Tess Owen Profile picture
Jan 12, 2021 4 tweets 2 min read Read on X
Proud Boys' role in the Capitol Hill riots has gone largely unscrutinized. This was by design: they were incognito that day.

@MackLamoureux & I report that the man who broke the window at the Capitol, the first breach, is a Proud Boy who goes by "Spazzo"
vice.com/en/article/epd…
According to a livestream by Eddie Block, a Proud Boy, around 60 members of the group —including leaders— were down at the Capitol approximately 40 minutes before Trump had even started speaking at the main event at Washington Monument
On a recent podcast, Proud Boy organizer Joe Biggs bragged about how Proud Boy events are tightly organized, and structured around achieving a specific goal -- and that the events take months to plan out at times.
"When we set out to do an event, we go, ok, what is our main objective. That’s the first thing we discuss. We take three months to plan an event..It’s like, you’re literally planning to go into a combat zone" - Biggs

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More from @misstessowen

Mar 8, 2023
The Boogaloo Bois were everywhere in 2020, and then suddenly they weren't.

I set out to find out what happened, if speculation that the FBI had "won" was right. I found that they've been laying low, and are now plotting their comeback for 2024.

vice.com/en/article/jg5…
They've been regrouping on Facebook of all places, which banned the Boogaloo in 2020, calling it a "dangerous network" in 2020. @TTP_updates shared exclusive info with us showing how they were using the platform to recruit and rebuild.

vice.com/en/article/jg5…
The impetus for the Boogaloo Bois' return to Facebook seems to be mainstreaming of anti-government rhetoric — and threats against the FBI. @TTP_updates noted a surge in Boogaloo activity on FB after FBI's raid on Mar-a-Lago last summer

vice.com/en/article/jg5…
Read 5 tweets
Jan 11, 2023
In court today for the Proud Boys' seditious conspiracy trial. Opening arguments slated to begin Thursday. Court now going over various matters, and we're getting a glimpse into some of the defense arguments we may hear in the coming weeks
Roger Roots, who is on Pezzola's legal team, suggests that there are usually so many members of Congress and staffers in the Capitol hallways, that it poses a disruption "akin to Jan 6"
Roots suggests Pezzola was acting in self-defense from DC cops, whose actions, he claims, violated their own code of conduct and amounted to "excessive force"
Read 12 tweets
Dec 14, 2022
Since J6, the Oath Keeper's national footprint has shrunk considerably.

That's not the case for Proud Boys, who remain a persistent menace in communities across the U.S.

I try to understand their "resilience" in the face of legal scrutiny & infighting:

vice.com/en/article/88q…
I've tracked Proud Boy activity for the last two years. One thing is clear:

They are culture war chameleons, ready to go to battle for whatever the GOP tells them. Last year, it was vaccines, masking and CRT. This year, it was abortion and drag shows.

vice.com/en/article/88q…
Part of their "resilience" could be their "ideological flexibility" says @cassiepmiller. Their identity as "western chauvinist" leaves room for myriad right to far-right ideologies, allowing them to latch onto whatever the culture war issue du jour is

vice.com/en/article/88q…
Read 4 tweets
Nov 12, 2022
There’s a small group of maybe 30 protesters outside Maricopa County Recorders Office today, about half an hour before a planned “Patriots Rise Up” rally
(The 30 number includes another group over by the vehicle’s entrance to the building). State Sen. Wendy Rogers promoted this event on her social media.
Outside the Maricopa County Recorders Office where votes are still being tallied to determine who is the next governor of Arizona.
Read 12 tweets
Oct 24, 2022
Here at Penn State where Alex Stein has arrived for a campus “comedy” event with Gavin McInnes.
Some of Stein/ McInnes posse also here. Ton of police and hundreds of protesters here
Spotted two PBS so far in uniform. Protesters trying to prevent their entry into the venue where event taking place.
Read 9 tweets
Aug 5, 2022
Day 2 of CPAC Image
Patriot pack! Image
Spoke to a guy who made the switch from T-Mobile over to Patriot Mobile today. He has no idea what the coverage is like but said he wants a service provider that reflects his values.
Read 17 tweets

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