Mastodon Twitter Instagram Youtube
May 12, 21

This Week in Fascism #108: Armed Proud Boys Threaten Locals While Doing Security for GOP, Nazis Harass Florida, WLM Flops Again

Welcome fellow antifascists!

So much to cover this week! From White Lives Matter failing again, the Goyim Defense League harassing people across Florida, to Proud Boys teaming up with the local GOP to intimidate and threaten local residents. We’ve also got reports, updates, doxxes, and so much more.

There’s a lot to cover, so let’s dive into it!

News

Armed Proud Boys Act As “Security” at Republican Event; Harass and Threaten Local Residents

According to a thread posted by Portland’s own Rose City Antifa, a group of Proud Boys was asked to do security for a May 6th event at a Portland church. RCA indicates:

The Proud Boys reportedly patrolled the surrounding block from all evening, clearly drunk, shouting at each other and passers-by, shining flashlights [into] people’s homes, displaying weapons, threatening, and even spitting on people when approached or asked [them] to stop.

According to the Willamette Week, the Multnomah County Republican planned to hold a recall vote to remove its current Chairman, Stephen Lloyd, on May 6th. Lloyd has apparently fallen out of favor with many local Republicans, after daring to call for “diversity” within the party. According to Willamette Week, the event took place at a Northeast Portland Church and the Multnomah County Republicans signed a contract with a security firm owned by local Proud Boy, Daniel Tooze Sr.

According to the Daily Beast, the Republicans did not disclose to the church the nature of the event:

“What we were aware of the event on May 6 was just a policy meeting according to the paperwork,” the [church] spokesperson said. “They didn’t mention anything about [a] Republican group. We’re so regretful that we allowed the group to use it.” In a Sunday letter to the church, reviewed by The Daily Beast, the Multnomah GOP conceded that the church had been unaware of the meeting’s “content and activity.”

But most remarkable was local party leaders soliciting free services from Tooze, the letter shows. “We appreciate that you are a proficient, private volunteer security group with vast experience in event security,” they wrote. “We are thankful moreover that you are a volunteer security group, it is very important that we work as a teem to keep our event calm and peaceful.”

When WW reached out to Tooze, he told WW:

…a friend of the Republican Party asked if I would watch guard at the door for what they were worried about: your hit piece done on their meeting, because you guys are Antifa, and they were worried about you guys and your Antifa friends harassing their meeting. Have a nice day.

Then Multnomah County Republican Party chair James Buchal speaks at far-Right rally in Portland alongside Proud Boys, Patriot Prayer and white nationalists like Baked Alaska. Source: Screenshot, Willamette Weekly

Apparently last year, Tooze ran for election in the Oregon House of Representatives and lost. According to WW, who got a copy of the agreement, Tooze is listed as a “Private Volunteer Security Consultant” in the state of Oregon. The following is a comment posting on the Next Door app in response to the roughly 30 Proud Boys patrolling the area the night of the event:

The effect of this was that Proud Boys were patrolling our blocking groups from 5pm to midnight. These ‘patrols’ were pure intimidation – they were drinking, shouting to each other, shining flashlights into our neighbor’s homes and faces, and displaying weapons. They circled, harassed and threatened another neighbor on this street who was working out. They vandalized our block with Proud boys stickers.

As The Daily Beast wrote:

A Portland man who lives near the church told The Daily Beast that Tooze’s security force patrolled the neighborhood until approximately midnight, to the discomfort of some locals. The man, who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal but provided video footage of interactions with the group, alleged that members had stopped and questioned one of his neighbors while she was out exercising, sparking an argument.

“They said something to the effect of, ‘If antifa shows up, we’ll know who called them,’” the Portland man said of the group’s interactions with his neighbor. Afterward, several of his neighbors agreed to sit outside “having the weirdest block party” and watching groups of three and four patrol his street. Although none wore official uniforms, he said, at least one wore a flannel shirt in the Proud Boys’ colors (yellow and black), which Proud Boys have previously worn at rallies. Footage reviewed by The Daily Beast confirms his claim.

One of the men was openly carrying a pistol, the neighborhood man alleged.

According to posts on social media, residents were even afraid to return to their homes, for fear that Proud Boys would follow them. This fear is not misplaced: according to the Portland Mercury, there has recently been a string of incidents at Portland homes, where anti-racist, progressive, and Black Lives Matter signs have been set on fire.

The events on May 6th are not the first time that Proud Boys and groups directly linked to them like Patriot Prayer have been connected to the local GOP. The former head of the Multnomah County Republicans, James L. Buchal, currently represents far-Right leader Joey Gibson, who is being sued for his role in an attack against patrons of a bar by Proud Boys and Patriot Prayer followers. Buchal has also spoken at various rallies alongside Gibson, the Proud Boys, and white nationalists like Baked Alaska in Portland.

The Multnomah County Republicans also helped organize a press conference for far-Right supporters of Patriot Prayer member Aaron J Danielson, who was shot and killed after he attempted to attack an antifascist in downtown Portland following a violent Trump rally, where Proud Boys and others shot projectiles at passersby from their vehicles.

The Clark County Republican Party also held an event in February of 2021, where Proud Boys brawler Tusitala “Tiny” Toese, known for advocating alliances with neo-Nazis and his numerous attacks on members of the public, helped count votes and acted as security. Other local Republicans like Matt Shea have also been caught, according to The Guardian:

[taking] part in private discussions with right-wing figures about carrying out surveillance, “psyops” and even violent attacks on perceived political enemies, according to chat records obtained by the Guardian.

The continued alliance of the Proud Boys and the GOP shows the fascistic direction of the Republican party; which increasingly feels justified in threatening growing sections of the public with far-Right violence and attacks.

White Lives Matter Flops Again

White Lives Matter rallies, were once again largely total flops. While several small groups of white supremacists did gather in Florida and Idaho for flash rallies, they were over as quickly as they began and clearly lacked numbers of more than half a dozen. In Boise, a group of seven was run off by a member of the public. Antifascists also once again infiltrated and released WLM chat logs in the lead up to the event, causing several organizers to call off their plans.

Some cities also organized anti-racist counter-rallies, yet no white nationalist presence ever materialized. In Houston, TX, white supremacists were planning to hold a rally outside of the grave of George Floyd, however antifascists were quick to mobilize against them and the event (for the neo-Nazis), was a complete disaster.

Leaks of The Oath Keepers’ Financial and Membership Documents Shed Light on Funding

Buzzfeed News has gained access to the Oath Keepers’ financial documents and membership information, bringing to light new information about the inner workings of the group, including their fundraising and recruiting tactics.

Since the January 6th attack on the Capitol, the group’s membership has been in steady decline due to bad press and online deplatforming. However, in November and December of 2020 the Oath Keeper’s saw their largest two month spike in membership in three years. This is likely due to the fact that, in the lead up to the election, Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes was featured frequently in right-wing media. This is consistent with Rhodes’ tendency to exploit high profile political events in order to recruit and solicit donations. For example, the group saw a spike in membership and received $100,000 in donations during the 2014 Bundy Ranch stand off, a event which Oath Keepers participated in, and which Rhodes used as an opportunity for self-promotion.

Buzzfeed’s reporting reveals that Rhodes maintains tight control over the group’s membership and finance information. He claims that the group has 35,000 members, but refuses to share members lists with the leaders of local chapters. Local leaders and board members of the group have also complained that they receive no information about the Oath Keepers’ financial status. This lack of transparency came to light in 2017, when it was revealed that an employee and member of the group had embezzled $200,000. Rhodes covered up the incident and never reported it to the cops. Buzzfeed News notes that the group is a nonprofit but does not have tax exempt status, meaning that their website uses a .org domain and they are perceived as a charity, but are not legally required to file public tax returns or membership lists. For example, the booking site Travel Smiles once listed the Oath Keepers as a “charity” they donated to, and the Oath Keepers in turn promoted the website.

Members normally pay $1,200 for lifetime membership to the group or $50 yearly, although lifetime membership is now slightly cheaper at $1,000. This lower rate is likely due to the deplatforming the group has faced in the wake of J6. They have been banned from Paypal, Facebook, and Twitter, and the website host they relied on at the time of the riot. The group is now unable to process payments online, meaning that prospective members are now required to mail in their forms and dues, a fact Rhodes blames on “malicious leftist attacks.” Antifascists should take note that deplatforming far-Right groups from online spaces and preventing them from accepting payments and new memberships is an incredibly effective way to disrupt fascist organizing.

Nationalist Social Club Continues to Include Pedophiles in it’s Ranks

On April 12th of this year, the comrade Garfield but Anti-fascist exposed the Nationalist Social Club’s (NSC) newest recruit Andrew Hazelton of Portland, Maine. This week, Garfield published a followup to that dox indicating that Hazelton had been arrested by the FBI on Thursday, April 29th for soliciting child abuse images from a minor as well as hosting child sex abuse images on his computer in a folder titled “1488.” According to Garfield and the affidavit, Hazelton knew the girl was underage, 10 years old at the time, and proceeded to solicit the images anyway via Instagram. The girls mother noticed her daughters phone pinging, checked the device, noticed what was happening, and messaged him to leave her daughter alone and then notified authorities.

In a longer form piece, Abner Hague of Left Coast Right Watch published an in-depth report indicating that the exchange between the mother of the minor and Hazelton took place in October of 2019. This means that the FBI knew for 18 months that Hazelton has a propensity for soliciting sex abuse images from, as well as sex acts from minors and did nothing about it. It wasn’t until April 29th of this year, that a search warrant was executed. According the affidavit, Hazelton had many images and videos on multiple devices through the use of cloud-based storage.

Though the NSC and other far-Right and neo-Nazi groups claim to be “against degeneracy” – especially pedophiles, even going so far as to label those on the Left as such, a documented history of violence against minors is rampant within its ranks. LCRW reports:

Hazelton isn’t the only member of the group to prey on young women. Steven Van Zelst Jr, another NSC member, boasted in chats about goading young women into sending explicit photos of themselves and self-harming.

NCS’s membership in the US has waxed and waned over the last year. It’s self-described leader and longtime neo-Nazi, Chris Hood, has maintained a presence in the northeast part of the country using similar networking tactics as fellow neo-Nazi and Rise Above Movement (RAM) founder Robert Rundo. This includes a social media presence, heavy branding, interactive multimedia efforts like video and posts of their followers “direct actions” which typically include graffiti, banner drops, stenciling, stickering, and posing with their branded flags. NSC seemed to have a push in recruitment last summer, but fell off a bit during fall and winter. More recently, however, new NSC chapters in the northeast states have popped up on Telegram indicating that perhaps recruitment efforts have had a considerable impact. NSC also has active chapters outside of the US including countries in Europe.

For more details on this story, more information on NSC, and other members, check out the profiles linked above.

One Base Member Arrested, Another Ordered Back to Jail for Violating Bond Terms

Justen Watkins, former leader of the neo-Nazi cell, has also turned himself in after violating his terms of release. Following his October 2020 arrest for terrorism related charges, he was released on bond in February on the condition that he would not associate with other members of the accelerrationist fascist organization. However, according to the Attorney General’s office, his bond was posted by a fellow Base member. He is being held at the Washtenaw County jail and will be appearing in court this month.

The Base member Brandon Gregory Ashley was arrested for the ritual slaughter of a ram that took place last October. The 21-year-old Hayden, Alabama resident was released on $10,000 bond after being jailed briefly at the Jefferson County Jail in Birmingham. Ashley and his co-defendants Patrik Mathews, Michael Helterbrand, Brian Mark Lemley Jr., Luke Lane, Duncan Christopher Trimmel, William Garfield Bilbrough IV, and Jacob Kaderli are charged with theft and aggravated animal cruelty.​​​​​​​

Goyim Defense League (GDL) Nazis Protest Outside of Holocaust Memorial Resource & Education Center of Florida; Pulse Nightclub

Members of the white supremacist group, the Goyim Defense League (GDL) have been driving around the Orlando, Florida area since May 6th, harassing Jewish people, queer people and other marginalized community members. The Holocaust Memorial Resource and Education Center of Florida reports that on May 6th, the group showed up with signs and stood outside the building to yell and harass community members. They have been driving around the Orlando area in a white van covered in anti-Semitic imagery and messaging including Holocaust denial propaganda.

The groups leader, Jon Minadeo of Petaluma, California, was joined by fellow neo-Nazi and movement laughing stock Jovi Val, Colorado-residents Joseph “Joey” Bounds and Vincent “Vinnie” Bertinelli, and Jason Brown of New Jersey and Florida. According the Holocaust Memorial Resource and Education Center, the group attempted to park their van in the driveway of the property to protest. They were pushed off the property but set themselves up across the street and certainly within earshot of the center. Antifascists were able to continue to track the hate parade in order to continue to warn community members of their whereabouts.

Since leaving the Holocaust Memorial Center, the group has been kicked out of restaurants, considered doing a banner drop and as of early this week, we’ve received reports that they showed up to the Pulse Nightclub to protest and mock queer people. It seems some people had enough of the abuse, and images posted to social media show Jovi Val walking with crutches following the group’s latest endeavor. We eagerly await more details.

The GDL is notorious for this kind of pathetic, non-headline generating, total cringe activity. They have convened in states across the country, including Colorado, for what Minadeo (who goes by Handsome Truth online) refers to as the “Name the Nose Tour.”

Colorado Springs Anti-Fascists report that Handsome Truth aka Jon Minadeo, has been lifetime banned from Alamo and Enterprise car rentals nationwide. Minadeo posted a video detailing the experience that was scraped and dropped into this tweet thread. If additional updates are provided, they’ll be added to this summary documenting their activities, thus-far.

Sovereign Citizen Steals Vaccines From Clinic, Posts Videos to Facebook

A 32-year-old St. Paul resident named Thomas E. Humphrey posted videos of himself on Facebook stealing doses of the Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson vaccines and telling viewers that they were poison. Humphrey explained in the videos that he is a member of the sovereign citizen movement, a right-wing ideology which grew out of fascist militia groups such as the Posse Comitatus, and is based around the belief that the original United States government was secretly overtaken by a different government operating under maritime law, making all US citizens, “slaves.” In addition to believing that they are not required to follow laws, the movement has a history of violence. According to the Minnesota Reformer, Humphrey also complained in his videos that he became homeless and closed his business last year during the COVID lockdown.

Humphrey’s first video, filmed on Tuesday, shows him arriving at a vaccination site wearing a mask, waiting for his turn to get the shot, then asking to see the vaccine stealing the vial from the worker. On Wednesday he filmed a similar video, in which he enters a CVS pretending that he wants to receive a vaccine, then grabs the vial and walks out of the store with it, telling customers that it is poison.

The Minnesota Reformer states that Humphrey was arrested, not for stealing the vaccines, but because police were called to a Kwik Shop where he had livestreamed himself taking all the free sugar packets. Police then took him into custody because his vehicle lacked valid license plates. (Many sovereign citizens have fraudulent plates on their cars, and refuse to get driver’s licenses, registration, and insurance.) Police said he was under arrest for “obstruction and misdemeanor violations.”

Colorado Ex-Cop Sentenced to Probation for Holding Innocent Workers at Gunpoint

According to Raw Story, a former Colorado police officer was sentenced to four years probation after holding 20 year-old Barry Wesley, a Black Colorado State University football player, at gunpoint. Wesley was working as a door-to-door salesman when Scott Gudmundsen, in full tactical gear, charged at Wesley and his white colleague, ordered Wesley to the ground by gunpoint, and knelt on the back of his neck. Raw Story reports:

Gudmundsen reportedly called police before confronting the two men. He claimed there were “antifa guys” in his neighborhood and that, “I am going out there to confront them.”

According to a police report, Gudmundsen told an officer he had asked the salesmen if they were affiliated with antifa and they responded with “who is antifa?” Gudmundsen then told officers that “only antifa would have that response,” the police report stated.

In a Sports Illustrated profile that centers Wesley’s experience, the harrowing interaction is recalled in great detail that while pleading for Gudmundsen to not kill him, Wesley remembers Gudmundsen saying:

“You’re lucky,” Wesley remembers hearing from above. “I’m not going to kill you. The police are going to do that for me.”

When Wesley sought answers from Gudmundsen’s since-deleted Facebook page, this is what he found:

…his bio section declared “Family Man, Christian, Zero Tolerance for Evil” below a picture of him dressed in camouflage, aiming a rifle. There Gudmundsen had posted videos documenting his involvement with a Utah-based shooting club, Soldiers of Valhalla. In one series, Gudmundsen, referring to himself as “Instructor Scott,” demonstrates how to spray-paint tactical equipment, such as a gun belt, and occasionally brandishes a hand grenade—all while sporting a T-shirt with a logo containing a valknot, an old Norse symbol that the Anti-Defamation League reports has been embraced by white supremacists.

Gudmundsen was initially arrested on two counts, felony menacing and false imprisonment with an additional two charges of illegal firearm use and one count of impersonating a police officer being added after. Gudmundsen’s attorney argued that Gudmundsen was reportedly experiencing a mental health crisis as a result of anesthesia that he had been under nearly six weeks prior to the assault. Gudmundsen pleaded guilty to one count of felony menacing with a weapon.

For a more detailed report on how this horrifying act of racism, conspiracy, and white supremacy impacted Wesley, check out the Sport Illustrated article here.

John Cameron Denton of AWD Sentenced for Swatting Conspiracy

On Tuesday, May 4th, the Department of Justice and US Attorney’s office for the Eastern District of Virginia issued a press release indicating the former leader of Atomwaffen Division (AWD) John Cameron Denton, has been sentenced to 41 months in prison for his role in a conspiracy to conduct “swatting” attacks to 134 targets across the nation. The list of targets include a historic Black church, journalists, religious institutions that serve communities of color, a Virginia university, a former cabinet member, and others. The press release defines “swatting” as:

Swatting is a harassment tactic that involves deceiving emergency dispatchers into believing that a person or persons are in imminent danger of death or bodily harm and causing the dispatchers to send police and emergency services to an unwitting third party’s address.

Atomwaffen Division is a now-defunct neo-Nazi accelerationist terrorist organization who’s membership includes angry white men who seek to create chaos that pushes society into violent collapse. Their goal is to use the opportunity of a crumbling society to step in and create the white ethno-state through violent means. AWD has targeted journalists, critical infrastructure, the LGBTQ, Jewish, and BIPOC communities.

Doxxes

Joseph Boswell Gartrell, WLM Organizer of NC

Corvallis Against Fascism has, once again, published the admin logs of the “White Lives Matter” protest organizers. Since their failed attempt to organize fascist rallies across the country last month, they tried to improve their operational security by establishing a vetting process, dividing up their administrative chats, and putting their messages on a timer, however it was still very simple to infiltrate their Telegram channel. For a more in-depth look into the WLM Telegram, see Corvallis Against Fascism’s post here.

Thanks to these leaks, Asheville Anti Racism was quickly able to identify a local White Lives Matter organizer named Joseph Gartrell.​​​​​​​ Gartrell goes by Joe WhiteShark on Gab and Telegram, and was a member of the WLM chat for “vetted admins.” Personal info Gartrell posted on Telegram allowed AAR to track down his legal identity. Joseph lives and works in Winston-Salem, NC, is a former Special Forces UDT Driver for the U.S. Navy, and was raised in Florida.

In Corvallis Against Fascism’s article following their first round of WLM leaks, they noted that, unsurprisingly, many members of the chat were explicit neo-Nazis. Gartrell is no different. A screenshot of one post his Telegram features a Nazi sonnenrad, or “black sun.”

Gartrell’s information can be viewed here.

Robert and Andy Kinnison of Durand, MI

Vigilant AFA brought us a two-part dox this week in the form of two brothers, Robert and Andy Kinnison of Durand, Michigan. According to the dox, Rob and Andy typically run in militia, Re-Open, and Proud Boy circles. Vigilant AFA indicate that their radicalization has become more worrisome.

Rob, in addition to posting cringe content on the internet, has connections to the Michigan Home Guard, a far-Right militia who was a constant presence in local Re-Open protests. In one photo, Rob references connections between MAGA and the Ku Klux Klan. Vigilant AFA discovered Rob has a ton of sock accounts on Facebook and linked to at least 15 of them in their dox thread. Rob uses them to dox and harass Black people, trans people, and Shelby anti-racist activists.

Andy Kinnison fills his Instagram photography page with shot after shot of militia-related content. Andy also has a handful of accounts that are listed in the dox thread. One particular account is private and hosts a video where Andy and Rob directly threatened Michigan Tea, an independent, left-leaning news and research account on Twitter. Screenshots of Andy’s posts show a handful of racist dog-whistles.

Vigilant AFA are asking folks who are inclined to please do the following:

  • Share the dox thread around, particularly with anti-racists in Michigan.
  • Send a DM or tag GM (@MFG_GM) in a quote tweet of this thread to let them know they have a Material Handler in MI named Andy Kinnison working on video death threats:

Patrick, Jay, and Adam Tefteller

Zig Zag AFA has identified a trio of fascist brothers: Patrick, Jay, and Adam Tefteller.

Patrick Tefteller is a Proud Boy located in Albuquerque, NM, originally from TX. He is an anti-Semite, a transphobe, and follows several fascist Facebook pages. He also has a Proud Boys tattoo on his forearm, and skates at the park near Cibola High School in Albuquerque. Comments to posts on Jay’s Instagram page suggests that he is a supporter of Hitler and the Nazis.

Jay Evans Tefteller lives in Gilmer, TX. He is affiliated with the unBEARable movement and is a fan of Alt-Right anti-Semite “comedian” Owen Benjamin. His Instagram is full of racist and anti-Semitic content. He is an independent contractor, possibly a welder.

Adam Tefteller of Nashville, TN is less active on social media than his brothers, but shares their fascist beliefs. He owns Music City Recon and he wrote the theme song for the Hannah Montana movie.

For more information, read Zig Zag AFA’s Twitter thread.

Richard McGrath, Proud Boy of Killingly, CT

Zig Zag AFA has also identified Richard McGrath of Connecticut. An active member of the While Lives Matter Telegram channel, he goes by the pseudonym Paravain. He works as a drywall taper and sells Proud Boy merchandise. According to his Facebook profile, he was employed by Jesmac Inc. at one point, and may still work there.

For more information, including the contact info for Jesmac Inc., see the full thread here.

Bryan Fust, Rapist MAGA Supporter of Grants Pass, OR

PDX Chud Watch is alerting the community about Bryan Fust, a former Portland resident originally from Redding, CA. According to the admin of the Chud Watch Twitter account, Fust has drugged and sexually assaulted multiple people they know.

They write, “Bryan Fust is about 5’10” tall, 225 to 250 lbs, covered in tattoos, and is missing his right leg from the knee down.” They also warn that he is short-tempered and very likely armed. Do not approach him if you recognize him in public, but please spread the word. He frequently visits Portland and Northern CA. More information in the thread here.

Support This Week In Fascism!

Support This Week In Fascism! Sign up to support the people who write this column and help them expand our work! By signing up to donate monthly here, you will be helping us continue to put out the column weekly and also launch a monthly podcast!

Support Our Prisoners

  • Support those arrested during the ongoing rebellion! Check out list of bail funds here.
  • Support Gage Halupowski! Currently serving a six year sentence. There is currently an outbreak at his prison, so please step up and support! More info here.
  • Support Dan Baker! Currently facing federal charges for creating an event on Facebook to counter an armed far-Right rally at the capitol building in Florida. More info here.
  • Support Eric King! Anarchist and antifascist prisoner who has been targeted by the State and neo-Nazi inmates for being ‘ANTIFA.’ More info here. Donate here.
  • Support those arrested at recent ‘While Lives Matter’ protests in Sacramento, here and in Huntington Beach, here.

Share This:

A weekly roundup of the latest and greatest happenings in the anti-fascist world. Each column features a roundup of news, actions, doxxes and current calls to action.

More Like This