IC_CRU_Report -

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Iron City Community Response Unit: A Potential Threat to the Pittsburgh Community Courtesy of Three Rivers White Rose | June 10 2020 While it is necessary and important to highlight the police violence that has led to this uprising (both historically and in the case of George Floyd), it is also important to highlight the far right violence during this uprising and the violence that is likely to continue. I doubt this report will live up to journalistic or scholarly standards, but I’m neither a journalist or a scholar. I have, however, observed and have taken an interest in modern far right extremism in the United States. I have spent the past 4-5 years reading about and researching the far right casually. The information in this report has been found publicly or via easily accessed social media. Because of the far right’s often explicit strategy of infiltrating Law Enforcement Agencies and mainstream politics, and the history of programs like the FBI’s COINTELPRO, I believe that local or state agencies are either uninterested or unable to curb much of the rise of the far right or the violence they are currently engaged in and planning to engage in. LEA’s have historically ignored, sided with, been infiltrated by, or even shared common cause with the far right. To me, it is clear that LEAs are presently focused on protestors and supposed "outside agitators.” It is up to us to protect each other and we should not expect the aid of the state. Enough soap boxing. This is what I get up to when I’m bored. Check this shit out. This is the Iron City Community Response Unit (IC CRU). You may remember them from the "Reopen" protest in downtown Pittsburgh on April 20th 2020, where their members were seen masked, wearing black camouflage, posing for pictures. It should be noted that "black multicam" is not a practical camouflage for urban or really any other environments. It was designed to intimidate and "project a distinctly authoritative presence appropriate for domestic operations." It has no other purpose. But this was not their first outing. As far as I know, their first public outing was on January 20th, in Richmond VA, during a rally in opposition of proposed firearms legislation. At this particular event, there were only two members visibly present, Matthew Wakulik ("Hammer") and Jason Thomas ("Gucci", formerly "Sicario"). Prior to forming IC CRU, Wakulik and Thomas were apparently members of the Pennsylvania Lightfoot Militia, Ghost Company, as recently as September 16th, 2019, when they participated in a field training exercise (FTX) with the Ohio Valley Minutemen. Wakulik and Thomas seemed to have split off from Ghost Company to form their own organization sometime between then and mid January 2020. I have read some social media comments that seem to indicate that supposed training quality / standards as a motivation for breaking off from Ghost Company, although I didn’t screen shot those and can’t find them. This probably played a role, considering how many big egos and supposed experts exist within the the firearms and militia communities, but I have a suspicion that politics also contributed to the break. Christian Yingling was (perhaps still is, I am unsure), the Commanding Officer of Ghost Company, which operates out of the Laurel Highlands. Yingling is a fairly high profile member of the militia / patriot community. He has been becoming more vocal over the years about what he feels is an unnecessary divide between the "left" and "right" in the country. He has caused waves within the militia community for his willingness to speak out against fascist infiltration of the militia movement and has been open about communicating with left leaning, pro-firearms groups. He sees these actions as efforts to limit potential political violence. Wakulik, on the other hand, has frequently and consistently expressed disdain and the desire for violent confrontation with liberals, “communist anarchists," "anti constitutional road blockers," “antifa,” and others. The following are social media posts by Matthew, in no particular order. This is *just from Matthew’s instagram.* He locked up his Facebook page a little tighter after the Reopen protest and doesn’t seem active on twitter. But notice the general trends and interesting bits. The first trend is the consistent references to violence and his supposedly capacity for it, usually by showing off his firearms. The second thing I notice is his supposed eagerness to use violence, by using the hash tag “fight me,” super imposing the words “believe me when I say I will kill you all” and “Kill them Matt. Kill them all” onto photos, or a picture from a scene in the movie Stripes where a character threatens homophobic violence with the words “All I know is ,that I finally get to shoot someone” superimposed onto it. A third theme I notice is a hatred for “liberals,” shown by posting hashtags like “liberalism is a mental disorder” on a picture that reads “liberals should not breathe.” In a similar vein, Matthew seems to have absorbed the “liberals are the PC police” / “liberal snowflakes” narratives and the idea that “antifa” are violent terrorists (despite much evidence to the contrary). He has posted an image mocking Indigenous People’s Day and a “straight pride world wide” post (which seems to be a hashtag that mostly literal fascists use on instagram, although there are only a little over 100 posts using it). The fourth trend I noticed is an obsession with masculinity and his pursuit of cultivating and expressing a “traditional” masculinity within himself. And the final trend I notice are Jack Donovan quotes. More on that in a bit. All of these themes seem to be consistently interwoven, which to me shows an articulated worldview that Matt is showing through his social media, not just images taken out of context. There a few posts that I want to draw attention to because they stood out to be a potential red flags. I don’t think they necessarily deviate from the overall trends, but I think they deserve attention. - The Thomas Sowell quote: “More whites were brought as slaves to North Africa than blacks brought as slaves to the United States or to the 13 original colonies from which it was formed. White slaves were still being bought and sold in the Ottoman Empire, decades after blacks were freed in the United States.” You can do your own digging on Thomas Sowell and the accuracy of his assertion but it should clear why this kind of statement would be concerning. - The an altered image of a scene from the movie “American History X,” where the main character (a racist with a Swastika tattoo) curb tombs a black man after shooting a different black man. The main character also has some choice words to say about the Rodney King riots. - The Confederate flag key chain he carries despite being very pro-America. I’m not going to rehash whether or not the Confederate flag is a symbol of racism and white supremacy. It is. End of story. It is also entirely true, though, that some people don’t think that it is and use it in ways that ignore it’s context and history completely. - The Jeff Cooper quote: “The only acceptable response to the threat of lethal violence is immediate and savage counterattack. If you resist, you just may get killed. If you don’t resist, you almost certainly will get killed. It is a tough choice, but there is only one right answer.” The most concerning thing to me about this is that Cooper was supportive of South African Apartheid, the government of Rhodesia (which was an unrecognized state in what is now Zimbabwe which caught to maintain white minority rule over the territory, and is often referenced by white supremacists as a dog whistle) and fascist dictator of Spain Francisco Franco. You can read about Cooper’s other completely normal and not totally racist commentary here: http://dvc.org.uk/jeff/jeff4.pdf - The “War Ravens” comment: an account named “war_ravens” commented on one of Matt’s photos saying “This is good to see! From Altoona Pa!” which was subsequently liked by Matt and Jason Thomas (thin_diesel412). The War Ravens describe themselves as a “Heathen tribe from mountains of central Pennsylvania.” Their logo features an AK47 and a Black Sun. Unlike many symbols and runes associated with Germanic paganism, the Black Sun is almost exclusively used by neo-Nazis. Although I won’t document the connections in this report, the War Ravens seemingly have connections to or share membership with Keystone United, a white nationalist organization formed by former Vinlanders Social Club member Steven Smith. KSU members have a long history of violence (including the 2018 beating of Paul Morris in Avalon, Pa), ties to the Luzerne County Republican Party, and ties to the now defunct Traditionalist Workers Party, who were present during the Unite the Right rally in 2017. KSU hosted a Yule celebration in Altoona, Pa on December 14, 2019 and incidentally, the American Guard is a current nationalist organization formed by another Vinlanders Social Club member, Brien James, who have attempted to make inroads within the militia and patriot communities. As for the Jack Donovan quotes. I will link some more in depth analysis towards the end of this but the long and short of it is that Donovan fancies himself as some kind of alternative spiritual philosopher, was a member of the Wolves of Vinland (a power lifting, hyper-masculine social group / cult), is very anti-feminist, and is either a fascist apologist or fascist sympathizer. There is a small by growing movement inspired by the Wolves and Operation Werewolf that skirts around the edges of the the broader far right and fascist movements, largely inspired by Donovan’s writings and activism. Donovan writings typically discuss what it means to be a man, rejecting modernism, disillusion with modern society, etc… Matt has admitted to reading at least 2 of Donovan’s books and is arguably the most consistent theme throughout Matt’s instagram, maybe tying for first with general militia related posts. Maybe Matt just thinks it’s funny to trigger a bunch of snowflakes by posting straight pride images, carrying a Confederate flag keychain, and mocking Indigenous People’s Day, and by extension, the violence inflicted upon the Indigenous people of this continent. Maybe he doesn’t know Jeff Cooper’s positions on South African conflicts of the recent past and quoted him because of a simple appreciation for his firearms insight. Maybe he chose the Valknut for the IC CRU logo because he sees himself as some kind of modern day viking warrior or has an appreciation for ancient Nordic culture. Maybe Matt doesn’t know much about the War Ravens or their membership. Maybe Matt just thinks Jack Donovan’s “barbarian,” “tribalist,” and hyper masculine philosophy is cool and doesn’t know about Donovan’s other works where he defends ethno-nationalists and the Alt-Right. I believe that it is entirely possible that these references and subtle connections to fascism are entirely unbeknownst to Matt. Segments of the far right spend a lot of time figuring out ways to inject their ideology into culture and politics while never naming their ideology explicitly. So is Matt a fascist? He probably doesn’t consciously identify as one. But to be honest, I don’t think it matters. To simplify Robert Paxton’s ideas from “The Anatomy of Fascism,” fascism cannot be defined by it’s ideology alone. While fascism is ideological, is doesn’t provide coherent or consistent political or economic programs. It is an amalgamation of characteristics and political behavior, many of which, in my opinion, Matt seems to value or, at the very least, is sympathetic to. There are other important pieces that show that Matt and the IC CRU are a threat to Pittsburghers, especially those they disagrees with politically, and even more so to those who engage in civil disobedience or protest. Firstly, here is their statement made on Facebook on March 29, 2020, in response to the police murder of George Floyd by Derek Chauvin. Notice the last full paragraph. “First and foremost, the circumstances surrounding the arrest and subsequent death of George Floyd are appalling. Our deepest condolences go out to his family, friends, and community. We want to make it abundantly clear that we stand with you in this horrible time. In times of great injustices, it is easy to over-simplify or polarize the issues. In this case, it is morally imperative to place blame for this atrocity squarely at the feet of the offending few and not on the law enforcement community as a whole. Iron City C.R.U. will always support pro-Constitution police officers. That being said, what happened to Mr. Floyd is a great injustice and the ultimate violation of rights we aspire to protect. The involved officers being fired is a great initial step, but it cannot be the only step. We believe the officer directly involved should be held criminally liable for the murder of George Floyd. The officers present that stood idly by and made no attempt to prevent this should be identified to the public, tried for criminal negligence, and never again placed in a position of authority. Ultimately, when an individual is being detained, the arresting officer is 100% liable for the well-being of that individual as the officer has removed their ability to fend for themselves. Additionally, officers are only permitted to use the amount of force proportionate to the current threat. George Floyd had been completely restrained, and the amount of force he was being exposed to was unjustified. The callousness at which this officer treated Mr. Floyd, is indicative of foundational issues within the law enforcement community that should be addressed. First, there exists a small subset of officers that have become accustomed to abusing their position of authority. Ultimately the problem is mindset – these individuals view themselves above the people they should be serving. They have lost sight that police officers are civil servants, and are not a higher or protected class free to impose their will on those subservient to them. These officers should be swiftly relieved of their positions. Second, the law enforcement community has a responsibility to self-police. Only they can successfully and efficiently root out these corrupt individuals. We understand that there is a brotherhood formed around the experiences unique to law enforcement, but if officers wish to have the trust and backing of the people they serve, departments can no longer permit the “thin blue line” to cover for those ill-suited for the job. If these protests come to Pittsburgh, we will support the people’s right to protest as they try to raise awareness to this tragic situation and to bring justice for George Floyd and his family. However, there is a vast difference between peaceful protesting and rioting. Mr. Floyd’s supporters have the moral high- ground, and should not yield it by tarnishing their cause with theft, arson, and vandalism. We hope to unite with the legitimate protestors in condemning any illegal activities including rioting and looting. Should protests turn to violent, we promise to defend the property and livelihoods of Pittsburgh residents to the best of our ability. “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” - Martin Luther King Jr. Here to Serve, Iron City Citizen Response Unit” While I don’t have photo evidence of the following, I’ve been told that IC CRU members (roughly half a dozen) were spotted during the protest in downtown Pittsburgh on Saturday May 30th, 2020, although they weren’t wearing tactical gear or openly carrying rifles. The first of the following images was a screenshot from Matthew’s facebook made in response to protests that happened after the police murder of Antwon Rose Jr by Michael Rosfeld, specifically after the video of his murder was released. The other images are in response to the recent police murder of George Floyd, both from personal accounts and from the IC CRU account. This brings us to Jason Thomas, another member of IC CRU. The organizational structure and bylaws of IC CRU are outlined here, http://ironcitycru.com/?page_id=112, but it is unclear to me what positions Matt and Jason occupy within their “militia.” What is clear is that Jason has been involved since the beginning and has been present at most, if not all, public facing “operations.” He also seems shows the same interest the kinds of talking points, logic, and references that are typically seen in the fringes of conservative politics. I want to be clear that the line between “fringe” and “mainstream” is becoming increasingly blurred, and mainstream conservatism (and liberalism for that matter) is / was still full of violent rhetoric and deeply imbedded racism, even if it looks more polished and palpable. In the above image, Jason mentions “Roof Koreans,” a reference to the riots that occurred in 1992 in Los Angeles after the acquittal of police officers who assaulted Rodney King in 1991, when some members of the LA Korean community posted on top of their businesses with rifles to ward off potential “looters.” I won’t add references for everything I’m about to acknowledge because I’m only trying to provide an outline and explain the broader context of the militia and patriot community for those reading who are unaware. But I encourage you to do your own research and come to your own conclusions. The image to the left is a craigslist post that appeared shortly after the uprising in Ferguson, MO in 2014 after the police murder of Michael Brown by Darren Wilson. During the course of the uprising, members of the Oath Keepers, nation wide militia made up of former and current law enforcement and military personnel, came armed to Ferguson prepared to “protect private property.” I by no means want to paint the militia and patriot communities on monolithic. There are many differences in the ways that they analyze and interpret current events and political history. They often have conflicting priorities or inconsistent behavior. Some militias try to stay “apolitical” and mostly focus on firearms legislation or disaster relief, while others are more actively supportive or be disparaging of specific politicians. Some will occasionally expression sympathy or attempt to provide material support to causes that otherwise would be deemed “left wing.” Some have varying positions on immigration and immigration law. They will often discuss how “the Second Amendment exists to protect First Amendment.” They often position and perceive themselves as protecting the First Amendment by protecting protestors from counter-protesters, although they rarely come to the aid of liberals or the left. They often invoke the Constitution and the founding fathers, using language that is thoroughly rooted in American liberal democracy. They will say they exist to stand against government tyranny, especially when they are protesting against fire arms legislation. But as we have seen with the Reopen protests, they have consistently asserted that they seek defended private property from “looters” and “criminals.” Back to Jason. Like Matt, although less so, also has a habit of posting images insinuating his supposed capacity for violence and his affinity for the militia community. Additionally, like many other conservatives and militia community members (and even many liberals), Jason conflates fascism and Nazism to communism and socialism, despite these political ideologies and the states that adhered to them being inherently and historically at odds. Before highlighting some of the trends is Jason’s Facebook posts, I want to acknowledge the ways in which socialism / communism and fascism / Nazism have actually intersected. In my time spent perusing militia / patriot community social media and engaging members of that community, these bits of history are either entirely unknown, taken out of context, or largely ignored when when mentioned, aside from the this first example: Stalin and Hitler’s Molotv-Ribbentrop pact. This incident is an almost singular example where the USSR and Nazi Germany came together for common cause. The German Communist party and socialists broadly were some of the first targets of the Nazi regime. This community also tends to ignore that former information while pointing out that Nazi means “National Socialist German Workers’ Party.” However, few seem to know that the “socialistic” aspects of the Nazi party and those who advocated for them (the Strasser brothers and their followers) were violently purged from the party, and ultimately only wanted “socialism” for “Aryan” people. There are obscure ideologies and political movements like “third positionism,” “national anarchism,” “national bolshevism,” “anarcho fascism,” and so on (ideas that Jack Donovan flirts with), but I would argue, as many others have, that these are all fascistic in nature and are nihilistic attempts at using the imagery, language, and sometimes the strategies of the left in order co-opt their movements, appeal younger or alternative crowds, or construct fragile ideological pathways to siphon leftists into the far right. In fact, that is sometimes the stated purpose by the advocates and theorists behind these movements. This can all be true while it is also true that many European socialist / communist movements and states (and their American counter parts) have been susceptible to anti-Semitism and anti-Indigenous sovereignty. I will link some resources about the above topics at the end of the report. What I believe Jason and others are pointing to when they draw comparisons between Nazi Germany and the USSR or other socialist states are the authoritarian features of these government, which I honestly believe is a legitimate criticism and something I personally feel should be opposed in all forms of social, political, and economic organization. But I have trouble believing that Jason and the IC CRU are “anti-authoritarian” considering they seem to be fine with a traditionally hierarchal command structure within their militia and all discernible aspects of the military, are supportive of the police in general, and seem to approve of violence as an acceptable form of social control. They just don’t like authoritarianism when it isn’t wrapped in red, white, and blue, puts limits on the firearms they can buy, or for other reasons they don’t personally approve of. Firstly, like Matt but to a seemingly lesser extent, Jason wants to express his capacity and eagerness for violence. He’s used the same quote and hashtag “fight me” as Matt has. Jason has posted multiple pictures holding firearms and frequently references them. Secondly, Jason has consistently expressed anti-liberal sentiment and conflates moderate liberals with fascism and/or socialism. Jason consistently points out hypocrisy or contradictions within liberal logic, some of which I actually think is valid, although he seems to do so opportunistically and for very different reasons than I would. For instance, pointing out Joe Biden’s rape allegations, but having no other posts about violations of consent or sexual misconduct. He has taken to using umlauts over vowels in the names of liberal politicians and referring to them as “comrade” and “führer.” And lastly, he consistently references “tyrants” and “tyranny,” and his supposed duty or interest in resisting that tyranny. I want to be upfront: it is 100% the obligation and duty of every human being to resist oppression. I am not advocating ideologically pacifism or strict political non-violence. Some times doing the right thing means getting messy. However, the IC CRU seem to yearn for violence. Preparedness and basic firearms competency, and even small unit training, is one thing. Consistency talking about about who you consider to be your political enemy, calling them tyrants and traitors, conflating them with people who have committed genocide, discussing how tyrants and their supporters ought to be met with violence, and building your identity around those ideas paints a certain kind of picture. This might not be relevant, but Jason seems to believe that the government asking the general population to wear masks is tyranny. He seems to be of the opinion that asking businesses to alter their operations to keep the general public safe is tyranny. He seems to have a particular dislike of Dr. Rachel Levine, who is the Sectary of the Pennsylvania Department of Health. She is a transgender woman, and while I haven’t found posts where Jason personally makes transphobic comments about Dr. Levine (in fact he genders her correctly), he doesn’t push back against others who do in the comments of his posts. Next up is Bob Hoffner. He also seems to have been a former member of Laurel Highlands Ghost Company. His social media content is similar it Matt and Jason’s. Persons I reference after Bob are people I suspect are IC CRU members, based on social media interactions and images, but some of their member wear masks while performing operations, so it’s not possible to know for sure. I will also lay out some associates of their, locally or from other militias, who I also find particularly concerning for various reason. There is less context to explain so there will mostly be pictures from here on out. Before I lay this out, I want to make something clear: I would not recommend taking action or assuming these folks are IC CRU members without further verification. If you know them or they are in your community, I would recommend asking them and presenting the current evidence. There is an unfortunate culture of making claims and taking action without verify information that we need to work against while also sharing information and solid hunches. On to other members, potential members, and associates, both local and regional. There may be some duplicate pictures posted in the subsequent sections but I’m doing so for ease of identifying features. James Ahr: associate. I have a feeling that James’ last name on Facebook isn’t his legal last name, although I’m not sure. He has his privacy settings locked down fairly so I haven’t found much on him but his likes are visible. Among the pages he likes are a variety of “Boogaloo” pages, militia pages (including Keystone Response Group and Pa Lightfoot Militia, and multiple pages that post outright or subtly Fascist content, namely Artem Imperium and How the West Die II: Kali Yuga. Go ahead and give Savitri Devi a google to understand why the Kali Yuga, a Hindu end times prophecy of sorts, is something that fascists use to signal to one another. Daniel Nguyen: IC CRU members and Former Pa Lightfoot Militia member. Pretty boring in comparison to some of the other members, to be honest. James Jenko: IC CRU member. He seems to fancy himself as some kind of well read, stoic philosopher. However, he quotes Ayn Rand on facebook, posts studies that supposedly show racial bias doesn’t exist in policing, and follows Jordan Peterson and Candace Owens on twitter. Jeff Neff: Associate, Sewickley Borough Council President, and loser of the 2020 Republican State Senate District 37 primary. Here are some articles about him getting criticized for posing with the IC CRU at a rally. https://www.post-gazette.com/news/politics-local/2020/04/24/Republican-Pennsylvania-Senate- Sewickley-Borough-Council-Reopen-Pennsylvania-protest-Pittsburgh-City-Council-armed-militia-group- Iron-City-Citizens-Response-Unit-military-style-weapons/stories/202004230133 https://www.wtae.com/article/sewickley-council-president-jeff-neff-who-posed-with-militia-survives-vote-to- oust-him-from-presidency/32382505 https://www.wtae.com/article/criticism-of-photo-brings-rebuttal-from-jeff-neff-pennsylvania-state-senate- candidate/32294356 https://www.timesonline.com/news/20200501/sewickley-council-votes-to-keep-neff-as-president Zac Burkhardt: IC CRU member and Allied Universal Security Services employee. Likely lives in Washington, Pa. I’m unsure, but he appears to be carrying zip tie handcuffs in this image. JD King: likely IC CRU member and Wellsburg, WV resident. He also seems to be a fan of Robert E Lee. He was with IC CRU at the Reopen Protest, commonly wears a hat with the red x on it, and was present in full kit on June 6 2020 at a Washington, Pa Black Lives Matter march. Justin Crocker: associate and Pennsylvanias for the 2nd Amendment organizer (www.pa2a.org) Jojo Zoom: associate of IC CRU member and Jersey Shore fan / impersonator. Likely not his legal name. Resident of New Castle, Pa. He was present during April 20th protest. Joey Caravella: associate of IC CRU member and friend of Jojo. They both seem to be from New Castle, Pa and even have matching Siege style skull masks. Joe frequently sports the same hat. He seems to be a fan of George Zimmerman, or at the very least finds the death of Tamir Rice assuming. Also present during April 20th protest. Joe Martin: associate and potential member of IC CRU. Joe is the person I’m least certain about in regards to his affiliation with IC CRU. Being tagged in a few posts by and interacting with other IC CRU members and sharing militia/2nd Amendment related content is the most evidence I have, but there was someone wearing a mask and sunglasses that shares the same hair color and body type as Joe at the Reopen Protest. He also references the “tree of liberty must be refreshed with the blood of patriots and tyrants” quote in one post. Corey Botelho: YIKES. IC CRU associate and owner of Tri-Force Tactical. Currently or formerly employed by Jefferson County Sheriff’s office. Likely New Bethlehem, Pa resident. Stood with IC CRU during the Reopen Protest on April 20th 2020. He references the “boojahideen” which a Boogaloo reference. I want to point out the consistent “racism doesn’t exist / who’s the real racist?” type posts, his eagerness to commit potentially extrajudicial violence, and seems to support the idea of running over protestors who march on public roads, a sentiment he shares with Matt Wakulik. I wonder how he feels about James Alex Fields driving his car into a crowd and killing Heather Heyer during the Unite the Right Rally in 2017 or current Bell Acres Borough Council Member Gregory Wagner driving his car into protestors on the Northside of Pittsburgh in 2018. https://www.post-gazette.com/news/crime-courts/2019/08/29/antwon-rose-car-protesters- pittsburgh-bell-acres-councilman-gregory-wagner/stories/201908290128