Category Archives: Proud Boys

Before the board heard the teachers complaints, the meeting started with the pledge of allegiance but it was overtaken by seven members of the Proud Boys, a far-right, and sometimes violent group, standing in the back of the room.

Some of them stated that they showed up to the meeting to protest the districts mask mandate, as the board was slated to vote on the measure that evening.

Rachel Keith, WHQR

District Teaching Assistants Say Theyve Had Enough

After the pledge, around ten teaching assistants spoke during the call to the audience. WHQR caught up with some of them at their rally before the meeting.

Annalena Mills is a teaching assistant at Forest Hills Elementary. She said the working conditions at her school are dire:

Without immediate intervention from the district, our students and staff will continue to be harmed, and we're going to have to be forced to work in an unsafe environment. The overcrowding of students combined with a basic lack of resources, and a staffing shortage has created a situation in which students and staff are verbally and physically harmed daily at our school, said Mills.

Mills also said shes being forced to have class in a hallway in front of an elevator.

Lizzie Hartman is a Forest Hills parent and agreed with Mills. She said her daughter is still in fourth grade there but about two weeks ago, she pulled her son out of fifth grade to attend a private school.

I came out to this meeting because Forest Hills for the first time since we were there in kindergarten has become unsafe to the point that I was really concerned about the safety of my son in fifth grade, the behavioral issues. And mainly I think it's because of the overcrowding in the school and also the understaffing, said Hartman.

But Hartman said shes amazed by the teachers but was concerned that some staff there were resigning and that student behaviors were becoming too problematic.

Karen Shelton also works at Forest Hills as an instructional teaching assistant. She said the lack of staff has consequences for how she does her job:

I think since the beginning of school, I have only been in my homeroom class one week. Other than that, I am pulled almost daily, if it's not for the full day, its for hours or sometimes a half day. We have 20 students in our classroom; it's almost impossible for the teacher to handle 20 students, especially if there's an eruption going on. That means I pulled her to handle that one student, while the other kids are kind of just sitting there not getting any instructions at all. It's not fair to her. It's not fair to our students, said Shelton.

Rachel Keith, WHQR

Shelton added an increase in staffing and salary to a minimum of $17 dollars an hour would help, as most assistants are paid around $13 an hour and also a decrease in responsibilities:

There's so many things that we are not designed to do. We don't have those legal licenses to be behavior specialists, but yet still we have to act because we don't have the resources there. And they need to be provided not only in Forest Hills, but in all schools. That just needs to be there, said Shelton.

Christine Miranda-Ambriz is a TA at Ashley High School. Like many other speakers, she said she holds many hats in the classroom:

I'm a janitor. I clean feces and puke when there's an accident. I am a nurse; I check temperatures make ice packs on the go and carry band-aids in my pocket. I'm a student advocate, I ensure students receive a quality education no matter what their disability or language they speak. I am also a de facto ESL TA by ensuring all of our students, non-native English speakers know where they need to be. My number one priority is to ensure your child feels safe so they can focus on learning, said Miranda-Ambriz.

Miranda-Ambriz also said she and other teaching assistants were upset that they were left out of pay increases, like the ones given to teachers and substitutes. They also suggested that the school district use federal Covid-19 emergency funds to pay for additional staffing needs and for their pay increases.

Board Member Hugh McManus said he heard the teachers loud and clear.

What we heard tonight is disturbing. If it didn't get my attention or anybody elses sitting up here tonight, then we're everything we were called. That's what I want to find out. I want people, if they will, to tell us what is good at their school, and what is good in our county. I think we have a lot. We also have room for improvement, said McManus.

This was part of McManuss response to the presentation made by a potential climate survey vendor, Possip, selected by district staff. But McManus said he wasnt sure this was the right company for the job because it only asks about five questions via an app: I want to see the teachers respond, I want to listen to it. We got to do some work. So the survey, I'm sorry, this is not what I thought at all.

McManus also said if Possip was chosen as the climate vendor, he would want the board to review Possips questions and to also have the ability to create their own questions for the staff. But from the presentation, it appears that staff would only be able to influence one of the five questions.

Rachel Keith, WHQR News

Board Member Judy Justice also said she was disappointed in what district staff was proposing for the climate survey: Im shocked; this is not what I requested.

Chief Communications Officer Joshua Smith said that they selected Possip as a possible vendor because they have a team of statisticians to analyze the data with fidelity. Additionally, that they are a trusted third party to conduct the survey(s) and that they would be able to aggregate climate trends over time.

Board Member Stephanie Kraybill asked Possip representative Chima Mbadugha and Smith about the cost to contract with the company, but they said it was too early in the process to give estimates for the work.

But Board Chair Stefanie Adams said the vendor provides an innovative approach to surveying the staff. Member Nelson Beaulieu agreed with Adamss assessment of the vendor.

So, for now, talks are ongoing on how to best deliver a climate survey.

Board Discussions Over Teacher Morale

In response to the teaching assistants and the community who spoke in solidarity with the teachers, Board Member Judy Justice brought up a motion to discuss giving staff and students a half-day every Wednesday from December 1st, 2021 to January 26th, 2022. The motion passed unanimously, but when it came time for the discussion, only Justice and Board Member Stephanie Walker came out in support of the afternoon work time for staff.

Justice said, As you can see tonight, we need help across the board. But right now we need to deal with the immediate problems. We're losing teachers, right and left. And you know, some people are sort of like glossing it over and pretending it's not happening. But [losing] 12 teachers in a month, this time of year is ridiculous. 60 people leaving in the district and a lot of them are TAs, then we have bus drivers, we have people leaving everywhere. Someplace, we've got to give some relief. Somebody we've got to publicly make a statement, to me, to our teachers.

She added, If we can give the teachers, on Wednesdays, that three hours to plan to do that professional development that's required by the state, to do grades. I mean, there are multiple things they can't do during the week, so they [are probably working] 60 hours, some of them 80 hours a week now. I mean, I've been in those classrooms, I've been a teacher, I know what they're doing, and it's breaking my heart, and they can't teach well when they're doing that.

But Board Member Hugh McManus said he didnt want the students to miss more school. Chair Stefanie Adams and Member Nelson Beaulieu agreed. Dr. Foust also said that his staff was not prepared to speak on such a change to the school calendar and that he didnt agree with Justices proposal. He also said that its important for students to be in school for their AP and EOC exams.

There was no vote on Justices proposal, but Chair Adams said the boards December work session would be to figure out innovative solutions to supporting schools.

Board Member Stephanie Kraybill said about the work session get clear on outcomes for the meeting. Also during this discussion, Adams encouraged Justice to call Dr. Foust to discuss ideas on this work session topic.

During his report to the board, Superintendent Dr. Charles Foust said the district was conducting a salary audit but blamed the stalled state budget for a lack of pay raises and noted that local funds alone cannot sustain most district salaries. He added when hes seen Senator Michael Lee, whos co-chair of the Education Committee, and State Superintendent Catherine Truitt, that hes asked about the funding for staffing.

Foust also said hes recently met with his student, classified (which includes teachers assistants), and teacher advisory groups. He mentioned that the main theme that emerged from the teacher advisory group was to add more teacher workdays to the calendar.

Upcoming Vote on the District Mask Mandate

Also on the boards agenda was to vote on the districts mask mandate. Members voted 6 to 1, with Nelson Beaulieu dissenting, to delay the decision on masking in schools until next week.

The school board will wait for local health officials to decide on the countywide mask mandate this Friday, November 12th.

That decision will influence what the school board decides for teachers and students when they reconvene at a special meeting this coming Monday, November 15th.

Board members are requesting that public health staff be present to answer questions.

When it came time to close the meeting, Stefanie Adams announced she was stepping down from her role as chair but will continue on as a member in 2022. The vote for her replacement will likely take place at the board's December 7th meeting.

WHQR sent a list of questions including confirming the attrition numbers raised by Judy Justice for the district to answer after last evenings meeting, we will update the story when they respond.

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At New Hanover school board meeting teaching assistants criticize pay and working conditions - WHQR

Bruce Schroeder, the longest-serving circuit court judge in Wisconsin, is presiding over the homicide trial of Kyle Rittenhouse.

At times during Mr. Rittenhouses testimony on Wednesday he took a strict line with prosecutors, clashing with them over a reference to Mr. Rittenhouses silence in the months before the trial and an attempt to introduce testimony on a previous incident that the judge had ruled inadmissible.

The problem is this is a grave constitutional violation for you to talk about the defendants silence, Judge Schroeder told prosecutors.

Judge Schroeder, 75, who has said he believes that he has seen more homicide trials than any other judge in the state, graduated from Marquette Law School in 1970, worked as a prosecutor and began serving as a circuit judge in 1983.

His longevity is a subject of frequent conversation in the courtroom. As he said during jury selection in the trial, he has been in this business for 50 years.

In Kenosha legal circles, Judge Schroeder has a reputation for strictness in sentencing. He is known for delivering lectures to prospective jurors about their civic duty, which in this trial he likened to serving as an American soldier in Vietnam.

He frequently complains about media bias and the impact that news coverage can have on prospective jurors. As Judge Schroeder quizzed prospective jurors, he said that he has read news articles on the Rittenhouse case and has asked himself whether he was in the same courtroom that was described in the articles.

He has also acknowledged that some of the topics raised in pretrial hearings are new to him. Until this case, Judge Schroeder said in a hearing, he had never heard of the Proud Boys, a far-right group that offered support to Mr. Rittenhouse after the Kenosha shootings, and was unfamiliar with the O.K. hand sign as a gesture that has been co-opted by white supremacists.

The first time I saw it, or a version of it, was Chef Boyardee on a can of spaghetti, the judge said.

In one of the judges highest-profile cases, the 2008 murder trial of Mark Jensen who was accused of poisoning his wife, Julie, with antifreeze and then smothering her in their garage a conviction was overturned when appellate courts and the state Supreme Court ruled that Judge Schroeder had improperly allowed evidence in the trial.

The judge allowed the prosecution to present a letter that Julie Jensen had written and given to a neighbor, as well as voice mail messages she left for a police officer, suggesting that if anything happened to her, her husband would be responsible. Mr. Jensen will face a new trial next year.

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Who Is the Judge in the Kyle Rittenhouse Trial? - The New York Times

Smyrna man Joshua John Portlock was arrested Wednesday in connection with the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol, records show.

Video footage from the riotappeared to show Portlock pushing and moving barriers outside the Capitol, assaulting officers and joining a mob yelling"heave-ho" as they pushed into a tunnel on the Capitol's lower west terrace, according to a court document with a statement of facts from the FBI.

He faces seven charges:

Portlock is the 19th person with Tennessee ties to be arrested in connection with the Jan. 6 riot. Court records show heis set to make an initial appearance beforeMagistrate Judge Robin M. Meriweather on Nov. 9.

RIOT ARRESTS: 19 with Tennessee connections arrested in Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol riot investigation

Multiple tips came in to the FBI about Portlock.One tipster said they used to work with him in Dallas, Texas,and recognized him from photos posted to the FBI's Capitol violence page, the document said. That person also provided a phone number for Portlock. The FBI then identified Portlock through public records andfootage from the attack, along with speaking to a more recent co-worker of his that recognized him.

The document saidPortlockwas wearinga white cowboy hat with the words Trump 2020 on the front and Stop the Steal in red letters on the back. The hat also had anAmerican flag pattern printed under the rim. Under the cowboy hat, he was wearing a black beanie with an emblem the FBI said is affiliated with the Proud Boys, a sometimes violentfar-right group composed of all men.

Footage from Jan. 6 showsPortlock pushing against and moving barricades manned by officers and later joining other rioters in assaulting officers, the documentstated. At one point he grabbed what appeared to be a piece of plywood and used it to ram into and climb over officers with other rioters.

Footage showed him in a tunnel on the lower west terrace where rioters pinned officers against doors as they tried to force their way into the Capitol, according to the document. Footage from the tunnel attack was widely circulated on social media and across the news.

'THIS IS HOW I'M GOING TO DIE': At Jan. 6 hearing, officers tell of harrowing attacks

"Significantly, on at least two occasions, Portlock participated in 'heave-ho'efforts, by which multiple rioters collectively used their body mass for greater effect in pushing back officers by gaining momentum through leaning back and then pushing forward while chanting 'heave-ho'to coordinate their efforts," the document read.

Footage showedhim passing what appeared to bestolen U.S. Capitol Police riot shields to others to help fortify them during the "heave-ho" push, the document stated. He repeatedly disobeyed commands from officers to leave the tunnel. At one point during the tunnel altercation, Portlock appeared to stand aside with his hands up as another rioter struck an officer with a baton, according to the document.

Later, the document said, he appeared to check on oneofficer who had been beaten by rioters on the lower west terrace. He also grabbed the collar of another officer who had been beaten and pushed him into a handicap elevator, getting him away from other rioters.

Find reporter Rachel Wegner at rawegner@tennessean.com or on Twitter @rachelannwegner.

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Tennessee man wearing 'Trump 2020' hat arrested after U.S. Capitol riot, documents show - The Tennessean

The order comes a day after the U.S. Marshals Service said it found detainees living in unacceptable conditions in the main D.C. Jail facility.

Author: Jordan Fischer, Eric Flack, Stephanie Wilson

Published: 12:47 PM EDT November 3, 2021

Updated: 6:31 PM EDT November 3, 2021

WASHINGTON A day after the U.S. Marshals Service said it would transfer approximately 400 federal detainees out of the D.C. Jail, a judge Wednesday released a Proud Boy charged in the Capitol riot over concerns he wouldnt get adequate medical care.

U.S. District Judge Royce C. Lamberth called top D.C. Department of Corrections officials into court for the second time in a month to hear his ruling on a bond motion for Christopher Worrell. Lamberth held the warden of the D.C. Jail and the director of the DC DOCin contempt of court last month for ignoring his order to turn over notes from an orthopedic specialist who examined Worrell. The Justice Department says Worrell may have misled the court in framing a cosmetic surgery on his pinky as an emergency.

Worrell, a Naples, Florida, resident, has been in the custody of the D.C. Jail since his arrest in March on multiple felony charges in connection with the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. He is accused of joining other members of the Proud Boys in storming the U.S. Capitol Building and of assaulting federal officers with pepper gel spray. In June, Lamberth rejected a bid by Worrell to be released from jail over alleged threats he made against witnesses in his case.

After Lamberths contempt order last month, he referred the case to the DOJ for a possible civil rights investigation. His order also prompted the U.S. Marshals Service, which has responsibility for all federal detainees in D.C., to conduct an unannounced inspection at the D.C. Jails two facilities, known as the Central Detention Facility (CDF) and Central Treatment Facility (CTF). That inspection found serious issues at the larger CDF building. As a result, the Marshals announced they would move approximately 400 detainees in their custody out of CDF and transfer them to a federal facility in Pennsylvania.

The Marshals said in a statement Monday that the inspection did not find cause to move detainees out of the CTF, which is where the approximately 45 individuals in pretrial detention on charges related to January 6 are being held.

On Wednesday, however, Lamberth said as a result of the inspection he had zero confidence D.C. corrections officials would ensure Worrell, who has non-Hodgkins lymphoma, would get the medical care he needs. Lamberth also said he was worried guards at the facility would retaliate against Worrell, whose case helped prompt the inspection.

Lamberth ordered Worrell moved to a detention facility in Alexandria while he works out a third-party custodian to supervise his pretrial release. The Justice Department asked for him to be ordered into some form of electronic monitoring while he awaits trial.

Worrell isnt the only Capitol riot defendant to claim mistreatment in the CTF. In April, Ryan Samsel, a Pennsylvania man accused of knocking over a police officer during the January 6 riot, claimed he was beaten by a corrections officer who zip-tied his hands first.DC DOC denied the alleged assault and said an internal investigation had cleared the officer accused in the attack.

Neither D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser nor the D.C. Department of Corrections have yet publicly commented about the U.S. Marshals report. A DC DOC spokeswoman did not immediately return a request for comment Wednesday.

We're tracking all of the arrests, charges and investigations into the January 6 assault on the Capitol. Sign up for ourCapitol Breach Newsletterhere so that you never miss an update.

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Judge orders Proud Boy released from DC Jail over medical issues, fear of retaliation - WUSA9.com

Heres the thing about starting fights: You can always get your butt kicked. As drunk as any barroom brawler on Trumpist lies, many Americans appear to be fantasizing about political violence. According to a poll reported in The Washington Post, a large number of Republicans 3 in 10 believe violence might be justified to save our country.

That translates to about 12% of the American people, roughly 30 million. Its almost as if Jan. 6 never happened. I fear the fever wont break until theres a real shootout and a bunch of people get killed. This is America, after all. Next time, the Proud Boys are apt to bring more guns.

Also next time, the authorities will be better prepared. It appears that the single biggest factor in police and military unreadiness last January was sheer disbelief. Nobody imagined that a MAGA mob would actually storm the Capitol until they did it.

Alternatively, Trump could exit the scene, one way or another. There appears to be nobody else in American politics with his peculiar mix of shamelessness and showmanship to keep the MAGA masses enthralled.

Thats why the work of the bipartisan congressional committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection is so important, and why Trump is so determined to run out the clock filing nonsense lawsuits to keep the evidence of his chicanery from being revealed before the 2022 midterm elections. Seditious conspiracy is a serious crime, punishable by up to 20 years in prison.

Not that anybodys about to prosecute a former president. Actually, its more the cynicism and sheer incompetence of Trump and his inner circle that he needs to hide. Court filings showed him trying to prevent congressional investigators from examining more than 700 pages of evidence including handwritten notes, call logs of Trump and former Vice President Mike Pence, White House visitor records and much more.

He doesnt even want people knowing who was there, much less what they were talking about, before, during and after the storming of Congress.

But we already know plenty.

If you dont fight like hell, youre not going to have a country anymore, he told the crowd, vowing to march with them down Pennsylvania Avenue. A typically empty promise. Hes always preferred to lead from behind. Indeed, its doubtful Trump could actually walk that far in his girdle and elevator shoes.

Lets you and him fight is his favorite motto.

Nevertheless, Trumps henchmen understood. As Rep. Liz Cheney has pointed out, it appears that Mr. [Steve] Bannon had substantial advance knowledge of the plans for Jan. 6th and likely had an important role in formulating those plans. The day before this all occurred on Jan. 5th Mr. Bannon publicly professed knowledge that All hell is going to break loose tomorrow. He forecast that the day would be extraordinarily different than what most Americans expected.

Bannons podcast spoke of revolution. He urged listeners, Lets get ready. Its all converging, and now were on the point of attack tomorrow.

So was Bannon present at the White House on Jan. 6? Were he and Trump in regular contact? Theyd like to keep everybody from knowing.

Out in the street, groups styling themselves as the MAGA Militia had established three checkpoints: Cowboy, Minuteman and Rebel.

Like a bunch of kids playing guns. Now those hombres are headed for the hoosegow, poor dopes.

For two months, Trump had been bitching and boasting about the stolen election he lost by 7 million votes. On Nov. 21, he tweeted: The proof pouring in is undeniable. Many more votes than needed. This was a LANDSLIDE!

Meanwhile, his Rudy Giuliani-led team of bad lawyers filed 60 separate lawsuits charging electoral fraud. Because nothing says Trump like a bullsht lawsuit. In an astonishing display of incompetence, they lost all 60 for lack of evidence.

Come January, Trump found yet another legal crank who persuaded him that Pence a contestant in the election had the constitutional authority to determine the winner. He told the mob outside the White House that everything depended upon Pence.

At 2:24 p.m., as the MAGA mob breached the Capitol, Trump tweeted: Mike Pence didnt have the courage to do what should have been done to protect our Country and our Constitution.

A chant went up in the crowd: Hang Mike Pence.

John Eastman, the crackpot lawyer, emailed Pences chief of staff, then hiding with his boss in the Capitol basement: The siege is because YOU and your boss did not do what was necessary.

Now he says he was just kidding it was a purely academic exercise.

Trump followed the action on TV for another three hours. When House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy begged him to act, Trump refused. You know what I see, Kevin? I see people who are more upset about the election than you are. They like Trump more than you do.

Any questions?

We are making critical coverage of the coronavirus available for free. Please consider subscribing so we can continue to bring you the latest news and information on this developing story.

Arkansas Times columnist Gene Lyons is a National Magazine Award winner and co-author of The Hunting of the President (St. Martins Press, 2000

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Committee forges ahead while Trump stalls | Opinion | goshennews.com - Goshen News

The Washington Post on Sunday published an astounding piece of investigative journalism on the Jan. 6 insurrection.

If you dont already have a subscription, its worth getting one.

The report represents the work of 75 journalists who interviewed more than 230 people, studied thousands of pages of documents and internal law-enforcement reports and reviewed videos and audio recordings.

The three-part series concludes the attack was premeditated. Its an indictment.

This comes as the U.S. House commission on Jan. 6 continues its inquiry, and former President Donald Trump has sued to prevent it from obtaining records, claiming executive privilege.

It also comes after Trump encouraged others to ignore the commissions subpoenas. Former Trump White House adviser Steve Bannon is now facing criminal contempt proceedings for doing so.

The Posts timeline serves as the most complete accounting leading up to the Jan. 6 attack. It details calls, meetings, social media posts, official reports and other events that led to a violent insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.

Insurrectionists missed by seconds capturing Vice President Mike Pence and other congressional leaders as they certified 2020 election results. One report showed that the life of Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, was particularly threatened.

So was House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, whose homes were vandalized weeks prior to the attack, the newspaper reported.

The Post investigation puts to rest doubts about the far-right forces that continue to threaten U.S. democracy.

Among the newspapers investigation findings: Domestic terrorists used social media sites to communicate, plan, arm themselves and execute the attack.

They took direction from Trump, who did nothing for 187 minutes as the attack unfolded on television.

The investigation lays out how agencies failed to listen, especially to one another; were consumed by political events; or were unprepared or unwilling to respond to an attack led by white, middle-aged rioters, the newspaper reported.

The Post concludes the violence wasnt a unique event but part of a long scheme, one battle in a war.

The newspaper strings together events beginning in spring 2020, when Trump began questioning state elections in which he sensed hed lose.

The big tell came during the first presidential debate when he was asked to condemn white supremacists and militia groups. He wouldnt.

Instead, he told the far-right Proud Boys to stand back and stand by.

The groups leader responded in real time, the Post revealed, saying, Standing by, sir.

When Pennsylvania went to President Joe Biden, giving him the electoral votes to win, groups like the Three Percenters and QAnon extremists began converging on state capitals, the Post reported.

They were a prelude.

Two months before Jan. 6, Proud Boys and other extremists rallied in Washington. A Capitol police officer sensed they were sizing up the force.

By Dec. 12, Trump supporters were in Washington again with 700 Proud Boys. Some wore earpieces to communicate with each other.

The FBI believed the principal danger was street clashes. The Post concluded that would prove to be a grave miscalculation.

The Stop the Steal rally got a permit, applying for it under a different name. The National Park Service later allowed the permit to grow from 5,000 people to 30,000.

The Proud Boys raised money online for communications equipment and protective gear. Another group, the Boogaloo Boys, coordinated efforts with avowed neo-Nazis, the newspaper reported.

Members of this unholy alliance traveled to Washington as would other Trump supporters.

A week before Jan. 6, the FBI lost its third-party monitoring service that alerts agents and analysts to social media posts of note. A new service limited its understanding of what was going on.

The Post investigation criticizes Capitol Police leadership with a pattern of miscommunication, poor planning and sloppiness that left their officers ill-equipped.

The FBI got tougher criticism for its long-running institutional unease with investigating domestic extremism. The bureau was accused of tempering its reaction to threats of violence from White, middle-aged and middle-class Americans.

The consequences of that day are still coming into focus, the report states. But what is already clear is that the insurrection was not a spontaneous act nor an isolated event.

It was a battle in a war propelled by lies about voting fraud. Its a war against U.S. democracy.

Whats worse is the man largely responsible remains the leader of the GOP party.

eayala@express-news.net

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Ayala: Investigation connects the events that led to Jan. 6 - San Antonio Express-News

Mark Lee wore a camouflage shirt and tactical vest as he walked down SW Alder Street on Aug. 8. Slung across his shoulder was what appeared to be a semi-automatic rifle.

A person who had crossed paths with Lee called 911. It was 10:09 p.m., and the first such call dispatchers would receive that night. The caller described the scene as fucking weird and said the 23-year-old was kinda talking about how I was safe, but maybe others werent.

He had a very large assault rifle, the caller said.

It would take another 16 minutes for police to learn Lee was not carrying a real rifle, but instead an airsoft replica, according to call logs and dispatch recordings reviewed by OPB.

Mark A. Lee, 23, of Portland pleaded guilty to menacing and unlawful use of a weapon after he pointed a realistic looking airsoft rifle at several people during a protest on Aug. 8, 2021.

Portland Police Bureau

In total, over the course of about 30 minutes, nine people dialed 911 to report the incident or request police assistance.

Right in front of Pioneer Courthouse Square, theres a fellow with a long gun walking down the road there, one caller reported.

When the dispatcher said they had received multiple calls about a man fitting that description with an AR-15 over his shoulder, the caller responded more urgently.

Oh hes holding it, hes got his finger on the trigger, he said, explaining that people were following him screaming, Hes got a gun.

Officers did not dispatch to the scene as Lee strolled through downtown Portland, pointing his replica rifle at protesters and journalists. Those bystanders and the rest of the public wouldnt learn the rifle was fake for hours.

The incident took place after violent street clashes between members of the far right extremist group the Proud Boys and anti-fascists attempting to chase them out of town. The Proud Boys, a violent far right group which played a central role in the Jan. 6 insurrection, had been providing security at Waterfront Park for a religious event hosted by fringe Christian songwriter and anti-COVID restriction activist Sean Feucht.

The Portland Police Bureau later explained its lack of response to the calls about Lee by stating its officers were occupied responding to several higher priority calls, including a homicide and a person in a mental health crisis.

In the weeks that followed, the bureau came under intense criticism for failing to respond to a violent Aug. 22 protest between far right demonstrators and anti-fascists in the Parkrose neighborhood. Police were also largely absent in October as a crowd of approximately 100 anarchists smashed windows downtown.

The calls about Lee reviewed by OPB show people contacting 911 expressed urgency over a seemingly armed man pointing a gun at people.

Theres one guy whos got tactical gear on. Hes got an AR-15 slung in front, wearing a camo shirt, another caller reported. He definitely has an AR-15.

As Lee moved east on Alder toward the Morrison Bridge, he pulled out his phone and called 911 himself.

Im being tailed by antifa and I need immediate evac, Lee told the dispatcher at 10:23 p.m. If they get too close again I will

Lee, who reported the crowd had been threatening him, cut himself off to yell at people heard screaming in the background.

Around two minutes into the conversation, the dispatcher asked Lee if he had any weapons on him.

Yes, I have an airsoft M4, he said in a quieter voice.

Over the next several minutes, the dispatcher relayed communications between an unnamed Portland police sergeant and Lee as the officer attempted to guide him toward another officer, first on Alder Street near the Morrison Bridge and then toward the bureaus Central Precinct, located at 2nd Avenue and Main Street.

Im not going south on 2nd, Lee told the dispatcher. Thats too risky. I will meet them at the Morrison Bridge. They better be there.

Lee told the dispatcher there were protesters along 2nd Avenue, and that going toward the precinct would be risking his life.

Four and a half minutes later, as Lee was trying to make his way to Central Precinct, he told the dispatcher a police cruiser had driven past him. Lee said he needed to be met at the federal courthouse, and the dispatcher assured him protesters were not at the police precinct.

Alright, I need them to be at the entrance to the back. I need to just walk in, Lee said. There needs to be officers inside, ready for me to walk in.

As Lee approached the precinct, the dispatcher asked him to put the rifle on his shoulder because the waiting police officers wouldnt want him carrying it.

I cannot because they are too close to me, Lee replied, referring to a crowd of journalists, protesters and onlookers near him. I will turn the safety on at least.

As an officer came into his view, Lee continued to make demands to the dispatcher and officers. He told the dispatcher to have the officer approach, explaining he needs somewhat of a buffer to get up to you guys.

The waiting officers wanted Lee to approach with his hands on his head, the dispatcher said, but he refused.

I cant do that, he said. Once I hit the corner, I will and I will get off the phone with you.

After 18 minutes and 15 seconds on the call with 911, Lee hung up. Video of the incident shows him surrendering to the waiting officers.

Lee was released that night but was eventually arrested and charged with menacing and unlawful use of a weapon. He pleaded guilty to both charges and was sentenced to two years probation for menacing, with the stipulation that he not possess firearms or airsoft weapons. Sentencing for the felony weapon charge was deferred pending the outcome of his probation.

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A far right protester carried an airsoft gun through downtown Portland for 16 minutes before police knew it wasnt real - OPB News

At one point in the Oct. 17 New York Times article about the Jan. 6 insurrection, 90 Seconds of Rage (https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/10/16/us/capitol-riot.html), the authors state that, Nearly a quarter of the more than 600 people arrested in connection with the riot have been charged with assaulting or impeding police officers. But only a handful of that subset have any ties to extremist provocateurs like the Oath Keepers or the Proud Boys. The most violent on Jan. 6 were the most ordinary. The seven citizens the article then focuses its attention upon as being representative examples of ordinary people, and who have since been charged with the most serious crimes, are To a man, described in superlatives by relatives and friends: perfect neighbor, devout churchgoer, attentive father, good guy.

It is this ordinary and good guy appearance about so many of those who participated in the D.C. riot, as well as the millions of Trump supporters, in general, who are convinced by his Big Lie that the election was stolen that especially concerns me. For as the Times article makes clear, these average Joes were not present at the Capitol as curious tourists; one was armed, for example, with brass knuckles, another with a clutch of zip-tie handcuffs, and all of them were caught on videos as actively participating in the sustained and vicious attacks on the police, punching, kicking, stomping on, clubbing with hockey sticks and flag poles, pulling down stairs these guardians of our democracys citadel from their treasonous assault. Rather than the acts of far right militias, these were the behaviors of uninhibited rage by our neighbors, our friends, members of our families who normally go about their business, not causing any fuss. They were everyday folks: people like us.

Thus the question arises: how might we respond to apparently good people whose loyalty and devotion to the former president nevertheless represents a very real threat to our democracy?

This exercise begins with an acceptance of our basic connection with Trump supporters as fellow living beings, and hence appreciating how much we have in common with them. For some of us, this became apparent during the 2016 election when we realized that Bernie Sanders could probably win over many Trump voters had he been the Democrat candidate (instead of Clinton and her alienating deplorables neo-liberalism), because of his no BS, well-grounded, populist proposals that he had espoused his entire political career, and which were presented without Trumps racist, misogynist overlay. Speaking from the gut level concerns of working and middle class people, beyond their political affiliations, Bernie was the real deal.

This congruence between two seemingly irreconcilable camps is still alive today. Despite the destructive filibusters of Republican politicians, polls demonstrate that a large majority of Americans (including many rank and file Republicans) support President Bidens trillion dollar infrastructure plan as well as taxing the very rich to help finance this effort.

Our connection with Trumpers is further suggested by the observation in the Times piece that the police and rioters on January 6 had differing understandings of patriotism. In the minds of both, they saw themselves as the true patriots. Rather than shaking our heads in disbelief and disgust as to how people could so easily be taken in by the Big Lie so as to commit treasonous acts, we might better consider that many rioters saw themselves as doing the right thing as patriotic Americans, much as the police believed about themselves in their heroic efforts to protect the Capitol from an insurrectionist mob.

By increasingly recognizing this interconnection with our fellow living beings, so are we better able to realize wholesome relationships, including with Trump supporters. We see that were all together in this business of living life, doing the best we can to realize the happiness we all want for ourselves. In this way, we begin to introduce into our everyday practice an acceptance of each other and ourselves for the imperfect, mixed bags we are. This is the basis of righteous relationships.

No longer do we waste our time trying to convince others of their wrongheaded opinions and the correctness of ours, or insult and put them down when they invariably resist us. Rather than opposing, we spend our time with them just being fully present, listening to what they have to say, learning about and appreciating, while most likely continuing to disagree with them. Not only do we understand that it is a fools errand to try to change others, it invariably only exacerbates the ill will that is already present when were oppositional.

More importantly, it is only with unconditional acceptance of the other that we can behave with the kindness, compassion and wholehearted, everyday friendliness that are the necessary ingredients of virtuous relationships. While forceful resistance, such as the police exercised on Jan. 6, may be necessary at times, maintaining intentional goodwill our true nature toward all, including those whose anti-democracy attitudes and behaviors we oppose, is the ultimate antidote for the fascist threat that currently stalks the land. Nothing less will do. The only answer to fascism and its effort to destroy democracy is a practice infused with everyday moral values, lived as a way of life by we the people.

Tim Stevenson is a community organizer with Post Oil Solutions from Athens, and author of Resilience and Resistance: Building Sustainable Communities for a Post Oil Age (2015, Green Writers Press). The opinions expressed by columnists do not necessarily reflect the views of the Brattleboro Reformer.

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Stevenson | Living with the Long Emergency: The most ordinary folks - Brattleboro Reformer

The prosecutors in the upcoming trial of Kyle Rittenhouse cannot refer to the two people he stands accused of killing in Kenosha, Wisconsin during racial justice protests last year as victims, a judge has decided.

Circuit Judge Bruce Schroeder decided on Monday that the term was too loaded, but that Mr Rittenhouses legal team can use words such as rioters and looters to refer to the men who were shot if they could produce evidence to back up the designations.

If more than one of these people were engaged in arson, rioting or looting, then Im not going to tell the defence they cant call them that, the judge said during a hearing on Monday.

The word victim is a loaded, loaded word. And I think alleged victim is a cousin to it, he added. Rulings like this arent uncommon in trials deciding cases of self-defence, The Chicago Tribune reported.

Mr Rittenhouse reportedly shot and killed two men and injured a third man in August of 2020. Joseph Rosenbaum, 36, and Anthony Huber, 26, died following the shooting, while Gaige Grosskreutz, also 26, survived the ordeal.

The city was at that time in an uproar over the police shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man. After being shot several times in the back, Mr Blake was partially paralyzed.

Prosecutors say the then-17-year-old Mr Rittenhouse came from his home in Illinois to Kenosha, in between Milwaukee and Chicago, close to the border between Wisconsin and Illinois. Prosecutors say Mr Rittenhouse used an AR-15-like rifle to shoot some of the protesters. The 18-year-old is facing several counts of felonies, such as reckless homicide and reckless endangerment. He also faces some misdemeanour counts, including being a minor in possession of a firearm.

The teenager has pleaded not guilty to all the charges and the trial is scheduled to begin on 1 November. The lawyers for Mr Rittenhouse have argued that he was acting in self-defence and that he was in Kenosha to protect businesses from looters.

When he turned himself in to police in Illinois some hours later, he claimed that the men attacked him. Use-of-force expert John Black, a member of Mr Rittenhouses defence team, has argued that he was in reactionary mode when he discharged his firearm.

Numerous conservatives have lauded Mr Rittenhouse for pushing back against the protests. His supporters raised more than $2m to pay for his bail. The judge decided last month that the prosecutors cannot draw connections between Mr Rittenhouse and the far-right group the Proud Boys.

Assistant District Attorney Thomas Binger requested that he be allowed to make the case that Mr Rittenhouse subscribed to the White supremacist beliefs of the Proud Boys. Mr Binger cited the January meeting between Mr Rittenhouse and members of the Proud Boys at a bar, as well as his meeting with the groups national president last year. But the judge instead ruled that theres nothing that proves that Mr Rittenhouse was close to the group at the time of the shooting in August 2020.

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Judge in Kyle Rittenhouse trial says lawyers cannot refer to two people he's accused of killing as 'victims' - The Independent

The flurry of violence from far right street gangs and militias in cities like Portland, Oregon, have become so common in the years since former President Donald Trumps rise that they have become an expected part of the U.S. political theater. Groups like the Proud Boys regularly descend into liberal cities to attack counterdemonstrations, notably when the Black Lives Matter protests erupted around the country in 2020 in response to the killing of George Floyd.

Rather than being able to depend on the police for protection, activists have regularly pointed to the inability or unwillingness of police to intervene in these attacks, often seeing police standing far away when the far right readies weapons, only to return to policing when its only anti-racist demonstrators left. This has been seen in the dozens of confrontations that have happened between the far right and anti-fascists in Portland, including on August 22 of this year, when activists pushed a Proud Boy rally away from the city center.

One year earlier, on August 22, 2020, a Back the Blue rally was held in Portland in front of the Multnomah County Justice Center, the legal building that had been the center of abolitionist protests for months. There, Proud Boys and other far right groups led a string of assaults on counterdemonstrators, including hitting them with batons, shooting them with paintball guns and mace, and even drawing loaded firearms. Police stayed several blocks away, asking all protesters to police themselves over their megaphone, yet were heavy-handed with nonviolent anti-racist protesters later that same day. With the far right groups allowed access to the city and leaving without intervention, it seemed as though they simply were given impunity to attack the anti-racist protesters.

That was until one of the leaders of the group, Alan Swinney, was arrested and charged with multiple violent felony counts stemming from his behavior during the protest. Over a year later, the guilty verdict has been handed down, making a clear statement to the community about what kind of violence these figures are capable of.

Swinney had become a staple of these far right rallies that often sought out left-wing activists for attack. With a large Proud Boy tattoo on his arm (though the Proud Boys claim he is not a member), and an imposing height, he often made his presence known through aggressive confrontations while livestreaming.

On August 22, 2020, he led a crowd that inflicted numerous assaults and was even photographed pointing a handgun at a protester, finger on the trigger. He was eventually arrested under numerous charges related to his violent behavior on that day, and he also faced a $1 million lawsuit from people who say they were victimized by him. Swinneys trial brought the question of his guilt to the forefront of the community.

Jury selection began by asking potential jurors how they felt about key political issues, such as the left/right divide, gun rights and the police. D, who asked to be identified by an initial due to fears of retaliation from Swinneys supporters, is a juror who sat on Swinneys trial. D tells Truthout that during jury selection, court officials asked them questions about their views on gun rights, whether D owns a firearm and whether they have ever been a victim of assault.

The court seemed to prepare for potential violence from the start by holding three court rooms for the proceedings, D says: one for supporters of Swinney, one for people not clearly identified as his supporters and one for the actual proceedings. This allowed the jury to remain anonymous to the public and disallow Swinneys supporters to potentially intimidate them.

D told Truthout that Swinneys attorneys continually argued he was acting in self-defense, claiming Swinney was feeling nervous and fearful in response to each new piece of evidence put forward by the prosecution. [The prosecution] showed a lot of Parler and social media posts where [Swinney] literally said, This is civil war, were ready to fight. This is where we attack, D tells Truthout.

The prosecution also played a leaked video from Swinneys body-worn camera that was previously published by this reporter in a Bellingcat story. The leaked video was dropped August 22, 2020, and contains private conversations from multiple prior rallies in which Swinney appears to plan for acts of violence. In one audio portion, he suggested that his comrades should videotape counterdemonstrators with the hope that they can catch anti-fascists engaging in violence so that they can legally justify their violent retaliations. Everybody needs to have their cameras rolling in case anyone gets an assault, just like yell out, Got one. We need to make sure weve got assaults on video, Swinney says in the leaked footage. If weve got [an assault] on video and stuff, and we know we got it on video and we have several on video, then nothing is going to happen because we just show the judge the video. In other videos, captured by Swinney himself, he admits to macing dozens of anti-fascist activists.

This made an impact on the jury in revealing that Swinney had planned attacks ahead of time and simply viewed claims of self-defense as a ruse to justify violence against anti-fascist demonstrators. In the same leaked footage, Swinney says that bear mace, an extremely volatile form of mace, is worth every penny when you get to spray antifa with it, and that supporters who provide money for the mace get a lot of satisfaction knowing they were responsible for that pain.

Swinneys public defenders tried to cast both Black Lives Matter protesters and anti-fascists as equally responsible for violence. Swinney himself took the stand during the trial to try and build up the claim of self-defense, but this did little to sway the jurys decisions. The leaked video, which clearly showed Swinney pulling a firearm and assaulting multiple people, was clear.

You see the juxtaposition as a really tall guy with all of that gear, versus someone who looks like they just walked up off the street. It was impossible for me to think that he genuinely felt scared with all of that evidence put together, D tells Truthout.

D voted along with the other members of the jury to convict Swinney on 11 of the 12 counts against him, including one count of assault in the second degree, two counts of unlawful use of mace in the second degree and pointing a firearm. (He was found not guilty on one assault charge.) Swinney is now awaiting sentencing, which could lead to a lengthy prison stay.

Convictions like these reinforce the idea that the Proud Boys are a violent street gang, says John Tilly, a local Portland activist who alleges he was assaulted by Swinney on August 15, 2020, and who has faced numerous other assaults while photographing Proud Boy events.

Many activists question whether this verdict will actually effect lasting change, or, despite getting one violent figure off the streets, will allow the conditions that created Swinney to continue.

I think that [the verdict] might dissuade some non-long-haul fascists. [But] I dont think were suddenly going to see folks open their eyes to the violence that is deeply rooted in these groups, says A, the person who originally leaked the video used as evidence at the trial. A is also using an initial due to fears of retribution from Proud Boys or their supporters. While I personally object to a carceral system, I feel that looking at the justice system as it exists right now, this was a very favorable outcome for anti-fascists.

These mixed feelings were shared by a number of people who are survivors of violence by Swinney and other far right groups.

Verdicts like these are incredibly rare, says Melissa Lewis, who says she was attacked by Swinney and supporters on August 22, 2020, and witnessed him brandish a revolver. The verdict means very little to me, which Im sure will surprise a lot of people. [I am] an abolitionist, and I know prison will only make people like Swinney worse [when] he will be released in a few years. But I dont shed any tears for fascists who go on the stand and make absolute fools of themselves.

D had similarly mixed feelings even while voting to convict, which they said was the only accurate verdict given the evidence that was presented. On the one hand, the prison system is awful, and it is not anything I necessarily agree with. On the other hand, Swinney definitely should not be able to have such a large audience and should not be able to move as freely as he does. He literally travels the country to go to these events. Hes violent, says D. [Its] one less violent white supremacist on the street. However, I know he is going to come out of the prison system even more radical than he is. This is a victory for the left in a way, but it is not a cure. It is hitting at a symptom of the system, rather than an overhaul.

While the Swinney verdict does appear as a bright spot for those who have been concerned that groups like this are able to operate with impunity, it is not a real solution to the issue. Instead, deeper reforms and community accountability are necessary to unseat the conditions that allow groups like the Proud Boys to flourish in the first place. This is part of the role that anti-fascists see themselves playing: creating a solution to community protection that relies on solidarity and mutual aid rather than the carceral approach that police present.

Even though the cops and media would like folks to believe otherwise, anti-fascism is self-defense. These groups want us dead, says A. People need to see for themselves any time there is an opportunity to expose them.

That exposure is a key part of anti-fascist strategies, which are only continuing in the post-Trump years as the far right continues to descend on city after city. In that reality, there will likely be more court cases like Swinneys, yet the limitations of this legal approach to public safety are glaring and many radical organizers are looking to build up alternatives.

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Leaked Video Helped Lead to the Conviction of a Far Right "Proud Boy" - Truthout