Thread by @UR_Ninja

Good morning all - we are starting court for day 14 of the 'Unite the Right' trial in Charlottesville Virginia. Leading white supremacists face a major lawsuit. Check our landing page here > unicornriot.ninja/unite-the-righ…

Before the jury comes in in moments, white supremacist defendant Chris Cantwell is trying to get some evidence excluded from consideration.

You can check out our thread of live coverage from Day 13 here:
The judge is now warning the public (and press) that no audio or video may be recorded or rebroadcast - (tweets are implicitly authorized) - updates to be batched

Michael Chesney aka 'Tyrone' on Discord chats has a video deposition being replayed to the court - picking up where it left off yesterday. Plaintiff attorney Michael Bloch is questioning

Tyrone quoted in discord by Plaintiff atty Bloch: if you find yourself confronted by Antifa remember you 'felt your life threatened' to justify anything you did to the cops

Chesney denies to Bloch making the Discord posts as "Tyrone" in an oblique way by claiming to not recall any of it, as if someone else was spoofing his identity he implies. in the video recorded deposition.

James Alex Fields evidence is now being addressed

disturbing memes, heil hitler and similar material from inside James Alex Fields Twitter and instagram accounts, DMs and similar from Spring-Summer 2017 are submitted to evidence (content advisory)

James Alex Fields fervently posted tweets and memes to and about Richard Spencer in Spring-Summer 2017

More social media messages and stipulations and admissions about James Alex Fields. He also sent a picture of Adolf Hitler to his mom during / right before UTR

More messages sent including texts tweets and images by Fields in the hours before his fatal vehicle attack in Charlottesville

A video is being played from the police helicopter showing the car attack at Unite the Right from above. At a great distance the vehicle is shown plowing in then reversing at high speed. From Virginia State Police (no audio) then the camera follows the car attempting to get away

Plaintiff attorney Mills shows the cover sheet of the prosecution with that initial charging sheet for the vehicle attack available, and the other pages, and the guilty plea, after going over the messages James Alex Fields posted via Twitter, Instagram and SMS / MMS by phone

The charging sheet and statement of offence from James Alex Fields federal prosecution are reviewed, and description of the event and car attack read off by plaintiff attorney Mills.

This is the document 'statement of offense' being read off right now in court by the plaintiffs attorneys about James Alex Fields lethal car attack: documentcloud.org/documents/5782…

Disturbing recorded phone calls between James Alex Fields and his mother from jail re Heather Heyer's mother. Fields in quote marks.

Professor Pete Simi, Chapman University based in Orange County, is going to go over white supremacist culture. An associate professor of sociology in 5th year. Was at Univ. of Nebraska for 13 years (bio: chapman.edu/our-faculty/pe… )
Study of human behavior and society...

Since 1996 Prof. Simi has been working on researching hate crimes, white supremacist culture and related issues in his academic career. Has published over 50 peer reviewed academic articles and "America Swastika" book.

Overview of ethnographic field work among white supremacists by Prof Simi, who never met with these specific defendants

the common culture of the white supremacist movement, not one leader, binds it together, including using violence to achieve the goals of a white homeland or ethnostate - per Professor Simi

Simi explains the analysis

Profs Simi and Blee reviewed 575K posts on Discord, 42K on Charlotteville2.0 server. also deposition transcripts and trial testimony

Defendants relied on core characteristics of white supremacist movement when they organized Unite the Right - Simi

files.integrityfirstforamerica.org/14228/16141090…
The Simi / Blee expert report is available here from plaintiffs attorneys

Going over Discord analysis - then showed a huge list of reviewed channels and servers that Simi & Blee analyzed

More on discord server organizing and how racist ingroup/outgroups work from Prof. Simi

Professor Simi goes over how racist memes are used to promote and reinforce white supremacist culture, with a graphic example from a "bowl patrol" discord server. Then Judge Moon calls 20 minute break.

See our 2019 report:
unicornriot.ninja/2019/bowl-patr…
‘Bowl Patrol’: Dylann Roof Fans Hope to Inspire More Mass Shootings

Neo-Nazis Edward Clark (left, eyes closed) and Jeffrey Clark Jr. (center, sunglasses) march alongside Bowl Patrol member and former Daily Stormer illustrator Mark Daniel Reardon, aka ‘Illegal Aryan’ (beanie) at a white supremacist rally in DC on Dec 3, 2017 (Photo via Getty)

The Clark brothers were linked to Bowl Patrol organizer Mark Daniel Reardon aka 'Illegal Aryan' who is also linked to Daily Stormer. Full story (2018): unicornriot.ninja/2018/arrested-…

Our Discord Leaks server has a large amount of Bowl Patrol white supremacist material (strong content advisory) similar to that referenced this morning
discordleaks.unicornriot.ninja/discord/server…

Coming back to court: Simi: Violence is part of how white supremacists view the world. Very central. To how they think actions need to be tactics. "glorification and use of violence" slide is up. discussion of methods of violence, language about war, genocide, celebrate Hitler

more about white supremacist messaging and James Alex Fields memes, the '14 words'

Day of the Rope, Cantwell racist rhetoric, Turner Diaries and other imagery

more Discord messages calling for violence - available here in Unicorn Riot Discord Leaks
discordleaks.unicornriot.ninja/discord/view/2…

more on use of racist and violent memes in Discord servers re Charlottesville:

Backstage/front stage dichotomy in white supremacist movement - Prof Simi

Backstage communication re unite the right

Plausible deniability and racist jokes in the white supremacist movement and discord servers - Simi

Simi wraps up discussion of white supremacist humor and Kolenich starts cross examination. see the message here from Kessler:
discordleaks.unicornriot.ninja/discord/view/2…
James Kolenich is counsel for IE/Damigo and Kessler

We will post the exchanges with Kolenich and now Richard Spencer now cross examining Simi at the lunch break - it's moving fast here

Kolenich cross examines Simi (1/2)

Kolenich cross examines Simi (2/2) followed by Richard Spencer after that

Richard Spencer cross examines Professor Simi, dwelling on his own publishing of certain Jewish authors in little-read tracts

Edward Rebrook attorney for the National Socialist Movement and its leader Jeff Schoep cross examines Professor Simi - court is in recess until 1:35PM. We will resume with further afternoon coverage - stay tuned

We are awaiting the afternoon session of Day 14 of 'Sines v. Kessler' #UniteTheRight on trial to resume. To learn more about our coverage see the Far Right Investigations Desk - context for years of coverage from Unicorn Riot
unicornriot.ninja/far-right-inve…

A once-packed press room has dwindled down to around a half-dozen reporters (+/-) during this long trial. Your support has enabled us to keep track of all the twists and turns by reporting on the ground from Charlottesville. Support our work here:
unicornriot.ninja/donate/
💞🦄✊

The jury is being called back in for the afternoon session. Before they enter, something raised by Kaplan about evidence and Sines, something Mr. Smith said about testimony to impeach, involving a law clerk -- Cantwell also tried to say something else

Cantwell (pro se) claims the 'woof woof' noise were purported to be barking like dogs while Simi had mentioned it was 'roof roof' as a reference to Dylann Roof, but Cantwell wants a jury instruction. Judge Moon seems to say, that's a matter for witnesses to lay out

the audio is cut in the press room as Judge Moon huddles at the left side of the bar (as viewed from the camera) discussing something with several people

James Fields' attorney starts to cross examine Simi and they seem to agree the large majority of planning was done on Discord 'centrally' it is agreed.

Simi says it's known Fields had an account on Discord generally but it's not known either way if he was a specific user handle in these planning servers

Fields' attorney tries to disassociate Fields from "organizing" UTR and goes over nuances of tweets in cross examining Prof. Simi

Bryan Jones representing the League of the South and its leadership cross examines Professor Simi

Jones asks about whether opponents of white supremacists use violence, as well as doxing

Jones asks about blowback - then in closing tries to claim that the researchers presupposed conclusions in order to avoid blowback (from being too positive about white supremacists - seems to be his point). He concludes.

Defense attorney Joshua Smith (For TWP, Heimbach, Parrott) is trying to get at Simi about white supremacy definitions

Defense attorney Smith goes on about Chinese and Japanese cultural aspects re front/back stage

Smith jumps around to a number of topics trying to conflate basic sociology concepts with white supremacy

A nearly agitated Smith goes on and on about 'gas the k****' and similar terminology, then closes out and Cantwell begins pro se defense

Chris Cantwell (pro se defendant) tries to get into a discussion about opinions around critical race theory

Cantwell tries to argue that the leaked daily stormer style guide (which has meme strategy tips for racist propaganda) should count as 'front stage'

Cantwell tries to float a conspiracy theory involving weev, a senior figure in the daily stormer website, being ethnically Jewish, relating to this case.

Cantwell revisits the disturbing Bowl Patrol meme from earlier today - minutes later the judge calls a 20 minute afternoon break. Should resume close to 3:30PM.

With accusations from Cantwell about DailyStormer being operated by "a Jew" (weev - Andrew Alan Escher Auernheimer) it's another indicator of the mutual animosity among defendants - who keep floating various conspiracy theories against each other during their defense attempts.

Court is proceeding for final 90 minutes or so today - Cantwell tries to probe more on the bowl patrol memes

Cantwell going on about communism and double meanings

One last tangent from Cantwell before he ends questions.

Kaplan addresses some loose ends in redirect with Simi and he is released.

Evidence put in: Px2015, px387, px2018, px3821, 3822, px 381, px 706, px 355, px580, px3823, px465, px458, px1168, px456, px467, px987, px383, px462, px462, px473, px476, px3829, px3830A, and several more in that big list , 3831 3832, 3826 3833, 3834, 1985a, 2862 2864, 3865

Plaintiff April Muniz, Age 53, 31 yr resident of Charlottesville area, has started to testify. She has a BA in psychology and modern dance, and master in science & health science in GW University, is Mexican-American. currently work at veridyne hq'd in chicago a project manager

Muniz says she is here because she witnessed a horrific car attack and here to find some accountability for that and stand up for those people. Moon says wait wait, the lawsuit any more than an (injury?) Not proper to come and say a greater plan than a lawsuit itsellf

Muniz says she wants to hold accountable for the injuries, Moon seems to agree. she says she went downtown to stand up with her community, bear witness to events of day, support local businesses that were fearful of losing business that day. got downtown just before noon, alone

Muniz says she didnt bring weapons, signs but brought a cell phone, camera , fanny pack. she went to emancipation park and it was pretty empty and was confused. got there after the state of emergency. wandered around a little and went to alternate parks. not much happening

She ended up at the intersection of 4th & Water street, after first observing a crowd coming down water st. they were walking, took pictures, they were celebratory. saw another similar group, they joined like two rivers. she says near 1st & Water St

Muniz recounts the vehicle attack in graphic detail (content advisory)

Muniz recalls terror and dissociation, continuing triggers and panic attacks after vehicle attack.

Muniz recounts the medical effects of the attack on various levels and reviews a sheet of medical expenses in evidence.

Muniz recounts her career vastly changing after the car attack affected her

Muniz talks about rebuilding her career and trying to move on as a new person in her life, forever changed by the car attack

Spencer tries to probe if Muniz understood what organizers were aiming at

Moon explains that it was not her job to know what the defendants were up to - Spencer has no further questions and drops. Another defense attorney is up

James Alex Fields attorney David Campbell asks some clarifying questions about the therapy treatment, work and lost wages

in cross examination, Chris Cantwell raises the police helicopter video again . 1353 exhibit, no objection from plaintiff.

Cantwell asks usual questions about masks / bandannas - it is hot in August and common for ppl to have bandannas says Muniz

Cantwell calls attention to misc signs with fists on them, bandannas etc

Cantwell continues to look for random symbols and bandannas

Muniz recounts some other events since the attack. He reconfirms that she has a fear of white vans. Cantwell concludes.

Judge Moon releases the jury until 9AM Friday - the plaintiffs suggest working on scheduling after they leave - for a few minutes before 5pm.

Plaintiffs talk about damages witnesses; Schoep would be called tomorrow (NSM leader). 2 witnesses Kessler and Cantwell. Discussion about only calling them once to save time. They can cross examine Kessler. They'd keep case open for Kessler and Cantwell to testify

Cantwell objects to keeping case open for that, the other defense attorneys seem fine with the plaintiff plan it appears. Plaintiffs say there may be time in the day tomorrow for defense to call witnesses. still undecided but they want notice tonite for it.

Kessler will not be around until Monday - Moon says they will call on someone on that side (probably on Friday he alludes).

The judge leaves and court proceedings are done for today - check out our landing page for more context
unicornriot.ninja/unite-the-righ…
Coverage continues tomorrow