Update: due to indications that Hill has been fired, we are removing workplace contact information from this post.
Since March 2015, the Brannen Law Firm in Morrow, Georgia has employed far-Right militia leader Christopher Hill as a paralegal. During this time, Hill’s III% Security Force militia led anti-Muslim campaigns, organized alongside white supremacists despite claims of being non-racist, and was linked to a bomb plot in Kansas. A III% Security Force ally committed a brutal attack during 2017’s “Unite the Right” event in Charlottesville, Virginia. Most recently, Hill’s “Georgia Security Force” – our state’s wing of III% SF – assaulted unarmed anti-racist and anti-fascist counter-protesters in Atlanta, with Hill boasting about the gang attack afterward.
https://vimeo.com/493923244
December 12, 2020: Chris Hill celebrates gang attack in Atlanta by his followers.
Since Hill is a highly visible public face of the militia movement and frequently makes inflammatory statements to the media, Joseph Chad Brannen’s firm must be aware of his employee’s activities. Chad Brannen nevertheless enables Hill’s far-Right organizing by keeping the militia leader employed. After half a decade of harm to communities, it is time for the Brannen Law Firm to fire Hill.
Contact the Brannen Law Firm and express your concern about how it enables violent far-Right militia organizing. We provide a sample script for calls below. Remember that if concerned about privacy, you can use *67 when calling. After the script, we provide notes on some of the violence and campaigns of intimidation linked to Hill, while he worked at the Brannen Law Firm.
Contact:
Brannen Law Firm [removed]
Sample call script:
I am deeply concerned about your employment of Christopher Sheldon Hill. Hill is a far-Right leader who stokes hatred and division with his anti-Muslim organizing. He has been repeatedly linked to acts of violence and recently boasted of a gang attack his followers committed in Atlanta. By keeping Hill employed, your firm has enabled Hill’s organizing and violence. It is time to fire Hill and apologize for the harm already done. I will speak out about your firm until this happens. Thanks for your time.
On Saturday, December 12, 2020, far-Right militias rallied in Atlanta, Georgia in response to a call to “defend your homeland” issued by the Southern Patriot Council AKA veteran Eric M. Braden of Texas. Braden had previously tried to organize a “Stone Mountain Redux” event in Georgia in late September, but that event collapsed at the last minute.
The December 12 militia mobilization joined with the “Stop the Steal” rally against election results at the Georgia Capitol.
The largest and most visible bloc of militia members on December 12 were from Christopher Sheldon Hill’s III% Security Force / Georgia Security Force militia. After the rally, Hill discovered that one of his truck tires had been cut by an unknown person. Hill’s militia went searching for anti-racist/anti-fascist counter-protesters who remained downtown, in order to enact revenge on “antifa”. Hill’s men attacked an unarmed group they found. Hill later bragged about the gang assault online.
If you have further information on any of the militia members in these galleries, please get in touch. Bear in mind that journalists, onlookers, and so on may also be pictured: use common sense when evaluating.
Lawrence David Hill (“Sgt. Larcell”) in camo boonie hat
Jade Johnson (“PFC Rebelchick”) & Timothy Johnson (“LCpl Nightmareborn”) on left.
III% Security Force leader Chris Hill and followers at parking garage before rally.
Eric Braden (Southern Patriot Council) in cowboy hat. III% Security Force member Justin Daniel Gibson AKA “Operator” left of Braden. Gibson later participated in group attack.
Scott Cooper (“Wraith”) of III% Security Force right of Eric Braden (cowboy hat, smoking). Cooper later participated in the group attack against anti-racist/anti-fascist counter-protesters.
Corey Wells (“Sgt. Treemann”) in Trump cap and Confederate battle flag face mask. Wells was involved in the later gang attack.
Jerome Milburn Trent AKA “BigDog” of III% Security Force on left with camo Trump cap and black mask. David Michael Wendlandt (“BiggKuntry”) of III%SF near Trent wearing cap and US flag mask.
Militia member points gun while leaving garage. Note also Justin Daniel Gibson and Scott Cooper in back of truck. Both participated in later group attack.
Chris Hill brags of gang attack after rally.
If you have further information on any of the militia members in these galleries, please get in touch.
Update: in a statement on December 21, American Patriots USA leader Chester Doles claimed that he expelled Dickenson from the organization.
Robert Timothy Dickenson is the chaplain of north Georgia’s American Patriots USA (APUSA), an organization founded by white supremacists in 2019. Led by Chester Doles, APUSA has tried to build broader alliances on the far-Right. Dickenson attended APUSA’s founding meeting on December 14, 2019 and has remained a key participant at least up to its last major event, a “Back the Blue” fundraiser this September in Dahlonega.
Tim Dickenson (3rd from left) in Dahlonega, Georgia, September 12, 2020. Also pictured (L-R): Chester Doles, Michael Boggus, Jim Higginbotham (of “Justice Mulisha”).
In an earlier article, we highlighted that Dickenson was a member of the Original Knight Riders, Knights of the Ku Klux Klan circa 2015. We noted that last year Dickenson accompanied an American Patriots USA float in Dahlonega’s Gold Rush Days parade while wearing a sweatshirt for a different Klan group, the International Keystone Knights of the KKK.
Here, we provide further documentation on APUSA’s chaplain. We have documented that APUSA’s overall leader, Chester Doles, participated in 2017’s violent “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Virginia with a contingent of Hammerskin Nation gang members. Robert Tim Dickenson also took part in the bloody Virginia rally, marching alongside and later posing for photos with the League of the South, a white supremacist and Southern secessionist organization. Earlier in 2017, Dickenson was photographed at a rally by the Nationalist Front – a now-defunct coalition of white power groups – in Pikeville, Kentucky. Dickenson attended the April 2017 Kentucky event as a member of the Original Knight Riders, showing that his membership in that Klan group continued beyond 2015.
Dickenson with League of the South members after “Unite the Right”, 2017, posing with anti-racist banner that was grabbed during clash. Dickenson is on right holding rifle.
Our original article also discussed a racist church which we provisionally linked to Dickenson. A 2018 business filing in South Carolina confirms this earlier analysis.
Pikeville, Kentucky: April 29, 2017
In April 2017, the “Nationalist Front” coalition of racist groups held a rally in Pikeville, Kentucky. Formed a year earlier as the “Aryan Nationalist Alliance”, the coalition was renamed shortly before the 2016 election. The April 2017 Pikeville rally was intended to relaunch and to reconfigure the coalition around four major organizations: the National Socialist Movement, the now-defunct Traditionalist Worker Party, the League of the South, and finally Vanguard America, which went on to spawn Patriot Front. Smaller white supremacist groups also took part in the Pikeville white power rally, which attracted over 100.
Dickenson at “Nationalist Front” gathering on private land, the day before 2017 Pikeville rally. Photograph by Tod Seelie, originally published here.
The day before the Pikeville rally, the Nationalist Front held a gathering on private land. Tim Dickenson attended, giving his name as “Sky Soldier” to media and stating that he was with the Original Knight Riders, Knights of the Ku Klux Klan. A photograph from this gathering shows Dickenson wearing a black shirt with a skull and crossbones patch marked “KKK”. This insignia usually designates a “nighthawk”, or Klan security. Dickenson was visible in the white supremacist crowd at Pikeville the following day.
“Nationalist Front” rally in Pikeville, April 29, 2017.
Charlottesville, Virginia: August 12, 2017
Dickenson marching near League of the South in Charlottesville, VA, August 12, 2017
Dickenson was also photographed attending “Unite the Right” in Charlottesville, Virginia, marching into the rally with the Nationalist Front. Dickson entered alongside League of the South (LoS) members and held a Confederate battle flag, but he did not wear League uniform. While he carried a medic bag, one photo from later that day shows Dickenson wearing brass knuckles. After the day’s violence – in which LoS played a leading role – Dickenson posed holding a rifle with a group of LoS leaders and militants, displaying an anti-fascist banner that was snatched during street-fighting.
Dickson holding rifle in League of the South group picture following “Unite the Right”
Although Dickenson’s presence in the LoS group photos does not prove that he was a formal member of the organization, at minimum the white supremacist group must have considered him a trusted ally. Among the individuals Dickenson posed with was Michael Tubbs, previously convicted for stealing weapons and explosives in a plot to spark a race war. Also featured in the photo were LoS head Michael Hill and its chief propagandist at the time, Brad Griffin of Occidental Dissent.
“Church of the Sons of Yahweh”
We previously noted that Chester Doles made an online comment about a “Sons of Yahweh” church in Hiawassee, Georgia, which we tentatively linked to Dickenson. Based on the church name and Dickenson’s history, we suggested the church followed Christian Identity theology. Christian Identity is a racist form of Christianity that believes whites are God’s true chosen people, that Jewish people are evil imposters, and that people of color are inferior. We linked “Sons of Yahweh” to the fractured remnants of the notorious Aryan Nations. One Aryan Nations leader, Morris Gulett, had co-founded the “Church of the Sons of YHVH”. Gulett later operated a “Church of the Sons of Yahweh” (note different spelling).
2018 South Carolina business record. Address is a private mailbox business.
We have now discovered that in January 2018, Dickenson registered “Church of the Sons of Yahweh” as a nonprofit business in South Carolina where he then lived. Since Dickenson has been highly involved in KKK and white power circles where Christian Identity is a familiar topic, his church name must have been a deliberate reference to Aryan Nations and likely the Gulett faction. In other words: American Patriots USA’s official “Chaplain” and Chester Doles’ righthand man is a white supremacist preacher.
Conclusion
In this update, we further documented Robert Tim Dickenson’s involvement with the Original Knight Riders, a now-defunct KKK group. Dickenson seemingly had a security or enforcer role within that Klan group. As discussed in our previous article, last year Dickenson publicly displayed support for another Klan group, the International Keystone Knights.
This update also showed that Dickenson attended at least two major rallies in 2017 with the racist “Nationalist Front”. After the second one – “Unite the Right” in Charlottesville, Virginia – Dickenson posed with League of the South members who led much of that day’s violence. Finally, this update highlighted a business filing linking Dickenson to the “Church of the Sons of Yahweh”, corroborating our earlier discussion about Dickenson and the racist Christian Identity movement.
Dickenson at militia / racist / neo-Confederate event in Stone Mountain, Georgia, August 15, 2020
Dickenson’s involvement at the core of American Patriots USA undermines that organization’s claims of being non-racist, even if APUSA currently networks with far-Right people of color. APUSA’s leader Chester Doles briefly claimed to step down as APUSA President in September, disappointed that his claims of having abandoned racism were not taken seriously after decades as a white supremacist leader. A month and a half later, Doles again issued a statement as APUSA’s President. Dickenson’s involvement alongside Doles at the core of APUSA highlights that the organization both welcomes and was formed around committed white supremacists.
Tim Dickenson has a felony criminal history involving domestic violence, and so it is illegal for him to possess firearms. This did not stop him posing with a rifle after 2017’s “Unite the Right” or showing up with a shotgun at Stone Mountain, Georgia this year. We do not know whether the state is actively turning a blind eye to Dickenson’s activities or whether it is merely ignorant of them. Either way, the lesson is clear: antifascists must not rely on the government to protect communities or to do our work for us.
If you have more information on Dickenson or his associates, please get in touch.
Starting Wednesday 11/18/2020, the #StopTheSteal coalition of Trumpist, far-Right, and white nationalist groups began to rally at the Georgia Capitol in a last-ditch effort to stave off certification of the election results in which Trump narrowly lost Georgia. Because of heavy promotion and the presence of InfoWars, the preeminent far-Right conspiratorial outlet led by Alex Jones, the events attracted right-wingers throughout Georgia and beyond. The #StopTheSteal movement in Georgia culminated in a large event on Saturday in which there were so many right-wingers that several city blocks were shut down and cordoned off by police.
There were a few cracks in the week’s Trumpist coalition, as Women for America First pulled out of Saturday’s event at the last minute, but overall there was an unprecedented amount of unity because of the special circumstances. Nick Fuentes, the leader of the white nationalist “Groypers”, came on Wednesday and stayed throughout Saturday. Most of the other participants either embraced him (like Alex Jones and Ali Alexander) or kept him at arm’s length without explicitly denouncing him. Fuentes’ Groypers did not attempt to hide their crypto-Nazi leanings, making Holocaust denial jokes in front of the Governor’s mansion on Saturday night. Unknown parties also littered the Capitol with antisemitic propaganda. Fuentes broadcasted live from his hotel during the week, boasting that the mobilization’s security was protecting him, calling Atlanta a “shithole” full of “feral homeless,” and racially insulting the Black staff at the hotel.
Racist rant by Nicholas Fuentes while in Atlanta, from November 19, 2020 livestream.
Proud Boy leadership – Enrique Tarrio and Jeremy Bertino – gathered alongside InfoWars.Vincent James Foxx of the white nationalist channel Red Elephants attended for part of the week. Local white nationalist Chester Doles attended the Saturday event and was interviewed on right-wing media. The Trumpist coalition was shot through with COVID denialism and anti-mask sentiment, and their maskless gatherings throughout the week – one of them indoors inside the Capitol building – likely constituted a super-spreader event.
Nick Fuentes and “groyper” followes joke about Holocaust outside Governor’s Mansion, November 21, 2020.
Antifascists in Atlanta extensively monitored the events and began to organize a physical response immediately. The planning was made incredibly difficult by its last-minute nature and the COVID-19 spike environment, but a diverse coalition was rapidly assembled. F.L.O.W.E.R. (Front Line Organizations Working to End Racism), the Metro Atlanta DSA, PSL Atlanta, FAYER Atlanta, FC St. Pauli Atlanta, Atlanta Antifascists, Wall of Vets GA, Community Movement Builders, Guerrilla Company, Refuse Fascism and The Atlanta Rescue Coalition all sponsored the event. Wall of Vets, CAW (Collective of Armed Workers) and others provided perimeter security. Considering that InfoWars and Alexander had brought heavy security – and Georgia militias such as the III% Security Force would be in attendance – the need for armed security was crucial.
Flyer for anti-racist protest
The antifascist/antiracist coalition began assembling at 11AM on Saturday. Knowing that we would be outnumbered, a position capable of being guarded was chosen, at City Hall just around the corner from the Capitol. Some of the coalition had come in black bloc and were ready to form a shield wall. Security, open-carrying long guns, set up a perimeter at the street corners while medics set up a station to the side.
The coalition did turn out be extremely outnumbered as thousands of Trumpists swelled the crowd in front of the Capitol. City police set up a line between the two crowds. There were numerous attempts by right-wing live streamers and aggressive right-wingers to initiate fights throughout the day, but they were quickly isolated and pushed back. Enrique Tarrio accompanied an aggressive live-streamer and tried to use her as an attention gambit, but the counter-protesters blocked her stream and a Trump flag was burned in front of Tarrio.
The situation developed into a tense stalemate, as Tarrio had fifty riot police behind him and about a thousand desperate Trumpists screaming “FUCK ANTIFA” behind those riot police. The shield wall stood their ground and a chant of “ATL HOE” directed at the invading racists animated the outnumbered counter-protesters. Eventually the stalemate ended when police gently escorted Tarrio back behind the barricades.
An order to disperse was given. The more center-right Trumpists, generally families who had come in from the surrounding exurbs, began leaving. The counter-protest ended safely, with security making sure to escort those leaving in order to protect against roving bands of Proud Boys and militia.
Takeaways from this event:
The Trumpists of course lost their election certification battle, but the far-Right and white nationalist elements scored an indirect victory by using the event as an opportunity for networking and promotion.
Cool-headed, community-accountable armed security is crucial in states like Georgia where the right is always heavily armed. Although the counter-protesters were outnumbered, we were definitely not outgunned, which removed a crucial intimidation factor that the right usually relies on.
Events where the center right and the far-right merge, such as 11/21/20 Atlanta, are extremely dangerous because of greater numbers that the center right bring.
It is difficult to assemble large crowds against anti-maskers in a COVID spike environment. While the anti-racist coalition event stressed COVID safety and all participants were masked and outdoors, it is still understandable that wide participation was not forthcoming.
Opposing right-wingers over election-related issues is politically tricky. The event was cast by mainstream media as “pro-Biden” after the fact, even though it was explicitly called “Racists Out of ATL”. While there is no way to control reception by the mainstream media, it will become increasingly important to stress that opposing the far right is and should remain an electoral-neutral activity. Community safety and racial justice must be reinforced over and over again as the paramount values.
On November 18, Trumpworld operative Ali Alexander held a rally at the Georgia Capitol – the first of a series of events in Atlanta against the election results and for Trump. The rally prominently featured far-Right propagandist Alex Jones and white nationalist leader Nicholas Fuentes. Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio also attended.
Rally security
More rally security
Alex Jones arrives.
“AF” shirt promoting white nationalist Fuentes’ “America First” broadcast.
Ali Alexander on left, next to Nicholas Fuentes with megaphone
Alex Jones with megaphone.
If you have further information on those pictured here – in particular white nationalist attendees or far-Right militants – please get in contact.
On November 18, Trumpworld operative Ali Alexander held a rally at the Georgia Capitol – the first of a series of events in Atlanta against the election results and for Trump. The rally prominently featured far-Right propagandist Alex Jones and white nationalist leader Nicholas Fuentes. Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio also attended.
Rally security
More rally security
Alex Jones arrives.
“AF” shirt promoting white nationalist Fuentes’ “America First” broadcast.
Ali Alexander on left, next to Nicholas Fuentes with megaphone
Alex Jones with megaphone.
If you have further information on those pictured here – in particular white nationalist attendees or far-Right militants – please get in contact.
Summary: Twenty-year-old Michael Patrick Hagerty, II is a member of two racist organizations, Patriot Front and Revolt Through Tradition. This year, he placed stickers for those organizations throughout Atlanta. Hagerty even wears clothes designating himself as a “National Socialist” – in other words, a neo-Nazi. His uncle, Bill Hagerty, is a Trump loyalist campaigning as the Republican candidate in Tennessee’s US Senate race, which he will likely win. Bill Hagerty vilifies Black Lives Matter and anti-fascists. Meanwhile, his nephew works with white supremacists to build a climate of intimidation against people of color, Jewish people, Muslims, leftists and LGBTQ communities.
Introduction
Michael Hagerty, II
“Revocato_Gloria” AKA Michael Hagerty, II
Michael Patrick Hagerty, II is a twenty-year-old white nationalist who belongs to two different fascist organizations, Patriot Front (PF) and Revolt Through Tradition (RTT). Over the last year, he has covered Atlanta with stickers for these organizations, trying to give the impression that they have a strong presence in our city. Hagerty has also traveled to meet with other PF and RTT members and posed in photos as they trained together for fighting. Hagerty even wears a t-shirt identifying himself as a “National Socialist”: in other words, a neo-Nazi. One of Hagerty’s associates in Patriot Front is “John GA” (alias), who targeted synagogues in Columbus, Georgia, last year with another PF member, Chris Brooks.
William F. Hagerty campaign video
Hagerty’s uncle, William F. Hagerty, is currently campaigning in Tennessee as the Republican candidate in that state’s election for the US Senate, which he will likely win. As a candidate, Bill Hagerty has repeatedly attacked Black Lives Matter and anti-fascists. He characterized Black Lives Matter as aiming to “overthrow the government and usher in Marxism” and echoed Donald Trump’s characterization of anti-fascists as “domestic terrorists”, stating that they “must be stopped”. Through his aggressive public stance against anti-racist movements, Bill Hagerty shelters and emboldens white nationalists like his nephew while they prepare for violence.
