out of court when a federal judge dismissed it in June 2022.
Portland violent activist John Hacker, who was charged in the case of Andy Ngo v. Rose City Antifa, et al. lawsuit, also filed a similar claim against the federal government, which was dismissed at the same time. Hacker was represented by attorney Michelle Burrows in his failed lawsuit. Burrows was one of the Antifa defense attorneys who told jurors in Ngo’s trial before deliberations: “I will remember all your faces when you leave here.”
Nat West’s daughter files suit against US government over riot arrest. The case was withdrawn from court in 2022.
Now, after just six months in its new location in Southeast Portland, West’s Cider Taproom is closing due to sustained financial losses over the past few years.
“We’ve done so many things and made thousands of ciders. We were successful in every way, except financially,” West said he said Beervana’s blog.
West continues to advertise his beverage consulting business on their website for a rate of $350 per hour for white clients, and a rate of “$0 to $250” per hour for “majority BIPOC-owned companies.”
Portland’s beverage industry has several figures who are far-left extremists. Abram Goldman-Armstrong was a cider maker who owned the Antifa Cider Riot pub. This pub closed in 2019 after a violent riot and murder outside the business. An Oregon Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission report into the pub found it obstructed and misled state investigators and failed to preserve evidence. Goldman-Armstrong was never prosecuted.
Despite his commercial failures, Nat West continues to promote his drinks consultancy business which operates under a racist pricing scheme.
Portland is one of several cities that has experienced an exodus of large and small businesses following the 2020 riots. Walmart closed all of its Portland locations in March and a business association revealed it last week Nike’s iconic community store will not reopen due to theft and public safety issues. Nike had asked Mayor Wheeler if he could pay for Portland police to be security, but the request was denied due to ongoing police staffing issues stemming from the 2020 riots.
The population of Portland has also suffered since 2020. According Census data, the city lost the sixth-most people of any US city last year. The decline came after the city had 15 straight years of growth.
Nat West did not respond to a request for comment.