Another section of the document says, “Proud Boy’s [sic] members have been documented as having called for the closure of all prisons, the issuing of firearms to everyone, the legalization of all drugs, the deportation of all illegal immigrants and the shutdown of the government.”
The reference to Charlottesville could very well refer to a man named Jason Kessler, a former member of the Proud Boys who helped to organize the white supremacist “Unite the Right” rally in the city in 2017. One woman, a counter-protestor, died that weekend when a car mowed into a group of people.
The Anti-Defamation League has designated the Proud Boys as alt lite and describes the group’s ideology as “Misogynistic, Islamophobic, transphobic and anti-immigration. Some members espouse white supremacist and anti-Semitic ideologies and/or engage with white supremacist groups.” The Southern Poverty Law Center has classified the Proud Boys as a “hate group,” to which McInnes has responded by filing a lawsuit.
STOP THE LIES 🤚🏾Proud Boys are NOT White Supremacist. They are Christian men many of them hispanic & some black. Here is @MsBevelynBeatty sharing how the Proud Boys PROTECTED her when she went to preach the Gospel in Chaz. Stop the “Stand Back and Stand” nonsense #Debates2020 pic.twitter.com/eFu4YuxblE
— Melissa Tate Text: MELISSA to 88022 (@TheRightMelissa) September 30, 2020
There are those who stand with the Proud Boys, who held a protest in Portland, Oregon, several days before the presidential debate. It was largely peaceful, although Gov. Kate Brown did declare a state of emergency ahead of it. During the rally, speakers expressed frustration with “black supremacy” and being labeled a racist group.
Notably, the leader of a Black Lives Matter chapter in Salt Lake City, Utah, appeared at a press conference with a Proud Boys chapter president Wednesday evening. And two Black women have defended the Proud Boys on Twitter following the presidential debate.
The Proud Boys themselves reposted this response on Telegram following President Trump’s comments:
Basically we’ve been the only ones standing up to antifa. Yes. We aren’t law enforcement. I’m not above the law nor is anyone else in our group. This is just hilarious that it took a men’s drinking club to come to Portland to see law and order restored. We want law enforcement to do their job so we can go back to being a men’s drinking club. We love to meme and joke about [expletive]. Get over yourselves. Stop taking everything so [expletive] literal. It’s not like we are the ones burning, looting and murdering people. We have been the only voice of reason this far and it’s nice to know that in a world where what’s right is wrong and what’s wrong is right. We can try and make a little sense. Oh yeah. And [expletive] antifa
Church leaders’ reactions to the presidential debate have mainly lamented how terrible it was, as well as the fact that the president did not denounce white supremacy directly. Pastor Jimmy Scroggins tweeted:
1. White Supremacy is wrong and evil.
2. We honor all of our veterans and thank their families. Beau Biden included.
3. Of course we must have a peaceful transfer of power from President to President.3 things I wish our President would have said last night. 😔
— Jimmy Scroggins (@JimmyScroggins) September 30, 2020
SBC president J.D. Greear said, “When asked to condemn white supremacy, every single one of us should be ready to do so. Racism is, sadly, not extinct, and we know from our Southern Baptist history the effects of the horrific sins of racism and hatred.”
Grateful for SBC President JD Greear & his clear denouncement of White Supremacy. Needed to be said and it was. May your tribe increase.
— Dwight McKissic (@pastordmack) September 30, 2020
While Greear received plenty of criticism in the comments, Pastor Dwight McKissic expressed his gratitude: “Grateful for SBC President JD Greear & his clear denouncement of White Supremacy. Needed to be said and it was. May your tribe increase.”
