Anti-ICE activist attacks journalist Cam Higby during Portland protest

Editor's note:  A representative for Urban Development Partners told The Post Millennial that Wilson has not worked at Urban Development Partners since 2024, and has removed her staff bio from its website to reflect. This report has been updated.


Journalist Cam Higby was attacked outside the Portland ICE facility by a woman who has been identified Joy Wilson, a woman who was previously arrested in 2020 at an Antifa riot.

Video taken by Higby showed the woman getting in close proximity to Higby, yelling at the camera, "Stop filming children" and holding up a fist before striking with her umbrella that read "f*ck ICE." Higby said that another protestor had brought her two young children to the protest, and when he confronted her, the woman with the umbrella, identified as Wilson, launched into the attack.

Higby said that he has filed a report with the Portland Police Department and plans to press charges.

Per The Post Millennial editor at large Andy Ngo, the woman seen on camera attacking Higby is Joy B. Wilson. She had been arrested on September 8, 2020, at an Antifa riot on four charges of interfering with a peace officer and was released on her own recognizance.

Wilson’s young son is transgender. A Facebook post from 2020 stated, "Joy Wilson is the proud mother of two daughters. Her youngest child transitioned to live as her authentic self at the age of 8. Joy is an active member of Basic Rights Oregon, and serves as a founding member and the Chair of Fierce Families, a network fighting for transgender youth in Oregon. Joy is also a member of HRC’s national Parents for Trans Equality Council. Joy has been an outspoken ally and advocate, whether in meetings with public school officials, speaking at press conferences, or doing interviews with news media."

The post added, "Oregon Attorney General, Ellen Rosenblum invited Joy to address the Democratic Attorneys General Association conference to compel them to continue to fight for trans justice in DC. Having successfully, lobbied for changes to discriminatory, dangerous, and transphobic policies in Oregon, Joy and her Daughters were invited to attend Governor Kate Brown’s official signing of Oregon’s first standalone transgender equality bill, House Bill 2673."

Additionally, Wilson worked as the "Joy Officer" leading the Human Resources Department at the Portland-based Urban Development + Partners until 2024. Her former bio on the development company’s website stated that she had been employed by the company since 2018, and "spends her free time advocating for racial and gender equity with Basic Rights Oregon, and serving on a national council for Human Rights Campaign."

Wilson has been seen taking her young children to leftist protests, and she has been seen at recent riots outside the ICE facility, which has been subjected to nightly violence and unrest since June, frequently wearing animal costumes.