On October 2nd, as has been widely reported in the media, four members of the violent neo-Nazi gang known as Rise Above Movement (earlier known as DIY Division) were arrested and are now facing federal rioting charges that could land them behind bars for years if convicted. The criminal complaint brought against members of RAM by the FBI references and quotes the work of Northern California Anti-Racist Action (NoCARA) on RAM which was published in July 2017. In light of this development, we believe it’s important to examine and clarify a number of important points relating to RAM, the FBI, state repression, and anti-fascist research and organizing.
Northern California Anti-Racist Action
The Proud Boys in Berkeley’s City Hall
Ryoga Vee (front, center in Spider-Man outfit) poses for a photo with Bay Area Proud Boys and allies on April 27, 2017
NoCARA recently received an anonymous submission of documents disclosing communications as well as a meeting that took place between Berkeley City Councilman Ben Bartlett, conservative activist Ryoga Vee, and Bay Area Proud Boy Jarod Flores. This news comes at a time when Councilman Bartlett is under fire for abusing his authority on multiple occasions in order to avoid traffic tickets, and the Berkeley City Council and Berkeley police are facing backlash from the community after Berkeley PD doxxed counter protesters opposing a far-right rally in MLK Park on August 5.
While the records we received don’t comprehensively lay out the exact contents of the meeting Bartlett had with Ryoga Vee and Jarod Flores, we believe the timing of their communications and additional comments elsewhere by Vee provide insight and context into what happened and why. A link to the original PDF we received can be found at the bottom of this article after the analysis below.
Welcome on Board to the Violence: Amber Cummings Gives a Platform to White Nationalism
Amber Cummings has been involved in right wing political movements for the last 10 years, though she first caught the attention of anti-fascists on March 4, 2017 at the March 4 Trump rally in Berkeley. Since her participation at that rally, Amber has been a central figure in the far-right movement in Northern California. For the last year and a half, Amber Cummings has organized and engaged in violent protests in the Bay Area as well as in Portland, OR. Often, these events were test runs for what was then a growing coalition of far-right factions: libertarians, alt-lite, alt-right, militias, and mainstream Trump supporters. Amber fought side by side with white supremacists in Berkeley and Portland, building a right-wing coalition in the streets intent on attacking and suppressing the left. Amber Cummings has proven to be a threat to the Bay Area communities she harasses, and due to her past actions and persistent organizing we feel it is necessary to expose her.
3504 Baywood Cir Antioch, CA 94531
Details:
Name: Amber Gwen Cummings
DOB: 5/10/1974, 44 years old
Address: 3504 Baywood Cir Antioch, CA 94531
Car: white 4-door Nissan truck
Patrick Little: How the Mainstream made the Little Nazi that Could
Patrick Little (holding flag) with members of Identity Evropa at a rally for Kate Steinle in San Francisco, December 2017
Much has been said about the several far-Right candidates running for political office across the United States in 2018. Given the increased level of white power activity occurring in Northern California in recent years, it’s not surprising that one of these candidates calls the Bay Area home.
Patrick Little is a neo-Nazi and member of the League of the South as well as a former marine. He currently lives in Albany (nestled right next to Berkeley) and is trying to replace Dianne Feinstein as a senator representing California. After interviewing Little, one journalist concluded that:
“[W]hat sets him apart is that on April 24, a SurveyUSA poll had him placing second in the Senate race, gathering more than twice as much support as any other Republican. If that turns out to be a correct predictor and he places second among the nearly three dozen candidates competing in the June 5 primary, he would face Feinstein in November’s general election.”
The fact that Little is polling in second place ahead of the June 5th primary is the result of the last few years of Alt-Right agitation as well as the way the media, liberals, and Republicans have all responded to the Alt-Right. These groups all in their own ways have participated in pulling fascist politics closer to the mainstream.