Category Archives: Proud Boys

New commission to ensure City policies and programs are equitable for Black men and boys and to engage with communities via public meetings

In her ongoing efforts to make Boston a city for everyone, today Mayor Michelle Wu announced the members of the Black Men & Boys Commission made up of community leaders, experts and residents throughout the citys neighborhoods. The Commission will be directly engaging with community members to address concerns through public meetings and a planned listening tour.

This group of leaders, community members, and visionaries are here to serve the City of Boston and everyone in our communities, said Mayor Michelle Wu. Were especially proud to be here today on Malcolm Xs birthday. This office carries his legacy and the legacy of many Black activists who dedicated their lives to justice no matter the cost. This commission will be community grounded and community oriented.

The Black Men and Boys Commission is crucial in ensuring the Citys policies, programs and resources align with Mayor Wus vision for a more equitable Boston, said Frank Farrow, Executive Director of the Mayors Office of Black Male Advancement. Im excited to start working with the Commission and encourage all residents to engage with us as we collectively work to improve outcomes for Black men and boys in our city.

In 2021, a city ordinance, sponsored by City Councilor At-Large Julia Mejia, was passed to create a commission to study and address issues facing Bostons Black men and boys. Later, Mayor Kim Janey signed the ordinance establishing Bostons first Black Men and Boys Commission. A similar commission was first proposed in 2014 by former District 7 City Councilor Tito Jackson, which received support from the City Council. The commission will advise the Mayor on issues pertaining to Black men and boys and be tasked with implementing projects and programs in City agencies that promote equity.

"The Black Men and Boys Commission, under the leadership of Executive Director Frank Farrow, will be an essential part of our mission in the Equity & Inclusion cabinet, said Mariangely Solis Cervera, Chief of Equity & Inclusion. As we transform city practices, we will continue to seek the advice and accountability of community leaders who want to see the City of Boston reach its full potential. Looking forward to this partnership!"

The Commission will be housed within the Mayors Office For Black Male Advancement and consist of 21 members. Mayor Wu appointed seven members who are experts on issues facing Black men and boys in Boston, seven members from fourteen nominees with experience or knowledge on issues facing Black men and boys in Boston submitted by the City Council, and seven members from a pool of applicants with experience or knowledge on issues facing Black men and boys in Boston.

The first meeting will be held on Wednesday, June 1, 2022 at 6 p.m. at the Bruce C. Bolling Building in Nubian Square. Following the June meeting, the Commission will meet on the first Wednesday of every month at the Bolling Building in Nubian Square. All Commission meetings will be open to the public, press and posted online at the BMA website. For more information, please contact the BMA office at bma@boston.gov.

This July and August, the Commission will engage in a community listening tour to gather primary data about the issues facing Black men and boys from residents across Bostons neighborhoods. In January 2023, the Commission will produce an annual report with a series of analyses and recommendations with the goal of driving forward the Citys work to improve outcomes for Black men and boys in Boston.

"As a proud advocate and honorary member of this long-overdue commission, I am so invigorated by the incredible group of leaders and experts across our city who will listen to community and uplift policies that will serve to advance and empower our Black men and boys, said City Councilor Brian Worrell. I am looking forward to the first meeting and the critical work this commission will do to address the needs of our Black male peers in Boston.

I am humbled to join the Black Men and Boys Commission, said Maddrey Goode, Black Men and Boys Commission Member. As a life-long resident of Roxbury, ensuring that Black men and youth have access to equitable opportunities is of the utmost importance to me. My focus is to help build a better Boston that focuses not just on diversity and inclusion, but most importantly equity for our present and future Black citizens, leaders, and generations.

Im excited to join the commission to pay forward the support that has been poured into me by other black men and amplify organizations that are already uplifting Black men and boys, said Abdullah Beckett, Black Men and Boys Commission Member. My experience as President of My Brothers Keeper at UMass Boston has shown me that Black excellence is abundant, however, no one can succeed alone. Success comes from a collective effort, an ideology that I have led MBK at UMass Boston with and will carry forward with this Commission.

Commission Members

* Selected from the Boston City Council recommendations

About Mayors Office of Black Male Advancement

The Office of Black Male Advancement works to empower Black men & boys and to ensure they have equitable access to opportunities in the City. The Office also focuses on policies, programs, resources, and local and national partnerships. Additionally, BMA directs and supports the efforts of the Black Men and Boys Commission and My Brothers Keeper Boston. For more information, please visit the BMA website.

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Mayor Wu Announces Members of the Black Men & Boys Commission - Boston.gov

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Vladimir Putin has threatened allies of Ukraine that if any country were to intervene in the war, it would be hit with lightning-fast retaliation.

The Russian presidents remarks to lawmakers in St Petersburg came as the UK called for Moscow to be so weakened militarily that Putin could no longer threaten European security.

If someone intends to intervene in the ongoing events from the outside, and create strategic threats for Russia that are unacceptable to us, they should know that our retaliatory strikes will be lightning-fast, said Putin. He said Moscow had all the tools for this, saying he wanted everyone to know Russia would use them if necessary.

The Minneapolis police department engaged in a pattern of racial discrimination for at least a decade, a state inquiry launched after George Floyds murder found.

After an almost two-year investigation, the report by the Minnesota department of human rights found a trend of:

Stopping and arresting Black people at a higher rate.

Using force more often on people of color.

A culture where racist language is tolerated.

The report said that the agency and the city would negotiate a court-enforceable agreement known as a consent decree to deal with problems it identified. Rebecca Lucero, the human rights commissioner, said the agreement would remain in force for as long as it takes to do it right.

Who will be involved in the consent decree? It will include input from residents, officers and city staff among others.

What other immediate changes did the report suggest? Stronger accountability of officers conduct, improving training and better communication with the public about critical incidents such as officer-involved shootings.

A member of the far-right Proud Boys group has pleaded guilty to obstructing police officers during the January 6 Capitol attack.

Louis Enrique Colon, from Missouri, admitted to crossing police barricades during the riot and climbing a wall. After entering the Capitol building, he used his hands and a chair to obstruct police who were trying to lower retractable doors to stop the rioters.

Colon, 45, was charged in February 2021, with four others in the Kansas City Proud Boys chapter. He is the first defendant in that case to plead guilty.

What sentence does he face? A statutory maximum of five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. He is likely to get a reduced sentence for cooperation.

It comes two weeks after a Proud Boys leader, Charles Donohoe, pleaded guilty to obstructing an official proceeding and assaulting and impeding police officers.

The consulting firm McKinsey has denied illegally hiding work for the drugmaker Purdue Pharma while it advised the Food and Drug Administration. A report found consultants worked with the pharmaceutical company, which kickstarted the opioid epidemic, while simultaneously advising the FDA on drug safety. McKinseys global managing partner said the firm was protecting client confidentiality and denied a conflict of interest, saying it was not advising on regulation.

New Yorks highest court has ruled against the states new congressional district maps, which were broadly viewed as pro-Democrat. The party had hoped redrawing New York district boundaries would lessen expected losses in redistricted Republican-voting states.

A pile of about 150 skulls found by Mexican police near the Guatemalan border are from sacrificial victims killed between AD900 and 1200, a decade-long analysis has determined. Police in 2012 thought they were looking at a crime scene.

Global measles cases have soared by nearly 80% this year amid disruption caused by the pandemic, the UN has said. Covid-19 has disrupted vaccination drives for other diseases around the world. More than 17,300 measles cases were reported in January and February, compared with about 9,600 during the same period last year.

Just a few years ago, it seemed to some that the US was consistently marching towards greater legislative rights and societal inclusion for LGBTQ+ people, from marriage equality in 2015 to the 2020 supreme court ruling that the 1964 Civil Rights Act protected gay, lesbian and transgender workers. Fast forward to the present day and LGBTQ+ Americans are once again under attack, with a slew of anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric and legislation. Peter-Astrid Kane charts how this happened.

Destruction of pristine rainforests continued at a relentless pace in 2021, with 11.1m hectares (27.4m acres) of tree cover lost in the tropics last year, including 3.75m hectares of primary forest that is key to reducing global heating and biodiversity loss. The figures have triggered concerns governments will not meet a Cop26 agreement to halt and reverse deforestation by 2030.

No, really KFC has designed a handbag for the British market, retailing at 198 ($248) and shaped to be carry one of its Twister Wraps. The chicken chain claims there is a waiting list for the Wrapuette.

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First Thing: Putin warns Ukraine allies against intervention - The Guardian

A member of the far-right Proud Boys group on Wednesday pleaded guilty to obstructing police officers when he joined the 6 January 2021, insurrection at the US Capitol by supporters of then-president Donald Trump, in their attempt to overturn his election defeat.

The plea agreement filed in federal court in Washington, DC, calls for Louis Enrique Colon of Missouri to admit to a single felony charge and cooperate with prosecutors.

Colon admitted to crossing police barricades during the riot before climbing a wall to gain access to a higher level of the Capitol.

While inside the Capitol building, Colon used his hands and a chair to obstruct police officers who were trying to lower retractable doors to stop rioters from streaming into the building.

The attack followed a rally led by Trump near the White House, in which he urged thousands gathered to advance to the Capitol and fight like hell while both chambers of the US Congress were convening to certify Joe Bidens victory over Trump in the 2020 election.

Bidens win was certified in the early hours of the following day after lawmakers, staff and journalists had fled for their lives during the deadly riot at the Capitol.

Colon, 45, was charged in February 2021, along with four other members of the Kansas City metro chapter of the Proud Boys group. He is the first defendant in that case to plead guilty.

A judge had imposed monitoring conditions on Colon while he awaited trial. Colon will be sentenced later this year, and he faces a statutory maximum of five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.

He will probably receive a reduced sentence because of his admission of responsibility and cooperation.

Colon was not charged in the same conspiracy case as Enrique Tarrio, the former Proud Boys chairman and one of the most high-profile of the 800 people facing criminal charges relating to the riot.

Colons plea comes two weeks after a Proud Boys leader, Charles Donohoe, pleaded guilty to obstructing an official proceeding, and assaulting and impeding police officers.

Meanwhile, in a different criminal case, one of the dozens of police officers injured during the insurrection testified on Wednesday that he didnt punch or pick a fight with a retired New York police officer charged with attacking the officer.

Thomas Webster, whose trial on an assault charge started this week, claims he was acting in self-defense when he tackled Metropolitan police department officer Noah Rathbun outside the Capitol on 6 January 2021.

Rathbun said he reached out with an open left hand and pushed Webster in the face after the New York man shoved a bike rack at him. Rathbun said he was trying to move Webster back from a security perimeter that officers were struggling to maintain behind rows of bike racks.

Its unfortunate to be in the nations capital and be treated like that by another citizen, Rathbun said during the second day of Websters trial.

Videos shown by prosecutors depict Webster shoving a bike rack at Rathbun before swinging a flag pole at the officer in a downward chopping motion, striking a metal barricade in front of the officer.

After Rathbun grabbed the broken pole and retreated, Webster charged at the officer and tackled him to the ground.

Rathbun said he started choking and couldnt breathe when Webster grabbed his gas mask and the chin strap pressed against the officers neck.

Separately from the hundreds of criminal prosecutions, a special House of Representatives committee is investigating any links between Trump, his White House team, congressional Republicans and the insurrection.

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Proud Boys member pleads guilty for role in US Capitol attack - The Guardian

Video clips from street cameras in Akron's Highland Square show a more complete picture of what happened before and during a highly publicized incident in which a Proud Boys member punched a woman and yelled racial slurs at her, according to the man's attorney.

The clips show fights outside a bar that took place immediately before and after Andrew Walls of Kent yelled at and punched the woman.

Walls' attorney, Andrew J. Wides, released three video clips from Feb. 27 that show an obviously agitated Walls was the first person punched in what quickly turned into a brawl involving men and women. Wides said he is hoping to get identifications on some of the people in the videos.

Walls is charged with three misdemeanors in the case and continues to be investigated. As of Monday, no one else has has been charged in the incident.

One person, a man wearingtan pants who was pushed to the sidewalk and then punched and kicked by men and womenduring the incident, is now a client, Wides said. He has declined so far to name the person.

Walls, a member of the Akron/Canton Proud Boys chapter,is gay and married; the videos show Walls with his husband.

Walls was upset that night because men at the scene outside a bar were calling him and his husband anexpletive and derogatory term for homosexuals, Wides said.

The verbal attack happenedas Walls, his husband and friends were preparing to leave in a car waiting for them outside the bar on West Market Street, Wides said.

Two of thevideos show Walls punching the Black woman; there is no audio.

A bystander and friend of the woman also recorded the incident on a smartphone, including audio that captures Walls yelling a racial slur at the woman. That video was posted on social media.

Thenew video recordings came from the prosecutor's office, which is looking into criminal charges, Wides said. Two of the clips are related; one is a shortened version of a longer recording.

The FBI is still investigating the incident; as of Monday, no decision had been made to file federal charges, according to Akron police.

The Beacon Journal is not posting these latest video clips on its website to avoid identifying bystanders and alleged victims of crimes.

The clips show two different angles of the sequence of events involving Walls and others that were captured by video cameras outside a bar off Market Street in the Highland Square neighborhood.

"I haven't seen those videos," said David Betras, the attorney representing the woman who has filed a civil lawsuit against Walls. He said he has asked the prosecutor's office for them as part of the legal discovery process.

"If there is a video of him punching my client in the face, how does that change the narrative of the story?I don't care if he [Walls] was fighting somebody else," Betras said."He still called my client a racial slur and smacked her right in the face. Great, he was fighting with someone else. My client wasn'tfighting with him."

Walls and others in the altercation all of whom are white were calling each other racial slurs prior to Walls encountering his client, Betras said.

"My client says, 'Hey, that's not cool.' That's when he said, shut up [racial slur]b****and slugged her," he said. "So I don't know how that changes anything from my client's standpoint. Allshe said was, hey that's not cool because those guys werethrowing racial slurs back and forth. She's standing right there. ... I'll get those videos and take a look at them."

Wides said the videos show more context.

"In my opinion, based on a review of the full event, the clips show a verbal altercation that starts between two gentlemen outside the bar, my client, my client's friend and my client's husband," Wides said. "Mr. Walls is then taken to a vehicle and they are getting ready to leave and these other two gentlemen continue to advance at the vehicle and make fun of their sexual orientation."

None of the people involved in the fight were inside the bar earlier in the evening and interacted with Walls and his group, Wides said.

"At this point, the people Walls was with are trying to calm him down and get him inside the vehicle," Wides said.

Walls is yelling to the two white men on the street using the racial slur, Wides said. It was at that point one of the video clips shows the Black woman walking on the sidewalk with friends and appearingto interjectherself into the early stages of the sequence of events, Wides said.

Walls does not recall the woman saying anything to him whilehe was at the car on Market Street yelling at the two white men, Wides said.

"He was focused on the two men," Wides said."He used the exact same phrase that he used with [the woman]. And she corroborates that in her statement to law enforcement."

Walls then leftthe vehicleand wentto the sidewalk.

"And that is the point when he is punched by the taller guy in the black hoodie. That's when the fight starts," Wides said. "It seems to die down, it seems to defuse a bit."

It escalated as soon as the Black woman approached Walls and he punched her, he said.

Based on the shortened video clip, which runs for three minutes and 11 seconds, the violence begins shortly after anupset Walls steppedontothe sidewalk,removedhis jacket andwalkedout of camera range. Hereturned without the jacket andgesturedwith both hands at a man wearing a black hoodie and jeans, who then punched Walls.That turns into a brawl involving Walls, the man in the hoodie, Walls' husband, the man in tan pantsand another man wearing what appears to be ared knit hat. Walls, who wears glasses, has them knocked off.

Walls was thrown to the sidewalk. The group briefly separatedwhen Walls stoodup at 1:02 of the video clip and walkedtoward where the Black woman is standing with others. At 1:08 of the clip, about six seconds after getting up, Walls punchedthe woman. He then threwa punch at a male bystander and then another man wearing a reddish cap startedpunching Walls. The man wearing tan pants grabbedthe man with the red knit hat and they wentto the ground.

The melee movedoff the sidewalk onto the street between two parked cars with people grabbing and punching. The video shows the woman who Walls had punched getting pushed and grabbed;she also punchedWalls and then is thrown down. She, Walls and others disappeared off camera onto the street.

The clips after that no longer show Walls at the scene. Wides said at that point Walls and his husband left.

At 1:37 of the video, the Black woman reappearedand stoodon the sidewalk as the man in tan pants is on the sidewalk being kicked and punched.

At 2:41 of the video, the man in tan pants stoodon his feet. Within seconds, another man who had been involved in the earlier altercations approachedand pushedhim from behind and into a parked car. Two othermen grabbed him and he was soon back on the sidewalk. Theman with the reddish hatwho earlier had punched Walls then threwpunches to the head of the man in tan pants as he wason the sidewalk. The man with the red cap thenwalkedaway.

Wides said the videos show his client in the tan pants was the victim of felonious assaults that night.Wides said he hopes Akron police continue to investigate to identify the people committing the assaults that night.

Wides said the videos confirm what happened was not racially motivated or driven by his client's affiliation with the Proud Boys.

"It was not motivated by any racial animus," Wides said. "It was not motivated by any group affiliation. It's not motivated by hate of any individual in a protected class. And my client is a member of a protected class himself. I think what it is, is a bad night with a lot of people being over served and I think a really poor choice of words across the board that really started the event."

Beacon Journal reporter Jim Mackinnon can be reached at 330-996-3544 or jmackinnon@thebeaconjournal.com. Follow him @JimMackinnonABJ on Twitter or http://www.facebook.com/JimMackinnonABJ.

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Street cam videos show before-and-after Highland Square fights with Proud Boy, others - Akron Beacon Journal

WASHINGTON Henry Enrique Tarrio, the former national leader of the Proud Boys far-right extremist group, has been charged with conspiracy in connection with the Jan. 6 insurrection, the US attorneys office in Washington announced on Tuesday.

Tarrio was arrested Tuesday morning at his home in Miami. A federal grand jury in Washington, DC, returned an indictment on Monday that accuses Tarrio of conspiring with other Proud Boys members to storm the Capitol; Tarrio is charged with participating in planning efforts, but not with physically participating in the assault. The Washington Post first reported the charges.

Tarrios codefendants include five men with various ties to the Proud Boys who had already been charged in connection with the insurrection. Although Tarrio had been ordered to leave Washington a day before the attack hed been arrested in connection with an incident in DC a month earlier prosecutors alleged that he stayed in contact with members who did breach the building and continued to direct and encourage them.

During Tarrio's initial court appearance, US District Court Judge Alicia M. Otazo Reyes appointed a public defender to represent him. Wearing a t-shirt and shorts, Tarrio told the court via Zoom that he recently got a job printing t-shirts and makes about $400 to $500 a week. When Otazo Reyes asked whether he had any savings, Tarrio responded "absolutely not."

Tarrio is scheduled to appear again on Friday morning for a detention and removal hearing. Assistant US Attorney Amanda Perwin said the government was seeking Tarrio's detention due to a risk of flight and "danger to the community."

A source familiar with the situation said he was arrested early in the morning on Tuesday and his house was searched.

The Proud Boys have defined themselves as a pro-Western fraternal organization and as Western chauvinists. Theyve long had ties to people in former president Donald Trumps orbit; Tarrio has been close for years with Trump ally Roger Stone. During a presidential debate in September 2020, Trump was asked if he would condemn white supremacists and other far-right extremist groups, and when asked specifically about the Proud Boys, Trump said his message to them was to stand back and stand by.

Tarrios codefendants Ethan Nordean, Zachary Rehl, Joseph Biggs, and Charles Donohoe had already been charged with conspiracy for their alleged roles in coordinating to attack the Capitol. The final defendant, Dominic Pezzola, had been charged in a separate case with conspiracy; one of his former codefendants, Matthew Greene, took a plea deal with prosecutors that included an agreement to cooperate with the investigation.

Although Tarrio is now identified as the former leader of the group, on Jan. 6, 2021, he was still the national chairman. In the latest indictment, prosecutors described how hed posted messages that supported the lie pushed by Trump and other supporters that the election had been stolen. On Nov. 16, 2020, hed posed: If Biden steals this election, [the Proud Boys] will be political prisoners. We won't go quietly...I promise.

The following month, Tarrio and a few other unnamed members created a new national Proud Boys chapter called the Ministry of Self Defense whose leaders included Nordean, Biggs, Rehl, and Donohoe. In one Dec. 19 exchange quoted by prosecutors, Biggs had sent a private message to Tarrio that read that the Proud Boys recruit losers who wanna drink and to which Tarrio replied, Lets get radical and get real men.

The indictment accuses the group of extensive planning leading up to Jan. 6, including urging other Proud Boys members to travel to DC, fundraising to buy supplies and stocking up on paramilitary gear, agreeing not to wear clothes that identified them as Proud Boys members are known for sporting black and yellow and communicating using encrypted messaging platforms.

Near the end of December, the indictment alleges that an unnamed person sent Tarrio a nine-page document titled 1776 Returns that laid out a plan to occupy buildings in DC, including the Capitol. The person messaged Tarrio, The revolution is important than anything, and Tarrio replied, That's what every waking moment consists of... I'm not playing games.

At the start of January, prosecutors said Tarrio and other defendants continued to message one another about their plans for Jan. 6 and to recruit other members. After a person identified only as PERSON-3 left a voice note for the Ministry of Self Defense group that discussed planning for operations around a front entrance to the Capitol, Tarrio left a voice note of his own early in the morning on Jan. 4 that stated, I didnt hear this voice note until now, you want to storm the Capitol.

Later on Jan. 4, Tarrio was arrested in Washington in connection with a demonstration by the Proud Boys in December 2020 where people had burned a Black Lives Matter banner stolen from a local church. Hed been released the day after his arrest but was ordered to leave the city. Tarrio later pleaded guilty to burning the banner; during his arrest, police had found two high-capacity firearm magazines in his bag, and he pleaded guilty to a charge related to that as well.

After Tarrios arrest, prosecutors say his codefendants created new group chats without him and began discussing how to delete messages from the other thread. They continued to plan for activities on Jan. 6; one of the new groups was called Boots on Ground. Biggs messaged Boots on Ground the night of Jan. 5, We are trying to avoid getting into any shit tonight. Tomorrow's the day.

In another chat called New MOSD Leaders Group, a person identified as PERSON-2 messaged that same evening, Rufio is in charge, cops are the primary threat, don't get caught by them or BLM, dont get drunk until off the street. (Rufio was an apparent reference to Nordeans nickname Rufio Panman.) A few minutes later, prosecutors say that Biggs alerted the group hed spoken with Tarrio, and Tarrio was then added to the chat, as well as another group called New MOSD Members Group.

Nordean, Biggs, Rehl, Donohoe, and Pezzola gathered with approximately 100 other Proud Boys members near the Washington Monument on the morning of Jan. 6, according to the indictment. Theyre charged with making their way to the Capitol and being part of the mob that breached the building. Pezzola is accused of stealing a US Capitol Police officers riot shield and, at around 2:13 p.m., using it to break a window that other members of the mob climbed through. Prosecutors said Pezzola and Donohoe worked together to carry the shield, and that Donohoe sent a message at 1:37 p.m. that stated, Got a riot shield. Donohoe is also accused of throwing two water bottles at police.

A few minutes earlier, prosecutors said Biggs had filmed a selfie video outside with Nordean and other people they were with where he said, So we just stormed the fucking Capitol. Took the motherfucking place back. That was so much fun. January 6 will be a day in infamy.

Tarrio, meanwhile, had been posting public messages of support online and attempted to call Biggs and Nordean during the breach, according to the government.

In addition to the conspiracy allegation, the eight-count indictment also charges the group with obstructing an official proceeding and aiding and abetting, interfering with law enforcement during a civil disorder and aiding and abetting, destruction of government property, and assaulting police. Pezzola alone is also charged with robbing government property.

Although Tarrio had been ordered to leave DC on Jan. 5, prosecutors say he didnt depart right away. Instead, he went to an underground parking garage where he met with Elmer Stewart Rhodes, the leader of the Oath Keepers extremist group, and other individuals for approximately 30 minutes; Rhodes is in jail after being charged earlier this year with seditious conspiracy and other offenses in connection with his groups activities at the Capitol. Tarrio then left DC and went north to Baltimore, the government said.

Tarrio was sentenced in September to 155 days in jail and was released in mid-January.

The grand jury returned the new indictment against Tarrio on the same day that a jury in the same courthouse began deliberating in the first trial in the Jan. 6 prosecution effort. The defendant in that other case, Guy Reffitt, is facing a five-count indictment that accuses him of bringing guns to DC to support a civil disorder, bringing a handgun holstered on his hip to the Capitol, obstructing Congress, interfering with police trying to guard the building against the mob, and threatening his family not to report him to the FBI.

The conspiracy case isnt Tarrios only legal exposure related to Jan. 6. Hes a defendant in three civil lawsuits filed by members of Congress, police officers, and the DC attorney generals office seeking to hold Trump, his allies, and members of the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers liable for the violence and disruption at the Capitol. His attorney in those cases, Joseph Daniel Hull, declined to comment. Tarrio has also been subpoenaed by the special congressional committee investigating Jan. 6.

Stephanie K. Baer contributed reporting.

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Proud Boys Leader Enrique Tarrio Charged With Conspiracy

West Ham United Club captain Mark Noble admitted he was disappointed to have come away from Stamford Bridge empty-handed on Sunday but was also full of pride in his teammates efforts against Chelsea.

With a view to keeping players fresh ahead of the upcoming UEFA Europa League semi-final against Eintracht Frankfurt the Clubs first major continental semi-final in 46 years Noble was part of a much-changed line-up named by manager David Moyes in west London.

The No16 made only his second Premier League start of the season at Stamford Bridge, but helped marshal his team to what looked like what would have been a creditable 0-0 draw away to their third-placed hosts.

That was, at least, until the final five minutes of the game, when Chelsea saw a penalty saved by ukasz Fabiaski in an incident which also saw Craig Dawson - the Hammers' only fit senior centre-back - sent off, moments before Christian Pulisic struck from close range as the clock spilled over into injury time.

Nevertheless, given the number of changes to the Hammers team and the nature of the opposition they were up against, Club captain Noble was proud of their efforts and felt they bode well for the upcoming occasion of a European semi-final...

It was probably a little bit of naivety from us at the end.

Its how weve been all season: we went a man down, saved a penalty and still tried to go and win the game. Thats a credit to the players and the squad.

Im so proud of the boys today. We made five or six changes and were playing with one recognised centre-half. I thought the boys who came in were great and probably deserved a little bit more.

I know that Chelsea are always going to have the ball at home and create chances, but the way we defended and stuck by it it was just a bit of a shame at the end.

You have to stick to your task.

Its like with teams coming to us they know were going to put them under pressure at times and you have to be resilient. For Chelsea to be able to bring on Romelu Lukaku and Hakim Ziyech and Christian Pulisic, who scored the goal

Im just gutted because I thought the boys who came in and the squad deserved more, but thats football for you. Weve got to pick ourselves up.

Weve got a fantastic occasion on Thursday which were really looking forward to.

Because weve had so many games this year, the managers done it [rotated his team].

Against Manchester United away and Manchester City at home, we changed near enough the full team so he knows he can trust his players and he knows the boys are good enough to do it.

Im just really proud of them because weve put in a great shift and Im just gutted at the end. I thought a 0-0 draw wouldve been perfect for us.

I really enjoyed [starting at Stamford Bridge]. I felt really good.

It does help when youve got a group of players that work hard and press and do the hard things right, it helps me out a lot, but I really enjoyed it. Im just gutted for the players at the end.

I think the whole Club, the West Ham world, everyone involved in the Club is going to look forward to Thursdays game.

Weve got three or four days now to be able to plan, have a look at Eintracht Frankfurt and see where we go from there. Im sure itll be a fantastic occasion.

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Noble: I'm proud of the boys' efforts - West Ham United F.C.

The Canadian Armed Forces is not doing enough to detect and prevent white supremacists and other violent extremists from infiltrating the military, said a report released by Defense Minister Anita Anand

ByThe Associated Press

April 25, 2022, 7:39 PM

2 min read

OTTAWA, Ontario -- The Canadian Armed Forces is not doing enough to detect and prevent white supremacists and other violent extremists from infiltrating the military, said a report released Monday by Defense Minister Anita Anand.

The report comes after a yearlong review by a panel of retired Armed Forces members and follows a number of incidents linking some military personnel with violent extremism and hate groups, including white supremacists and neo-Nazis.

The report describes the suspected presence of extremists in the military as a ``pressing moral, social and operational issue, with such members representing a threat to unit cohesion and Canadians trust in the institution.

Despite adopting a zero-tolerance approach, efforts to detect extremists were ``siloed and inefficient and extremists themselves were more adept at avoiding detection.

``The need for education and training for leaders at all levels of the defense team was highlighted repeatedly during the advisory panels consultations, the report said.

Anand said the government has earmarked more than CDN$200 million (US$157.1 million) to help change the militarys culture but did not lay out any specific new measures.

Gen. Wayne Eyre, chief of the defense staff, said the military needs to find a balance between privacy concerns and remaining vigilant when it comes to things like monitoring members social media posts.

The report also took the military to task for not acting on dozens of previous studies and reviews on racism in the ranks over the past two decades.

White men account for 71% of Canadian military members but only 39% of the countrys civilian workforce. The report notes Indigenous people and women are significantly under-represented in Canadas armed forces.

One example of right-wing extremism in the Canadian military came in 2017 during an incident in Halifax where a group of sailors associated with the Proud Boys disrupted an Indigenous ceremony.

A military intelligence report later linked dozens of Armed Forces members to extremist groups and warned that such organizations were actively recruiting or otherwise trying to infiltrate the military to gain training, experience and equipment.

The rest is here:

Canadian report warns of extremist infiltration in military - ABC News

Hugo Lowell,:

Well, the key of all of this is this December 21 meeting that Trump has with the White House at the White House with all these members of Congress House Freedom Caucus people, Jim Jordan, Andy Biggs, these really prominent Republicans who are big Trump allies on the hill.

And the crux of these conversations are, you know, how do we stop the certification of Joe Biden's election win on January 6, and they go back and forth and they talk about all sorts of things. And at some point, these members of Congress and Trump and Mark Meadows, the White House Chief of Staff learn that these efforts to violate the Electoral Account Act are unlawful and yet they pursue the strategy anyway.

And now the question of the said committee has to figure out is, is this all connected? Right, the Trump and Republican member of Congress on the attack on the Capitol and that's where the investigation is going.

Link:

Looking ahead to the Jan. 6 committee hearings - PBS NewsHour

Chris Odin Young, former Proud Boy at the Capitol on November 28, 2020.(Courtesy of @Borwin10)

By Robert J. Hansen

Sacramento, CA Usually wearing black shirts, with a yellow rooster on a weather vane or yellow knuckles, black pants, and a flak jacket, thats how a Proud Boy can be spotted from the many chapters throughout California and the United States.

The Proud Boys are a far-right, nearly exclusively male organization that has engaged in political violence that views its rival, Antifa, as the enemy, of traditional American values.

In downtown Sacramento, there have been several events in the past four to five years where Proud Boys have made public appearances.

In June 2021, a memorial for Breonna Taylors birthday coincided with a rally for Ashley Babbitt, a woman who was fatally shot during the January 6 attack on the United States Capitol.

A small number of Proud Boys and members of Antifa had a minor confrontation that the police did little to quell. Later that day some people from the Babbitt rally ruined the memorial for Breonna Taylor.

A small clash between Proud Boys and Antifa at the California Capitol building on June 5, 2021.(Photo by Robert J Hansen)

Chris Odin Young has attended many of these events in his roughly four years as a Proud Boy, but for almost a year has focused on work and his family.

The former Proud Boy said after years of demonstrating and political activism, as he called it, it has accomplished nothing.

What has it changed? It hasnt changed anything. It hasnt created positivity, Young said.

Young, 38, said he joined Proud Boys thinking it was a group of honorable men who were like-minded who wanted to live by a certain code of honor, integrity, morals, values, and uphold the traditional nuclear family.

I think its something thats important and is slowly being eradicated by liberal ideology, Young said. I wanted to be involved with men who I thought were like me.

Instead, Young found out that 90 percent of them are degenerate scumbags.

Young says he has built chapters and brought in lots of members but that there are leadership issues and a schism between members that could cause the end of the Proud Boys.

Proud Boys isnt gonna last much longer, Young said.

There are two ideologies within the group according to Young. One he calls the party boys mentality which is members who joined for the fraternity and party aspects which it was founded on, and the rally boys who joined to be part of the political rallies and demonstrations.

This is the reason why chapters butt heads. And the bylaws are just as stupid, nobody follows the bylaws, Young said. People just let whoever they want and thats how you get guys throwing up Romans, its not gonna last much longer.

Young called what happened at the January 6 attack on the Capitol a s*** show, and said,I dont think it was an insurrection though, Young said. I know what happened, I got live updates, it was just a s*** show.

Most of the members of Youngs chapter, he claimed, would not attack people unprovoked.

Typically, the guys that I was around, were decent dudes that wouldnt just go up and start bashing people.

Young said it only takes one person to make the entire chapter look bad.

One guy does something stupid and the whole organization is going to suffer, Youngs said.

Young says there was a rally where he planned to march to Cesar Chavez Park in downtown Sacramento and plant an American flag on the ground.

Young was in communication with the Sacramento Police Department the entire day and when he announced to the group to begin marching he received a phone call from the Attorney Generals Office.

He said if you go outside those barriers theres going to be consequences, Young said.

Young said he complied with the attorney and told the group that unfortunately they would not March outside the gate.

They were obviously p***** and then Jeffrey (Perrine) took the microphone and he was like f*** that, Young said. It only took one person to rally everybody there.

Young said they then marched to Cesar Chavez and a fight broke out.

It took just one person to get everyone riled up, Young said. So all it took was one person to get all those people riled up and storm the Capitol and thats how it happened, there was nothing planned.

When asked if former President Donald Trump had something to do with getting the crowd prepared to attack the Capitol, Young called him an idiot.

He didnt know, he certainly didnt know what was gonna happen, Young said.

Proud Boys in Sacramento(Via Twitter)

In March, a group of Proud Boys held a banner drop at an overpass in Rancho Cordova where they attacked a group of independent journalists, members of the Black Zebra Impact Team.

The incident is recorded and can be seen here.

The journalists were only recording the scene when a member knocked the phone out of one cameramans hand and hit him with a three to four-foot pole while charging at the other BZIT member.

Two weeks ago, Proud Boy Tyler Greenhalgh was at Howe Avenue and Fair Oaks Boulevard while the City of Sacramento was removing a homeless encampment.

He and BZIT members got into a verbal altercation which eventually calmed down to a conversation which can be seen here.

Greenhalgh seemed to know and was supportive of the cleanup crew, Forensiclean, which was contracted by Sacramento County to clean up and clear homeless encampments.

Sacramento Police did very little to defuse the situation between the BZIT camera crew and Greenhalgh.

Young says that law enforcement officers were members of Proud Boys before the January 6 attack on the Capitol in Washington, D.C. and since then there are few if any who still affiliate with the group.

Young said one day at the Capitol in Sacramento, the officers that stood by while a member spoke about the police being there protecting the government, not them.

I realized that day, that no matter what happens, a cop is always going to execute an order, Young said.

Young said it was a sad day for him and is no longer the supporter of law enforcement that he once was.

Young received an odd text message that when he responded it ended up being agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

They told him they were about 20 minutes from his location and asked if he would meet up with them.

About a thousand things go through your head. I dont break laws, I dont have anything to hide, Youngs said.

He told them he wasnt comfortable meeting anywhere except the Galt Police Department.

Young got there early to make sure nothing unexpected was waiting for him and the FBI agents got there on time as planned.

What they were trying to do was get information about what I knew about Proud Boys and the whole January 6 thing, Young said.

The agents ultimately tried to get Young to infiltrate a local Antifa chapter which he refused to do.

They wanted me to be a lone agent gathering information on Antifa, Young said. At that point, I thought they were trying to set me up to be a patsy or something.

During this interaction with the FBI, Young was in communication with his leadership letting them know what was happening.

I went home and spoke to my leadership about it and I called them (the FBI) back and told them what kind of loyalty would I have working with a group that is trying to bring down my brothers? Young said.

Paranoia within the chapter began to circulate that Young had turned informant for the FBI.

After everything that I had done, it just trickled down and I essentially wanted to leave with my honor, Young said. We had a meeting and I stepped away.

Young is married and just had a second child and his family is his focus now.

He has also started his own organization, Bowery Boys. focused on everything he thought the Proud Boys were supposed to be and says it will not be a political organization.

Original post:

Former Proud Boy Talks about January 6, Antifa and Why the Organization Won't Last Much Longer - The Peoples Vanguard of Davis

Top leaders in the Oath Keepers militia group indicted on seditious conspiracy charges over the Capitol attack had contacts with the Proud Boys and a figure in the Stop the Steal movement and may also have been in touch with the Republican congressman Ronny Jackson, newly released text messages show.

The texts which indicate the apparent ease with which Oath Keepers messaged Proud Boys could strengthen a theory being explored by the House January 6 committee and the US justice department: that the Capitol attack included a coordinated assault.

Oath Keepers text messages released in a court filing on Monday night showed members of the group were in direct communication with the Proud Boys leader Enqrique Tarrio in the days before the Capitol attack.

In an exchange on 4 January 2021, the Oath Keepers Florida chapter leader, Kelly Meggs, indicates an attempt to call Tarrio after learning of his arrest.

I just called him no answer, Meggs texted a group chat. But he will [call if] hes out.

That close relationship is certain to be of interest to the House committee as it zeroes in on whether the Oath Keepers and the Proud Boys coordinated an attack on the Capitol in an attempt to stop certification of Joe Bidens election win over Donald Trump.

As the Guardian first reported, the committee has amassed deep evidence of connections between the far-right groups which could play a role in establishing whether Trump oversaw a criminal conspiracy as part of his attempt to hold on to power.

The newly released text messages also show a new link between the Oath Keepers and an unnamed figure from the Stop the Steal movement, which has ties to the pro-Trump operative Roger Stone and to Ali Alexander, a prominent Trump ally and activist.

On the evening of 1 January, Stewart Rhodes, the national leader of the Oath Keepers, texted to say he was adding an unidentified person affiliated with Stop the Steal to the group chat, to help them prepare for January 6.

The name was redacted in the released texts but Rhodes described an event producer for Stop the Steal. He requested I add him here. He can sort out who is doing what in the creative chaos that will be Jan 5/6.

Hes a good egg.

It was not clear whether Rhodes misattributed an affiliation to Stop the Steal, given the January 6 rally at the Ellipse was a Save America event. Neither Alexander nor Stone appeared to message the group chat or were otherwise involved.

The Oath Keepers text messages also show a connection to Ronny Jackson that allowed one of its members to learn that the Texas congressman Trumps former White House doctor needed protection as the Capitol attack unfolded.

The potential connection between the Oath Keepers and a Republican member of Congress could mark a new investigatory direction for the committee and the justice department: whether Jackson or others might have had advance knowledge of the Oath Keepers plans.

In the exchange on January 6, an unidentified Oath Keeper texts the group chat that Ronnie Jackson (TX) office inside Capitol he needs OK help. Anyone inside?

The same Oath Keeper provides an update less than 10 minutes later: Dr Ronnie Jackson on the move. Needs protection. If anyone inside cover him. He has critical data to protect.

Rhodes quickly responds: Give him my cell.

In a statement to the Guardian, a spokesperson said Jackson is frequently talked about by people he does not know. He does not know nor has he ever spoken to the people in question.

Asked if Jackson was never in contact with the Oath Keepers, the spokesperson did not answer.

The House committee has not given any indication that Republican members of Congress were connected to a potential conspiracy overseen by Trump that would connect his plan to have then-vice president Mike Pence overturn the election with the Capitol attack.

The Oath Keepers texts were included in a motion for release from pre-trial detention by Ed Vallejo, one of 11 group members facing charges of seditious conspiracy. On January 6, prosecutors say, Vallejo was at a Comfort Inn in Virginia with a cache of weapons, meant to act as a quick reaction force.

The messages show the Oath Keepers discussed providing security for prominent Trump allies including Stone, Alexander, Alex Jones, Lin Wood and Mike Flynn, Trumps former national security adviser.

One week before January 6, Rhodes, the leader of the Oath Keepers, mentioned requests to provide security for Bianca Garcia, president of the group Latinos for Trump, for which Tarrio, the Proud Boys leader, was also chief of staff.

The next day, Meggs, the Florida Oath Keepers leader who would ultimately lead Stones security detail, boasted that he had spoken to Stone the night before. Jessica Watkins, another member of the Oath Keepers, said she was also in touch with Stone.

Roger Stone just asked for security, Watkins texted the group chat on 1 January, to which Meggs responded: Who reached out to you? I [spoke] to him Wednesday.

Meggs using the alias OK Gator 1 added: I just texted him.

Though the Oath Keepers discussed providing security for other Trump allies, the extent of their voluntary services remains unclear. Alexander said in a recent statement that the Oath Keepers did not perform security duties for him on January 6.

See more here:

Oath Keepers and Proud Boys were in touch before US Capitol attack, texts reveal - The Guardian