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Sep 28, 20

This Week in Fascism #76: Authorities Facilitate Armed Drunken Proud Boys Attacking Journalists; More Chat Leaks

Photo Credit: @arunindy, Maranie R. Staab, Screenshot

Welcome, fellow antifascists! This week, we’ve got multiple leaked chats from the far-Right, planning violent rallies; the Portland police collaborating with the Proud Boys and making an end run around the DA’s office; “Crying Nazi” Christopher Cantwell convicted of sending interstate threats; plus, the usual round of doxxes.

Without further ado, let’s begin!

News

Eugene 161 Leaks Patriot Coalition Chats Ahead of September 26 far-Right Rally in Portland

Eugene Antifa leaked a collection of private chats from the PNW Patriot Coalition, a collection of Proud Boys, militia members, and activists associated with Operation Werewolf. The chats show the group planning violent action against anti-racist protesters, including the August 22 shieldwall in Portland that allowed the far-Right to mace leftist activists.

According to Bellingcat:

These logs provide an intimate look inside a growing insurgent network, and shed new light on episodes of armed conflict which are already on the public record. Topics of conversation include plans for violence in the streets of Portland, celebration of acts of thuggery and even discussions about harming elected leaders and journalists. More than anything, the chats catalog the rapid radicalization of Patriot Coalition’s membership, many of whom express a willingness to kill their perceived left-wing enemies.

Discussions of violence in the Patriot Coalition group chat are not hypothetical.  While some individuals are likely grandstanding, the chat logs show members gearing up for a number of events where very real violence occurred.

Willis is currently being sued as the result of an assault on a Portland cider bar frequented by antifascists. During one discussion in the chats, he urged members not to freeze paintballs as “it makes them wildly inaccurate.” Instead, he suggested purchasing “glass breaker balls that are rubber coated metal.”

Eugene Antifa has unfortunately been banned from Twitter, but you can keep up with their social media by following them on Mastodon.

Portland Police Were Deputized as Federal Officers Ahead of Portland Proud Boy Rally

After Oregon Governor Kate Brown declared a State of Emergency on Friday, Sept. 18th, around 50 Portland Police were deputized as Federal officers in preparation for the Proud Boys rally that took place on Saturday, Sept. 26th. These officers are part of Portland’s Rapid Response Team and, as The Oregonian reports, “…are the riot-clad officers armed with impact munitions who are typically called in to disperse crowds once a riot or unlawful assembly has been declared.”

This sort of move is especially alarming since Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler banned the use of CS gas on protesters earlier this month. The ban only applies to local law enforcement, the Portland Police Bureau, but doesn’t apply to Federal or State police. In what can be described as one giant loophole of state-sponsored tyranny, federally deputized PPB officers would be able to evade the ban by essentially operating under the guidelines of federal officers, who are still legally able to deploy CS gas as they deem fit. Additionally, protesters arrested by federal officers face federal charges; a way to circumvent the authority of progressive Portland District Attorney Mike Schmidt, who announced in August that his office would not prosecute standalone riot or resisting arrest charges.

This isn’t the first time Oregon has used state and federal law enforcement to respond to the anti-police riots following the murder of George Floyd. Throughout the month of July, accounts of federal police dressed in tactical gear with no identifying information were seen brutalizing protesters, gassing, snatching and then disappearing them into vans. Protesters recount being driven to a federal courthouse where they were placed in a holding cell before being read their Miranda rights and questioned. Several accounts report that they were kept for hours without being questioned or mirandized at all. In July, Ted Wheeler eventually decried the use of federal agents by calling, “the actions an attack on democracy and has demanded that the Trump administration remove the federal agents from his city” according to NPR.

The escalation of violence by law enforcement has been met with scrutiny by officials and community members alike, while being praised by President Trump. What has been referred to as a litmus test for response to continued protests around the country, has proven a useful tool for Gov. Brown, who seems to be taking Trump’s “Law and Order” rallying cry particularly seriously, regardless of the possibility of civil rights violations, which, according to Matthew Tokson, a criminal law professor at the University of Utah who was quoted by the Portland Mercury, “If federal officers are arresting or detaining people without charging them in order to get them to stop protesting in a nonviolent way, then that would be a violation of their First Amendment rights.”

Later into Saturday evening, riot cops were reported in the Downtown Portland area using batons and making arrests. New York Times correspondent Mike Baker tweeted out a thread of police violence toward protesters showing chaos, shouting, and aggression in an attempt to suppress and move protesters out of the area. Video clips show cops rolling up in white vans, rushing into crowds of protesters, and targeting individuals for arrest by grabbing and slamming them to the ground. It’s undeniable that the support of Gov. Brown has emboldened aggression and violence toward protesters. It’s unclear at this time how many arrests were made.

In contrast to how anti-racist protesters were treated, reporter Karina Brown noted “extensive coordination” between the police and the far-Right in Portland on Saturday. The police ignored that the Proud Boys’ convoy had obscured their license plates and established an armed militia-style checkpoint outside Delta Park, detaining journalists and demanding to see their credentials. The police even provided the Proud Boys rally with two fresh port-a-potties for their event and turned a blind eye to the group openly drinking and brandish long-guns inside the park where ultimately several journalists and live-streamers were assaulted.

Philly Proud Boys Rally With North Carolina Proud Boys, American Guard

One week after being humiliated at their own rally in Clark Park, where hundreds of counter-protesters gathered to face the fewer than five Proud Boys who managed to turn up for the rally. The Proud Boys who did show up were immediately identified by antifascist researchers, though they attempted to intimidate anti-racist protesters, threatening to dox them and stalking researcher Gwen Snyder’s house, where antifascists had posted guards.

The Philadelphia Proud Boys, led by President Zach Rehl, were joined by members of the North Carolina Proud Boys, as well as Brien James, founder of the Vinlanders Social Club, Outlaw Hammerskins, and the American Guard. James is also a former member of the Ku-Klux-Klan.

This represents an escalation for the Philadelphia Proud Boys. Prior to the summer of 2020, Rehl refused to publicly identify himself as a Proud Boy, telling the Philadelphia Inquirer in 2018 that a Proud Boys rally he organized was simply the members of a Facebook group, “Sports, Beer, and Politics.”

In the Spring of 2019, Rehl was among a group of Proud Boys, American Guard, and militia members who attempted to organize a string of violent rallies across the northeast, trading pictures of the weapons they planned to bring and the specific leftist activists they wished to assault at the rallies. However, the group was stymied when their chats were leaked and the members were doxxed, and the rallies were cancelled.

“Crying Nazi” Christopher Cantwell Convicted, Faces Up to 22 Years

“Crying Nazi” Christopher Cantwell was convicted of sending interstate threats after a week long federal trial in New Hampshire. In 2019, Cantwell attempted to extort the identity of Bowl Patrol leader “Vic Mackey,” real name Andrew Richard Casarez, by threatening to rape the wife of Bowl Patrol member and white nationalist rapper “Cheddar Mane,” aka Benjamin Lambert.

Journalist Hilary Sargent filed daily reports from the trial, as well as a 5,000-word piece for The Informant detailing the saga of Christopher Cantwell since his rise to national prominence following the 2017 Unite the Right rally.

As Sargent noted, “Cantwell was the only witness for the defense.” Cantwell faces up to 22 years. As of press time, a sentencing date has not been set.

Doxxes

Zachary Hudson Fisher, Neo-Nazi & Bowl Patrol Associate, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Anonymous Commie, in collaboration with Utah 161 and Partisan 161 have identified a Milwaukee, Wisconsin neo-Nazi, Bowl Patrol associate and DJ, Zachary Hudson Fisher. Fisher DJ’s under the pseudonyms Hudson Vandal, James Vandal, Hudson Acid and most recently HDSN ACID.

Fisher, who is formerly from Winter Haven, Florida, was actively involved with the neo-Nazi organization Identity Evropa (IE has since rebranded as the American Identity Movement). In June of 2017, Fisher participated in a March Against Sharia action in front of the Pulse Nightclub that was organized by Identity Evropa. The action was planned around the one-year anniversary of the mass shooting at Pulse that resulted in 50 deaths, primarly LGBTQ people of color. Two months later, Fisher road an infamous “Hatebus” to the deadly 2017 Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, VA, where Vangard America member James Fields Jr. murdered anti-racist activist Heather Heyer. Photos show Fisher was an enthusiastic participant in terrorizing Charlottesville residents along with hundreds of other neo-Nazis.

The Bowl Patrol, a loose community of accelerationist neo-Nazi’s who idolize Dylann Roof for walking into the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina and killing 9 Black parishioners, put their seal of approval on Fisher’s violence and vitriol by posting photos of Fisher with the signature Bowl haircut, a kind of “attaboy,” if you will.

Anonymous Commie has archived video footage of Fisher chanting antisemitic messages with fellow members of Identity Evropa, as well as screenshots of planned threats of violence toward trans* people. It appears that immediately following Unite the Right, Fisher relocated to Austin, Texas where he trained to fight with fellow neo-Nazis Joffre Cross, William Fears, and Jesse Miles. He has since relocated to Milwaukee to pursue a career in music as a DJ for the EDM scene.

For more about Fisher’s background and current whereabouts, check out this blog for all the details.

Kristofer Hunter, Boogaloo Boy of Waco, Texas

Twilight Zone AFA has uncovered the identity of Waco, Texas anti-masker and Boogaloo Boy Kristopher Hunter. Hunter, who goes by Obi-Boog-Kenobi on social media, is an ex-Army combat engineer. Given his formal military training and his desire for civil war and his disregard for public safety measures during an epidemic that has killed 200,000 people in the United States, Hunter is a major concern to the community.

In chats with other Boogaloo Boys, Hunter shares his counterinsurgency expertise with others eager to engage in the streets with Black Lives Matter protesters. Though they publicly disavow Kyle Rittenhouse, in private chats, they share memes and support for mass shooters and the glorification of violence.

Hunter is in a Punk Band called After The Fact (ATF) that plays shows in the area. Given the reinvigoration of anti-racist protests around the country following the complete lack of justice for Breonna Taylor, local residents are encouraged to watch out for and be aware of Hunter, as he is likely to show up and insert himself into actions in a way that is not aligned with anti-police violence or respect for Black lives.

Adelaide Golden, Far-Right Agitator in San Francisco, California

Berkeley Antifa have identified Bay Area Bootlicking LARPer, far-Right agitator, and Facebook employee Adelaide Golden. Golden lives in San Francisco and pals around with fellow far-Right organizers including Lindsay Grathwohl, who Northern California ARA identified as being connected to the Golden State Skinheads, and Amber Cummings who reportedly had her Facebook profile shut down after repeated calls for mass violence.

Golden’s social media shows her affinity with the Kekistan Flag, a neo-Nazi dog whistle that has been made famous by far-Right supporters on the Nazi hangout site 4chan. As stated by Berkeley Antifa “the Kek flag is an alt-right makeover of the Nazi Third Reich flag.” Berkeley Antifa is asking folks who have information on Golden to please reach out via their twitter. DM’s are open.

Timothy Allen Dunham, Proud Boy in Lansing, Michigan

Vigilant AFA have identified Lansing, Michigan Proud Boy Timothy Allen Dunham. In June 2018, the Eaton Rapids Meridian Magnesium factory caught on fire and burned down after a transformer exploded. Dunham was an employee of the factory and was subsequently laid off, where his ideology took a noticeably sharp turn right. Screen caps of Dunham’s social media show his anti-immigration rhetoric. Since then, he has connected with the Proud Boys, who he’s been organizing with for the last two years.

According to the dox, we are unsure of who he is working for currently, but have concerns about his proximity to the immigrant community. Folks with information about Dunham’s whereabouts or employment are asked to contact Vigilant AFA either on Twitter via DM or via email: vigilantafa[at]protonmail[dot]com.

Samson Steele, Proud Boy of Portland, Oregon

On Saturday, Sept. 26th, at the Proud Boy rally at Delta Park in Portland Oregon, footage of a tall white man kicking a journalist in the head surfaced. Savvy investigators were quick to ID the man we now know is Samson Steele of Tangent, Oregon. We were able to identify him by the very distinct, bright green shamrock tattoo on his left hand.

Samson’s social media is filled with reactionary content including conspiracy theories, theories of antifa’s “burning and looting”, support for the Confederate flag and blatant bragging about violence and illegal activity. He embodies the toxic masculinity frequently observed from the far-Right.

Samson works for PNW Environmental as a Project Supervisor. Antifascist activists are asking those who feel inclined to please contact Samson’s employer and let them know about his connections to a violent SPLC-designated hate group, The Proud Boys. You can contact PNW Environmental here.

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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.

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