Montesano Today Interview with the Proud Boys – Washington State West Sound Chapter

 

MONTESANO Wa: 14 AUG 2020 –  We here in Grays Harbor County are pretty much smack dab in the middle of what many see as the coming new revolution crisis.  The Ted Wheeler Amusement Park Portland Oregon to our right, and  the Durkan Fun House Seattle Washington to our left.  Both hotbeds of Communist revolution.  A short drive in either direction.   Nightly unabated anarchy.  Law and order out the window as local politicians fan the hungry flames of their revolution. 

Life, limb, and property be damned.  Forward Comrads!  Always forward.

The shock troops of the left, currently Antifa, have had many local names over the years.  Always in shadow.  Secret.  Strings pulled by older puppeteers safely at a distance.  Throwing the young ones to the front,  the leaders safely in the back…You can’t get to them for an interview.

On the other side of the coin is another group.  Vilified in the press.  Described as a ‘Hate” group.  “White Nationalists” or more kindly extremists.    The opposite of the peace loving Antifa anarchists we see practice their love on the streets of Seattle and Portland nightly.

I thought you, the readers here in the county, were as curious as I was about the various people and groups we see on the nightly news and on our censored media feeds.  Just a short drive away.

I learned a long time ago not to believe what I see on the media and to go see for myself.  With that as a preface, I began to contact the various groups and attempted to conduct interviews for the purpose of bringing to you, and me, some unfiltered first hand information.

THE PURPOSE OF THIS INTERVIEW

As the nightly riots and lawlessness go on and on,  more local people are taking sides.  Joining in on one side or the other.  Traveling to Olympia and beyond to take part.   Antifa/BLM  protests are being countered with Back the Blue rally goers.  Interacting closer and closer.  A powder keg ready to blow.  

As I stated earlier, some of the groups are cloaked in secrecy.  Some, however, not only have websites….but are happy to sit down over coffee. 

One such group in the area are the Proud Boys Organization.  Like you, I knew very little about them other than what I see on television.  A counter group that shows up (here

and there) and apparently aren’t a bit afraid of the children in black waving their Communist flags.  A little scary huh?  Ya, a bit.  I was curious if we should be afraid of them.

I should state before we get into it that I have only been truly afraid once covering this type of thing.  Sitting in a Code Pink “action” tent at a Berkeley California protest interviewing those chicks.

Every one of them spitting, wild eyed,  waving their arms around as we circle-sat around in that tent.  Each one ready to jump forward and castrate me if I asked the wrong question.   For the good of humanity.

How bad could these guys be?

It doesn’t happen often, but on occasion when you start a deep dive story such as this, the end result isn’t what you find, but rather what you don’t.  This was such an experience.

I started to follow some of them on social media to see what was going on.  I was expecting a bit of trouble to be able to get to them to talk.  Hidden behind layers, meeting in dark parking lots.  You know the drill.  My own prejudices having spent years dealing with interviewing the left had crept into my thinking.

I quickly discovered all of this wasn’t necessary.  These guys ain’t hiding.  They will post videos and stare right into the camera.  They are serious in their postings, but a sense of humor bleeds through.  Follow them or not, they don’t care.  They aren’t trying to recruit anyone.  They aren’t trying to placate anyone either.  They sure as hell don’t care about “likes” and up voting. 

There is a national website.   Scrolling through the site, they list their core beliefs.  Some basic  tenents,  FAQ’s,  and a list of national and international chapters.  It seems more broken down to the local level rather than a centralized national core top down organization.  Make no mistake though, they are organized.  There is even a rather extensive customized gift shop.

As you click through the states to the Washington chapters,  I was surprised to see many active groups in the Western Washington area alone.  Several stretching from Olympia up through Seattle.  I expected to see a small Seattle group, but that was about it.   I was very much mistaken.   I wrote the local chapter covering the  West Sound, Montesano/ Grays Harbor county area with an interview request.  Ya, you can write them.

Because of the topical national spotlight on this area, I expected to either not hear anything back, or my email would be filtered up the chain to a media representative.  No, that isn’t how it works.  

I heard back shortly, with “Sure, be happy to talk to you”.  There isn’t a lot of filtering necessary.  A short simple core belief and not being ashamed of who you are or what you believe in keeps things pretty simple.  There is no Manifesto or lofty political goal. 

My own history with controversial political groups like this was being challenged.  One doesn’t get invited to sit down for coffee with Code Pink, ELF,  or Antifa.   About this time in the process I began asking myself…..this is a Hate group?

BACKGROUND

The Proud Boys Organization is pretty straight forward.  There isn’t a lot of word couching on their national website.  Their central tenants are up front –  short and to the point:

From their national website: https://proudboysusa.com/tenets/

Minimal Government, Maximum Freedom.  Anti-Political Correctness, Anti-Drug War, Closed Borders, Anti-Racial Guilt, Anti-Racism, Pro Free Speech, Pro-Gun Rights, Glorifying the Entrepreneur, Venerating the Housewife, Reinstating a spirit of Western Chauvinism.

Though these are our central tenents, all that is required to become a Proud Boy is that a man declare he is a Western chauvinist who refuses to apologize for creating the modern world.  We do not discriminate based upon a race or sexual orientation/preference.  We are not an “ism, “ist”, or “phobic” that fits the Left’s narrative.  We truly believe that the West is the Best and welcome those who believe in the same tenants as us.

OK, first impression.  It looks like they want small government, are anti-racism, respect stay at home moms and have read the constitution.  Gay?  They don’t seem to care.   They also don’t want our borders overrun.   The hate stuff must be somewhere else on the site.  I’ll keep looking.

I looked around but couldn’t find it.  There isn’t anything else to relate.  You can go look for yourself in case I missed it.

It’s important to relate here that first and foremost this is a fellowship organization.  You are more apt to find them cracking open a beer and working on a members car or gathering to re roof a members home than finding them at a rally.  Were not the riots going on, I doubt you would even know they existed.  They aren’t out looking for trouble.

It doesn’t take much looking around to see other groups and break-away former members are trying to drag them into a more politically activist role.  Some of these former members are indeed quite active in the front line daily in-your-face protests.  It would be unfair to equate their actions with the actions of the formal Proud Boy organization or local chapters.

Posts and threads exist of former members upset that the Proud Boys aren’t doing enough.  Further drama swells around people using their name and  are not part of their organization.  Proud Boys resist these people and calls to action quite often.  And loudly.  

These local chapters aren’t sitting around in a dark bunker with a battle map shouting orders while smashing the table with their fists.  

They are a patriotic group and, here and there,  either hold a flag waving rally or join a larger one just to show support.  Pretty extremist right?

The Proud Boys have certainly turned into a stone in the boot to the left.  A group who refuses to bow to them is dangerous.  Espousing Free Speech is dangerous.  After looking around (and I really looked) I just can’t find anything.  The worse rumor I could find is one guy ate an entire fried turkey once.   This is unverified,  though I think I know who it was and believe it.  

I looked for hate material on their website, hundreds of social media postings and more.    I’m not surprised I didn’t find anything though,  as both the Boy Scouts and the Salvation Army are now considered “Hate” extremist  groups and on the same list.   It’s difficult to find the hate videos the Boy Scouts put up, but the left tells us they are dangerous.  It must be true. 

I was quite surprised to see the anti-racist component in their tenents.  Reading what the far left media has to say about them, one would assume they were all wearing white hoods nervously flicking ceremonial lighters.  It appears it is just the opposite.  Wild eyed racists aren’t even welcome in the door and it looks like they would be booted to the curb if they snuck in.  

WHITE NATIONALISM

In addition to being labeled racist, the group is also being accused  by leftist media,  of being “White Nationalists”.  Again, I looked, and couldn’t find anything either in writing or hundreds of videos and postings to support the claim.   There are people from many races in the various chapters across the country.

Apparently, the sticking point from the left,  and their reason for the extremist charge, is that the group refuses to apologize on their knees for being born.  Further inflaming the left, the group will even brag that the world is a better place for the rise of Western culture.  That is a thought crime in the eyes of the left.  Apparently that is what the fuss is about.  

In the eyes of the left, they are, of course, racist and white nationalists.  So are you, and I , and everyone reading this that isn’t giving them money and kneeling before the Holy altar of secular humanism. The terms have no meaning anymore.  

I won’t sugar coat it.  These are hard and principled men.  There is no doubt about it.  Neither Saint nor sinner.   If you take the first swing at one of them you will regret it.   They don’t start trouble, but also don’t suffer fools and idiots.  What caught my eye in the beginning was watching a group of a dozen local Washington Proud Boys walk up and stand straight before a group of over 200 rampaging Antifa who were attacking their Proud Boy rally.   Not starting trouble, but brave enough to stand before them and not run.    That takes guts, and now that I have a lead in to quote Clint Eastwood from Heartbreak Ridge  (which I do at every opportunity)…..”sometimes guts is enough”.

My dive into the background complete, it was time to more formally talk to them.

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INTERVIEW – Rex Fergus  – West Sound Proud Boys Chapter Aug 11th-13th 2020

MT:  Thank you for taking the time to answer a few questions.  More and more of our county residents are traveling up to the protests.  If someone is in a Back The Blue or similar protest and see a group of Proud Boys coming, should they be scared?

PB:  Not at all. One of the major reasons that the PBs started going to rallys in the first place was because we saw what was happening to innocent working-class people. We saw the abuse and the violence directed at them by groups like Antifa and we just weren’t willing to let that happen anymore. The Police officers were being told to stand down and not get involved so no one was doing anything about it. We stepped in and became that target for these goons so that innocent people could still practice their Constitutional freedoms without being beaten and harassed. 

MT:  I have seen the videos of your various chapters walking into robust Antifa protests, outnumbered 10 to 1.  As you guys are staging to enter a protest,  what do you talk about?  2. What is going on in your minds?

“We say a prayer.”

PB:  We talk a lot about Safety. We want every individual to be as safe as possible and not take any undue risks. We talk about egress routes for injured people and first aid applications. We understand the risk that we are taking in order to combat this tyranny that our country is facing and we know first hand the dangers of facing it head on. We say a prayer.

MT:  One video I saw was your Seattle Proud Boys chapter last week walking into a Back the Blue rally.  The crowd broke into applause.  Obviously something in the climate has changed.  What do you attribute this to?

PB:  I believe that people are waking up. The news media could only hide for so long the mayhem, violence, and chaos that has been happening in the streets. The jig is up, and I think that people really understand what we are doing out there and why we do it. Evil men reign in the silence of good men. We are tired of being silent. We want peace and order back in our towns, back in our cities, and back in our lives.

MT:  The Portland Police Department has released their arrest records for Antifa.  The number one occupation for those arrested is Public School Teacher.  What type of jobs are your members mostly doing?

PB: The vast majority of PBs are blue collar trade workers. We have guys from all walks of life in the Fraternity, and we take advantage of those differences in order to make ourselves better men. If I don’t know how to weld and need something welded, I hit up the boys and someone will come and teach me that skill, and maybe later down the line he will need some electrical work done that I could help him with. We all help grow each other as men, as father’s, and as brothers. 

MT:  Your tenants are pretty clear.  If you have someone in your group that is breaking them, what do you do?

PB:  Every member holds every other member to the tenants, but it is largely about self accountability. We don’t tolerate bigots or racists or anything of the sort. If you can’t follow the tenants then you will be asked to leave.

MT:  I want to go back to the fear question.  Recently, in Portland, there have been several videos of Antifa attacking and hurting elderly people that have tried to talk to them.  How would a member of your group be treated if you saw him hurt an elderly person?

PB: It just doesn’t happen. Proud Boys are out there to protect people from that abuse, not cause it. I’d imagine that if we saw something like that happen, we would respond to the guy no different than we respond to Antifa attacks.

MT:  While your groups don’t seem to show up everywhere, what determines you to show up?

PB: A lot of times, people ask us to show up for protection through one channel or another. We have one rule of thumb when it comes to rallys, “we don’t protest liberals”. We put our own rallys on from time to time,  and those are mainly focused around the tenants. 

MT:  Do your members feel the “hate” and “white nationalist” label is appropriate?

PB:  Of course not. That label was put on our group by the SPLC ( Ed. note: Southern Poverty Law Center see article end notes) . We are suing them for that. The Proud Boys accept any race or creed. The only requirements to join are that you were born a male, and that you believe that the West is the Best. It would be foolish of anyone, not just PBs, to deny themselves the opportunity to learn and grow as a man because of someone else’s race. 

MT:  I’d like to ask for clarification on the definition of Chauvinist.  It means different things to different people.  What does it mean to the Proud Boys?

PB: It means that we are men that love the west, the western culture, and the western way of life. We are extremely devoted to that cause and to saving not only this country, but every country in the western world. 

MT:  What kind of relationship do you have with Law Enforcement?  Do they cringe when you show up or smile?

PB: We have sort of a give-take relationship with LEOs. Our goal when we go onto a rally is not to break any laws, but to also protect people. Antifa wants all cops dead. We try to find a balance of safety and compliance that works for everyone and keeps everyone safe. 99% of the time it works. I would say that a vast majority of the police like us, and a vast majority of them dislike Antifa, but they have to hold everyone to the same standard. Its not an easy job, but we have found that working with officers whenever we can has made things a lot easier for us over the years. More times than not, they are happy to see us.

MT:  I know it’s speculation on your part, but where do you see all of this going?

PB: I think that things are going to continue to deteriorate until something extremely drastic happens. The Mayors and Governors are caving to these anarcho-communists and even encouraging them. That is tyranny in my eyes. Murders are up more than 70% across the board in every major city, and people are scared to leave their homes. LEOs can’t do their jobs anymore because they are being crippled and betrayed by their bosses. There has been nightly looting and burning of the cities and no one seems to care because it’s not happening to them. Well, when they get done with the cities, they will start moving outward. Someone has to stop it.

WRAP UP & OPINION

This article’s purpose was to look behind the media hype and take a short look at the organization.   I didn’t find what I thought I would discover.  

Had I found examples of blatant hate or hood wearing crazies bent on cleansing the countryside, I would have reported it here.  With pictures if possible.  

I do not have a relationship with the group nor know anyone in it on a personal or professional level.  I haven’t been invited to one of their BBQ’s.  (I’m pretty sure they are grilling meat at those things and not plating up soy burgers with a kale salad.)

Now, with all of that said.  What do I think of them after spending several weeks in the research and talking with them?

I found out exactly what I suspected.  A bunch of guys (and quickly growing) that love our country and don’t give a damn what you think of them.  

Those ‘tenents” that are featured prominently above aren’t tenants, they are a code to live by for them.  

Men living by a code of honor is something very scary to the left.   Further tightening the assorted sphincters of the usual suspects in the media  –  they aren’t ashamed of being men.  

I’m sure there are FBI plants in the organization, here and there.   They almost have to these days, just to show they are being fair to all sides.   I didn’t ask them specifically about that,  but am pretty darn sure they don’t really care.  They aren’t doing all that much other than waving the flag and drinking beer. If they aren’t too tired from working all day that is.   What should concern you is, apparently, that is all it takes to get on a Government watchlist these days.  

The real crime is they are organized.  Nobody says it out loud, of course.

The Proud Boys aren’t hard to follow.  Head on over to Parler, you’ll be able to see what they say and watch videos for yourself.   You can even message members.  Some interesting guys.  There is one in the Seattle chapter that could body double for the Mountain on Game of Thrones.  (my suspect btw in the above mentioned turkey eating rumor)   I have to find out what his nickname is.   

If I was some woke mom sending her little “precious” out the door to go protest the Proud Boys, I would advise her to tell the little cherub to go back to the basement.  Trying to knock an American flag from the hands of a Proud Boy would be – unwise.

Now, to be fair to the Government,  and I try to be fair.  I would be happy to post here your reasons the public should be wary of this hateful extremest  group.   I looked for it, I couldn’t find it. 

I’m sure it makes sense to people that have never worked all week laying carpet or unloading trucks.  Drink beer with their buddies on Friday night and spend the weekend with their children.  With luck, there might be a Sunday afternoon where dad gets to swing in a hammock for a couple of hours.  

Yes, allow police officers to be killed while cities burn …….and follow these guys around.  We all feel much safer. 

I always have a test I give myself after one of these them vs them type of articles.  I’ll post it here.

Your wife or daughter has a car breakdown on a dark freeway, which group would you rather have pull up behind her.  In this case, take your pick of any of the leftist protesters,  or the Proud Boys?  You don’t have to answer.  

If loving your country, respecting women, and standing up to those who would harm innocent people is wrong, hateful,  and extremist,……this isn’t American anymore.  It’s something dark, and borderline evil.

And that’s all I have to say about this.

TF

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Ed Notes:  THE SPLC or Southern Poverty Law Center mentioned in the interview by the PB is the subject of numerous nationwide complaints and lawsuits.  See as example https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2019/08/17/southern-poverty-law-center-hate-groups-scam-column/2022301001/  They are also the group that tech social media companies like Facebook use to give them a list to de-platform conservative voices and censure thought.

People have also written me to insist that this group is at the core a racist organization.  Based on articles and quotes from individuals.  This article dealt with local information.  Reports of “white power” shoutings and more are out there.  As to the organization affiliation to these individuals, I have no way to determine.  The leader and founder of the group is certainly not without controversy due to some of his quotes that circulate the internet.  As always, the reader is encouraged to explore and determine for them selves what is and isn’t.  Are there extreme nationalists in the organization? Probably, but this article focused on the local chapter.  Feedback I have received from my more left leaning friends is that I am not taking what I read from leftist media at face value.  I have addressed the major charges against this group several times in the article as well as asked them directly in the interview.  And this is the problem.  The term racist has been so watered down that people see what they want to see.  I’m old school and actually know the definition of the word.

Pictures and graphics used with permission of the local PB Office for the purpose of the creation of this article.  Permission to re-post is granted with a link back to montesanotoday.com  All rights reserved © Montesano Today 2020