Happy Spring, MW reader! Here’s a brief Monthly with some updates on news related to the militia space in the US. This month includes key updates on these dynamics:
- Militia and associates show up for counter-demo at Tesla protests
- J6 updates (evergreen forever, /shrug)
If you’d like to read last month’s update, you can view February’s update here:
#TeslaTakedown protests draw a smattering of militia affiliates
Just in the final March wave of Tesla protests (mostly March 29), here are some key notes:
- Idaho: A few folks from Idaho Liberty Dogs and People’s Rights Network showed in Meridian. This included David Pettinger, who shaved his facial hair into a Hitler ‘stache and wore a t-shirt with Elon throwing a Nazi salute. His intention was likely to make fun of or bait people decrying Musk’s antics at the inauguration, but it is one of those cases of a failure of meta-irony that seems to thinly veil his far-right views. Local GOP leadership appears to have invited Pettinger into their caucus on March 31, where he dressed as a “RINO hunter” before he was eventually removed for apparent disruption. Pettinger carried a handgun on his hip at both showings.
- Oklahoma: Veterans on Patrol claimed to have infiltrated a protest, though this may not have actually happened.
- Tennessee: J6 pardon recipient William Beals attended a TeslaTakedown in Chattanooga, wearing a III% patch. He described his presence as an attempt to protect the dealership.
- Utah: Utah Patriots showed up in South Salt Lake to counterprotest and engage the media.
While not commonly considered militias, some other groups and individuals also showed:
- Proud Boys claimed they planned to infiltrate a protest in Columbus, Ohio (also yet unclear if this happened).
- J6 pardon recipient Josh ‘Oreo Express’ Fulfer showed in Fresno, California.
Regardless of these counter-mobilizations, they seem to have had little impact on the significant volume of protesters at the demonstrations these actors sought to counter and those they couldn’t muster a response for. They also seem not to have hindered a national surge of protests on Saturday, April 5 (occurring as this Monthly goes through edits).
Other J6 Updates
According to President Trump during a Newsmax interview, his administration is still considering creating a fund to pay J6 pardon recipients restitution for lost wages. He also took the opportunity to call them “patriots” once again.
DC Attorney General Brian Schwalb also announced that his office is dropping a civil lawsuit against J6 groups, saying his office’s resources are better used elsewhere. Karl Racine, DC’s previous AG, announced the suit in 2021.