Thread by @QRemedyResearch

It's Wednesday July 6, the 1776 Restoration Movement arrived in Washington, DC over night and are currently hanging out on near the National Mall. They seem to be claiming they will be staying there for a while. We'll see what happens, I guess. 1 of n

https://twitter.com/NoMoreQuarks/status/1544617625787011072

I'm not shocked that they are trying this, but I am somewhat surprised the cops have (thus far) allowed them to stay. I guess I shouldn't be, this is pretty much par for the course with cop response. Stream chatter claims 46 vehicles, I can't confirm or deny. #convoywatch 2 of n

I don't have an exact location at this moment, but this is a view from where #1776RM is located, taken from a stream about 30 minutes ago. 3 of n

#1776RM leader David "Santa" Riddell gave a speech on live stream about an hour ago at the DC protest site. 1776RMers are reminded to be polite, to avoid debate with counter protesters if possible but physical defense is fine, & to only travel around in group of 4 or more. 4 of n

Riddell claims that there is "nothing planned today", reminds people to keep feeding their parking meters fed today (with suggestions they may not do in the future), and encourages people to get rest during quiet times. He used the phrase "a protest of escalation". 5 of n

It looks like 1776RM are on both sides of Madison Drive NW in front of the National Gallery of Art- East Building. They have a few large vehicles- the fake fire truck and 3 bobtails (a semi without a trailer attached to it)- and a few dozen passenger vehicles. #convoywatch 6 of n

In a rather hilarious moment this morning, the 1776RM members were told them to google (or another search engine) to look up the National Park Service rules because they haven't briefed the group about what is legal (and not legal) to do where they're located now. sigh. 7 of n

Daily reminder- Anyone can read my tweets, but I don't debate nazis, extremists, convoyers, or their fans- I block them and move on with my day. Please try to avoid feeding the trolls on my threads (I know it's tempting, I really do). 8 of n

Chatter on stream about confronting any counter-protests who might show up, honking the truck horns so the cops come over, then making accusations against counter-protestors in an effort to get them arrested. imo they're hoping for violence so they can "defend" themselves. 9 of n

While I'm not exactly glad they picked any location, this is at least lower impact on locals than if they were in front of an apartment building or something. The #1776RM are mostly chatting among themselves & occasionally yelling at pedestrians. 10 of n

https://twitter.com/joeflood/status/1544660411877916674

8:55am- A few members of the 1776RM group are standing on top of the fake fire truck. There are speakers set up on the fire truck roof and one person is speaking into a microphone to pedestrians passing by the "protest" site. #convoywatch 11 of n

Wow, there are a of cops there. David "Santa" Riddell is being arrested, the rest of the group is mad and yelling at the cops- demanding he be let go. #convoywatch #1776RM 12 of n

Cop from MPD spoke to the group. He says there is a warrant for Riddell's arrest in the state of Maryland for blocking the roadway on July 4 or 5, and that once the police became away of that they were required to arrest him and he will be extradited to Maryland. 13 of n

There are three open cases in David Riddell's name in the Maryland state court records. Info below. 14 of n

Police are information one of the people driving a semi that commercial vehicles are not permitted to park on this street and is being instructed to move. Group members are encouraging the peson to move their vehicle and return to the group on foot. #1776RM #convoywatch 15 of n

Things are starting to get noisy, the fake fire truck is blaring the siren and a number of the 1776RMers have hand held air horns they're also blasting. Dennis "Big D" Yarbery is in the fire truck, I'm unclear if he is moving it or just making noise. 16 of n

The group is discussing leaving. Someone claims their second cell phone has been stolen by police and is shouting at the police to return it. It sounds like the phone was left unattended on a bench, the person is continuing to shout at police. 17 of n

9:30am- The emotional temperature of this group is very high, I would encourage people to avoid this area if possible. The fake fire truck and the semis are leaving, I'm not sure if the drivers will look for other parking and return or if they'll leave the city. 18 of n

9:35am- The idea of leaving has been shouted down, someone is calling 1776RM together for a mtg. A member of the 1776RM said that the 4 wheelers (passenger vehicles like cars and SUVs) will not leave until David "Santa" Riddell is released. We'll see what happens I guess. 19 of n

The police are informing the #1776RM that the traffic regulations aren't just about how long a vehicle is in a particular spot but how long the vehicle is in a particular zone. The 1776RMers are, as expected, very upset at this idea. 20 of n

9:51a- Someone on the bullhorn is yelling that the #1776RM is leaving in 5 minutes, I can't identify the voice though it is familiar to me as a member of the group. I'm not sure what the plan is, my hunch is that they'll move the vehicles and continue to "protest". 21 of n

1776RM organizer Edwina "Rose" Koepsell is talking to the group about moving vehicles, it sounds like some of the vehicles are parked in one zone and some in a different zone. She also points out "we haven't read the rules" when discussing the parking zone issues. sigh. 22 of n

1776RMer John "Xray" Dobbins shouts that he is not willing to move his vehicle to a different zone, or at all. The group is discussing leaving the vehicles in the current position until they are threatened with being towed, then move. 23 of n

Some of the group seems unsure about making traffic the regulations the thing they're willing to take a stand on for "freedom", others are furious at Riddell's arrest and say they don't want to move their vehicles until he is released. 24 of n

Per the #1776RM telegram channel, the fake fire truck and the other "big trucks" (I assume this means the semis) are heading back to the Bunker Hill, WV camp. Be cautious if you're on the roads right now, I don't have eyes on the group heading out of town. #convoywatch 25 of n

FYI folks- I'm still watching streams but I'm only going to tweet if something significant happens- arrests, vehicles being towed, them leaving, or all the streams dropping. I'm not interested in spreading their message or platforming them beyond what is necessary. 26 of n

11:15am update- Some of the #1776RM members have moved their vehicles around between zones, the fake fire truck & semis are on their way back to WV and then will return in personal vehicles. Otherwise they're basically still in a holding pattern at the same location. 27 of n

12:55pm- I'm back after a fantastic lunch break, it doesn't seem like I've missed much. I tuned back in just in time to hear a bunch of the #1776RM crew scream "freedom" & chant USA. The WaPo has an article out about the protest & Riddell's arrest. 28 of n wapo.st/3NLZIc6

The Washingtonian's @abeaujon also has a great article on today's protest & Riddell's arrest. It's an especially good resource for folks who didn't know this group existed, as it links to several earlier articles on the people's convoy & #1776RM. 29 of n

https://twitter.com/abeaujon/status/1544705443636838401

Chatter on stream (these are claims from 1776RMers, not confirmed)- Riddell will be in jail tonight in DC, tmrw a MD detective will pick him up and transport him to MD, he may or may not have court tomorrow in MD. It sounds like they plan to be in MD when Riddell arrives. 30 of n

I often wait to post the rumors the 1776RM spread amongst themselves until they are confirmed or disproved. I'm posting the info asap this time because what the group believes to be true will likely impact their actions, even if the information is factually inaccurate. 31 of n

I'm also hearing via stream chatter & legit news sources that there are 3 criminal charges in addition to the 3 traffic violations I posted earlier. They aren't visible in the case search results but delays do happen- it's likely but not confirmed. 32 of n

https://twitter.com/aletweetsnews/status/1544708584377827328

FYI- the 1776RM group arrived at the their current location before 6am, the drive from their campsite in Bunker Hill, WV to DC is 2ish hours long, and they were fueling up after 10pm last night. Most of the group are functioning on little to no sleep, tempers may flare. 33 of n

I'll check in on the group every half hour or so but I don't expect much to happen this afternoon- it's hot and they're exhausted. A streamer mentioned the group is planning a 6pm meeting today, I imagine we'll find out more about their plans for tonight & tomorrow then. 34 of n

3:25pm- Still not much happening, it seems like they're having a prayer circle & discussing Riddell's criminal charges. I encourage people to avoid this group if possible- they are tired, hot, & mad about the arrest. I'm going offline for a bit, I'll be back for around 6. 35 of n

The person who fell off the fake fire truck earlier today has returned to the protest site. She said there are multiple fractures & she'll need surgery within the next week to fix... whatever needs fixing, I'm not sure which bone(s) are broken. 36 of n

https://twitter.com/BarronGhost/status/1544782150549078016

This the 2nd person who fell from the fake fire truck, broke something, & needed surgery to fix it. When TPC arrived in Post Falls, Idaho on May 1 he fell off the truck. He has had surgery, is still recovering, and is at the DC protest site today. 37 of n

https://twitter.com/Rosemary_426/status/1521212391773638658

David "Santa" Riddell's arrest is already being used for fundraising- a Give Send Go page in his name with a $40k goal was created by a streamer who has been traveling with TPC & 1776RM since February. It's unclear if Riddell approved of (or is even aware of) the page. 38 of n

And hello new followers! I’m a researcher with a focus on how misinfo & disinfo contribute to extremism, I follow the #1776RM as part of that work. I tweet about their travels to help folks on the ground avoid and/or be prepared for the arrival of this high-impact group. 39 of n

The 1776 Restoration Movement is a splinter movement formed after the People's Convoy ended in May. TPC would never have gotten off the ground without the support of anti-vaxx orgs based in California. See @NarcTranslator's feed for more details. 40 of n

https://twitter.com/NarcTranslator/status/1525972013457678337

There's a meeting happening, a member of the #1776RM "security" team is discussing their plan. They intent to stay in this location until Riddell is released which includes sleeping in or around their vehicles overnight. It's unclear what law enforcement response will be. 41 of n

As far as I know, there are still some people at the Bunker Hill, WV camp including the children in the group. There are currently no streams coming out of camp so I'm unsure how many people are there and/or if there's been any law enforcement visiting the site. 42 of n

The WaPo article about #1776RM has been updated with new info, including that an arrest warrant was issued for David "Santa" Riddell because he has no fixed address. (Waves to the MPD, feds, & other law enforcement folks reading this thread.) 43 of n

https://twitter.com/QRemedyResearch/status/1544727144080850948

Not much is going on, though a local showed up & roasted the 1776RM thoroughly (a 1776RMer screamed out the f-slur at the local, because most of the 1776RMers are hateful bigots). It's time to share my favorite Gasden flag parody, it feels especially appropriate today. 44 of n

There's a live stream coming out of the Bunker Hill, WV camp. I can't tell how many people (or vehicles) are there. I've seen a half dozen people on stream but no kids, so there are likely more people there off stream. Bandit's truck is on site. 45 of n

https://twitter.com/QRemedyResearch/status/1534182622548697088

The electricity here just flicked off for about a minute, it's back on now but I may lose it again as there are storms expected tonight. If you'd like to help me pay my power bill (or grocery bill, or therapy bill tbh) you can buy me a coffee here. 46 of n buymeacoffee.com/qremedyresearch

8:25pm- There isn't much happening at the #1776RM Bunker Hill, WV base camp or at the DC protest site on Madison Drive NW across the street from the National Gallery of Art- East Building. It will be getting dark soon & streams will be less useful then for #convoywatch. 47 of n

9pm- Nothing has changed since the previous tweet- DC group seems tired, Bunker Hill site is quiet, and I'm signing off for the night. I'll be back tomorrow morning following the awful antics of the christofacist bigots in the 1776 Restoration Movement. 48 of 48, end of thread