Category: Uncategorized

Earlier this week the Torch Network received a “Cease and Desist” notice from Antifash Gordon that also contained the legal names and addresses of multiple anti-fascists outside the Torch Network. In this letter, Gordon demanded that we take down our statement about him, and all Torch tweets regarding said statement, or else he would sue the network and the named individuals for defamation, based on economic damages he says he has suffered to his career. We have removed the statements in question in order to protect those named in the letter from public identification and harm.

Today, Monday, September 17, the East Ellijay Police Department cleared Officer Thomas Dwayne Long of any wrongdoing over Long’s online support for the Ku Klux Klan. During 2016 and 2017, Tommy Long “liked” explicit Klan materials posted to Facebook profiles for two United Northern and Southern Knights of the KKK leaders, Imperial Wizard Charles Geoffrey Denton and Georgia Grand Dragon Justin Stephen Owens. 

Tommy Long has been on paid administrative leave since Thursday, September 6, the day after Atlanta Antifascists exposed Long’s pro-KKK Facebook activity. Early the next week, EEPD Chief Larry Callahan was already signaling that he would clear Long. This Monday, Callahan made that decision official. (more…)

On the night of August 12, 2018 – one year since a white supremacist murdered Heather Heyer at the bloody “Unite the Right” racist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia – anti-fascists placed dozens of posters in the Peachtree Hills neighborhood of Buckhead in Atlanta, Georgia.

The posters warned of a house on Ridgeland Way which is a hub for white nationalist organizing both locally and nationally. The house is owned by Sam Dickson, a lawyer who has been active for decades in the white power movement. Dickson is linked to a plethora of racist and far-Right organizations, such as the Council of Conservative Citizens, the Charles Martel Society, and the Holocaust-denying Barnes Review. As a lawyer, Dickson represented Klansmen, but he made his fortune on the Atlanta property market, where he has been accused of “bullying” tactics to gain title.

Also linked to the Ridgeland Way house is Evan Anderson (AKA Evan Thomas Kuettner), a key member of the racist organization Identity Evropa. Evan Anderson booked the park in Charlottesville, Virginia for the May 2017 racist rally which was a direct precursor to “Unite the Right.” (Both Dickson and Anderson also attended UTR.) Anderson assists Dickson with his Atlanta real estate investments; Anderson also has his own investments on the Atlanta property market.

A second mailing of two hundred flyers was sent to residents in the Lakewood Heights area of Atlanta – a multiracial working-class area where both Sam Dickson and Evan Anderson own property. The flyers warn residents of Dickson and Anderson’s property in the area and their attempts to profit from the neighborhood as it gentrifies. The flyers urge residents to not cooperate with the white nationalist gentrifiers, and to stand by any neighbors who may be pressured by Dickson, Anderson, or their associates. (Activity by Dickson and other white nationalists on the Atlanta property market were discussed in a lengthy Atlanta Antifascists article from last year: “Right-Wing Gentrification Gangs”.)

These outreach efforts are a small contribution to much broader fights against organized racism and the far-Right. Although the last year has seen real victories against the insurgent far-Right, there is still much work to be done – especially as white nationalists adapt and learn to operate in the post-Charlottesville environment.

Rose City Antifa, working in conjunction with allied groups in the region, has obtained information on many of the Pacific Northwest-located members of the white nationalist, alt-right group known as the Proud Boys. Over the coming weeks, we will be publishing a series of articles detailing the Proud Boys’ specific brand of organized hate, and the individuals who make up this rising “weekend warrior” gang, in order to alert the community about the threat that this group poses. You can follow along on our website and on Twitter, using the hashtag #DoxxAllYourBoys.

Articles in the Series:
Introduction: The Pacific Northwest Proud Boys – White Nationalist Social Club
Volume 1: Robert Zerfing, Travis Nugent, Caleb Stevens, Ethan Nordean
Volume 2: Dominick Owen, “Tiny” Tusitala John Toese, Aaron Laigaie, Anthony Edward Bell
Volume 3: Russell Schultz, Kory Bentley, Derrick Lancaster, Daniel Garris
Volume 4: Rob Cantrall, Dakota Gilmore, Pete Venturo, Graham Jorgensen, David Silliman
Volume 5: Matteo Dagradi, Donovon Flippo, Jason James, Aaron Williamson
Volume 6: Jake Farmer, Nick Boling, Travis Taylor, Mark Rupprecht

(more…)

Rose City Antifa, working in conjunction with allied groups in the region, has obtained information on many of the Pacific Northwest-located members of the white nationalist, alt-right group known as the Proud Boys. Over the coming weeks, we will be publishing a series of articles detailing the Proud Boys’ specific brand of organized hate, and the individuals who make up this rising “weekend warrior” gang, in order to alert the community about the threat that this group poses. You can follow along on our website and on Twitter, using the hashtag #DoxxAllYourBoys.

Articles in the Series:
Introduction: The Pacific Northwest Proud Boys – White Nationalist Social Club
Volume 1: Robert Zerfing, Travis Nugent, Caleb Stevens, Ethan Nordean
Volume 2: Dominick Owen, “Tiny” Tusitala John Toese, Aaron Laigaie, Anthony Edward Bell
Volume 3: Russell Schultz, Kory Bentley, Derrick Lancaster, Daniel Garris
Volume 4: Rob Cantrall, Dakota Gilmore, Pete Venturo, Graham Jorgensen, David Silliman

(more…)

Early in the morning of Monday, May 14, anti-racists placed posters in Lawrenceville, Georgia, warning residents about Aaron Christopher Krueger, a member of the Patriot Front white power organization.

Over the last half year, Krueger and a small number of associates have spread thousands of pieces of Patriot Front propaganda throughout Metro Atlanta. Frequently, Patriot Front materials were circulated with a method also used by the Klan: throwing out plastic bags with flyers and stones for weight onto lawns, porches and driveways late at night.

(more…)

**Danny Brace is no longer William Planer’s attorney. It has been brought to our attention that simply due to Danny Brace and William Planer not being able to agree on a defense strategy that they decided to part ways. Brace wished Planer good luck and officially quit prior to Planers February 23rd court appearance and on that day Michelle Spaulding was retained as Planer’s new attorney on record. A private attorney from the Spaulding and Campi law firm located at 901 H st. , suite #200, Michelle Spaulding apparently did agree with Planer that they should in fact take on the self defense strategy and are now preparing for the upcoming trial. Michelle Spaulding clearly has no problem taking the money that the now defunct Traditionalist Worker Party (TWP) raised for Planers legal defense thanks to the help and donations from white supremacists from all over the country. If you visit our Facebook page you’ll be able to learn all about how you can join our campaign to let Michelle Spaulding know that this is exactly the type of Nazi collaboration we will not tolerate here in Sacramento! Thanks so much for the support everyone! **

On June 26th of last year, members of the Neo-Nazi gang the Golden State Skinheads (GSS) and the Traditionalist Worker Party (TWP) stormed the California State Capital grounds after an overwhelming turnout of antifascist protesters cancelled their rally. The Neo-Nazis came armed with bats, shields, knives, and guns, and sent 9 individuals to the hospital, many of whom sustained critical injuries and stab wounds. Of the twenty Neo-Nazis present that day, one, William Scott Planer, is currently facing charges.

Sacramento County Jail booked Planer on September 9th after being extradited from the El Paso County Jail in Colorado Springs, where he’d been held since July 14th of this year. He was originally arrested and charged with vandalizing the Chabad Lubavitch of Southern Colorado after being caught on camera affixing a sticker to the door of the synagogue that read “fight terror, nuke Israel” late one night. El Paso Country Jail held him for nearly two months on $500,000 bail and a “fugitive from justice” hold. The hold as a result of a warrant due for his arrest out of Sacramento, where he’s charged with felony assault with a deadly weapon and misdemeanor riot for the attacks he participated in on June 26th. The vandalism case in Colorado is now behind him, and the case here in Sacramento is underway.

Planer is affiliated with both the Golden State Skinheads (GSS) and the Traditionalist Worker Party (TWP). As a highly active and well connected member of the White Nationalist movement, the Nazis did not forget him after his arrest in Colorado and subsequent incarceration. Soon after his arrest, the leaders of TWP, Matthew Heimbach and Matt Parrot, launched a crowd funding campaign to raise money for his bail and legal defense using the now-defunct crowdfunding platform Rootbocks.com, a website commonly used by white supremacists and Neo-Nazis due to its anti-censorship mission. Rootbocks’ web host shut down the site on August 14th and cut off by its payment service, and despite attempts to find a new web host, it remains offline. It is unclear if those doing Planer’s support work ever obtained the the money raised by the campaign, but the fundraiser page itself no longer exists. However, while Planer’s defense fund was still up, almost $15,000 was raised. The money came from supporters from all over the world, many of whom left comments about their support for and commitment to the white nationalist cause on the fundraiser page after donating.

Upon arriving at the Sacramento County Jail, William Planer’s bail was raised to $600,000. As a twice-convicted felon looking at his third strike if convicted in his current case, it’s clear he’s going to need a good lawyer. So, the local members of GSS, the leaders of TWP, and the white nationalist movement as a whole, managed to hire long standing Sacramento lawyer Danny D. Brace to represent William Planer. As stated on his website, bracelaw.com, the law firm that Danny Brace practices out of which has been in the same location since 1984. It takes a certain kind of person to willingly represent a Neo-Nazi who participated in assaults and stabbings of anti-racist protesters, but given Brace’s track record, no one should be surprised. Affectionately referred to as “Dump Truck Dan” by past clients burned by his poor performance, Danny Brace has a history of working for those who commit racist violence. As recently as three years ago he represented Joseph Paul Leonard, a man tried for committing the racially motivated murder of Toussaint Harrison and the attempted murder of Toussaint’s friend, Justin Oliphant. After just two days of deliberation, the jury convicted Leonard of both first degree murder and attempted murder, both with a hate crime enhancement, and sentenced to 32 to life.

Now, Brace is solidifying his reputation as defender of racist scum by representing a violent Neo-Nazi. It is unacceptable that Brace is accepting the money of Neo-Nazis and White Nationalists in exchange for defending a known white supremacist, especially one who has attacked anti-racist protesters and sent them to the hospital. These actions cannot go unopposed. Help us spread the word about Brace, who he is funded by, and the kinds of people he likes to defend- you can leave reviews of Danny Brace and Brace Law on Yelp, Google, and Yellow Pages. His law firm is located at 901 H St, suite 500, Sacramento CA, 95814, the office phone number is (916) 447-0592, and Danny Brace’s email is [email protected]. Feel free to get in touch with him and let him know how you feel about him accepting the money of white supremacists and defending a violent Neo-Nazi.

The wounding of 9 anti-racist protesters on June 26th of 2016 did not happen in a vacuum. The actions that William Planer participated in and that Danny Brace is defending are part of a broader fascist movement being pushed forward by white supremacist groups in the United States. The stabbings by members of the Golden State Skinheads are directly connected to the violence that took place in Charlottesville, Virginia when a white supremacist ran his vehicle into a crowd of anti-racist protesters, killing the protestor Heather Heyer, and injuring many more. They are directly connected to the hate crimes, shootings, murders, and attempted murders that are cropping up all over the nation. They are affiliated with a White Nationalist movement that puts immigrants, protesters, and black, brown, and queer communities under threat of violence. More than that, their actions are rooted in the history of white supremacy that stains the soil of this stolen land. We cannot expect the state to protect us from this threat, not when the state itself is one of the greatest enforcers and producers of the racist social order. William Planer sits in a jail cell because the state seeks to maintain a monopoly on violence, not because his actions go against its principles. We must look to each other and fight back, nationally and locally. White supremacists and those who would defend them must be opposed and disrupted at every stage of their organizing, by any means available.

After Spencer’s event had ended, a vehicle containing white nationalists from Texas provoked, then fired a shot at protesters waiting at a bus stop just outside of campus. Nobody was hit. William Fears, Colton Fears, and Tyler Tenbrink were eventually found and charged with attempted homicide. According to police, it was Tyler Tenbrink that fired the shot.

A planning document for Richard Spencer’s visit — which anti-racists accessed and which we are now publishing in full — suggests that the would-be killers from Texas were not mere supporters of Richard Spencer, but traveled to campus as part of Spencer’s operational plan for the day. The operational document also reveals details such as there being an after-party for Alt-Right militants who assisted with the Gainesville event, and that Spencer and other “VIPs” planned dinner with donors while visiting the city.

(more…)

It has come to our attention that Dave Strano of Redneck Revolt and the John Brown Gun Club has engaged in an ongoing pattern of behavior that is oppressive, exploitative, abusive, and which put comrades’ activities and well-being at risk. Strano’s behavior is in complete contradiction to what the TORCH Network stands for, as recorded in our Points of Unity.

TORCH Point of Unity #3:

“We oppose all forms of oppression and exploitation. We intend to do the hard work necessary to build a broad, strong movement of oppressed people centered on the working class against racism, sexism, nativism, anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, homophobia, transphobia, and discrimination against the disabled, the oldest, the youngest, and the most oppressed people. We support abortion rights and reproductive freedom. We want a classless, free society. We intend to win!”

TORCH Point of Unity #4:

“We hold ourselves accountable personally and collectively to live up to our ideals and values.”

TORCH Point of Unity #5

“We not only support each other within the network, but we also support people outside the network who we believe have similar aims or principles. An attack on one is an attack on all.”

The TORCH Network declares itself in complete solidarity with the survivors of Dave Strano’s abusive behavior. Strano has caused serious harm across a number of groups over a sustained period of time. In creating a society free from fascist activity, we must also challenge and reject abusive behavior in our own movements and from those claiming to be allies. Therefore, we issue the following call.

For the TORCH Network, the only acceptable means of accountability from Dave Strano starts with his complete cessation of involvement with Redneck Revolt, the John Brown Gun Club, and other similar and allied groups. Though the TORCH Network has worked with these groups in the past, we hereby discontinue our involvement with them until Strano ceases to  be a part of these groups. We ask that any organization that seeks to work with the TORCH Network also issue a similar, allied call, and refuse to work with Strano and those involved with him. In line with our Points of Unity, we will neither work with nor support any organization that continues to have a relationship with Dave Strano.

We are calling for anti-racists from throughout the South to travel and oppose white power leader Richard Spencer, who will speak at the University of Florida in Gainesville on October 19. Our aim is a broad mobilization in solidarity with UF students and Gainesville residents, against white nationalist organizing.

Organizations should make travel plans for Gainesville right now. Spencer’s racist event has been officially confirmed. Details of the anti-racist counter-mobilization at UF will be announced soon. In the meantime, please spread this call to action far and wide. Commit to organizing numbers from your region to stand against the racist far-Right.

Richard Spencer is a key white nationalist leader and is one of the most prominent faces of the “Alt-Right.” While Richard Spencer portrays himself as fighting a battle of ideas for his “identitarian” cause — which Spencer denies is racist even as he organizes with neo-Nazis — the fact is that Spencer’s ideology requires organized violence for its goal of a whites-only state. Where Spencer goes, violence follows. When Spencer talked at Auburn University in Alabama on April 18, his neo-Nazi followers charged at students and anti-racists (the crowd stayed united and repelled the attack). On August 11-12, Spencer was one of the main leaders at the notorious “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. There on the night of Friday August 11, a mob of hundreds of white nationalists attacked students and counter-protesters, beating their opponents with tiki torches. Spencer called the white supremacist mobilization “absolutely amazing,” a “total victory,” and “politics at its most spectacular […] magical.” The white power attack led to one person suffering a stroke due to his injuries.

On the Saturday of the Spencer-endorsed “Unite the Right,” neo-Nazi James Alex Fields Jr. — pictured standing alongside members of the fascist Vanguard America organization earlier that day — rammed his car into anti-racist protesters, murdering Heather Heyer and injuring dozens more. Spencer disavowed Heyer’s murder to save face, yet his political agenda entailing mass violence and ethnic cleansing is clear. Until recently, Spencer was set to co-headline a far-Right rally with Vanguard America — the organization murderer Fields stood with — in North Carolina this December. (Spencer canceled for reasons that had nothing to do with Vanguard America’s politics.)

The Alt-Right has been linked to several other murders this year, such as in Maryland, New York and Oregon. Where the racist far-Right can grow unchallenged, more deaths will occur. We support community self-defense against movements that target immigrants, people of color, Jewish people, LGBTQ communities and leftists.

We urge a broad mobilization determined to stand together and to keep each other safe as we counter the militant white nationalists in Gainesville. We intend to win.

Call to Action endorsed by:

• University of Florida Young Democratic Socialists of America (FL)
  
• Tampa Food Not Bombs (FL)
• Tampa Democratic Socialists of America (FL)
• Street Groomers (GA)
• St. Pete Food Not Bombs (FL)
• Revolutionary Road Radio Show (FL)
• Revolutionary Caucus (FL)
• Refuge Ministries (FL)
• Poor People’s Economic Human Rights Campaign (FL)
• Orlando Antifascists (FL)
• Northeast Georgia Democratic Socialists of America (GA)
• Mutual Aid Disaster Relief – Tampa chapter (FL)
• Metro Atlanta Democratic Socialists of America (GA)
• Love Has No Borders (FL)
• Industrial Workers of the World General Defense Committee
• Gainesville Dream Defenders (FL)
• Gainesville Antifascist Committee (FL)
• Free States of Cobb and West Atlanta (GA)
• Charleston Democratic Socialists of America (SC)
• Black Lives Matter Tampa (FL)
• Atlanta Resistance Medics (GA)
• Atlanta General Defense Committee of the Industrial Workers of the World (GA)
• Atlanta Antifascists (GA)
• Anti-Racist Action Tallahassee (FL)
• Anti-Fascist News
• All Out Atlanta (GA)

Please get in touch if your organization is mobilizing for Gainesville and wants to endorse this call to action: [email protected]