He grew up in Richmond, Virginia, and New York City. The NFAC is this privates chance to be a general. Grandmaster Jay, the leader of an armed militia that took part in protests last year in Louisville, has been indicted on several counts of wanton endangerment for allegedly aiming a firearm at police officers.John Fitzgerald Johnson, known as Grandmaster Jay, is the leader of the NFAC, self-described as a Black nationalist paramilitary organization. He visited Auschwitz, he said, and was indelibly influenced by what he saw. According to the documents, the FBI reviewed the surveillance video from the incident, which consisted of real-time crime center camera footage. According to Pentagon records, he joined the military in 1989. Hearst Television participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites. Right-wing militias stormed Michigans capitol and were not arrested. He is a former soldier, a failed political candidate, a hip-hop DJ, a rambling egotist, and a prolific self-promoter. If the NFAC had done what these folks did, Jay said, theyd still be bringing the body bags out of the Capitol. Were not anti-anything. Other groups, as far as their movements, we dont really have a position on, but we are specifically adding that we will not be identified with the Black Lives Matter movement., The verdict has yet to come in. Grandmaster Jay says beyond trying to "police ourselves," he would like to work with local governments and community groups. Few paid attention until Jay showed up with dozens of armed followers in Georgia last year, and phrased his new beliefs in a militant idiom. Think of it in terms of alternate paths. He said that by stepping off this timeline into another timeline, you create a new reality. Surely, though, there must be limits to what Jays followers can accept. Ann Thompson has decades of journalism experience in the Greater Cincinnati market and brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to her reporting. If youre biracial, your father must be Black. The other criteria relate to recruits ability to arm themselves without attracting the attention of law enforcement. Complex Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved. On January 6, the NFAC had no presence in Washington: The District of Columbia does not allow open carry of weapons. Grandmaster Jay, leader of the NFAC. (Jay denied all charges of anti-Semitism but refused to answer when I asked directly whether he thought Jews died in large numbers in the Holocaust. 2023, Hearst Television Inc. on behalf of WLKY-TV. The Ohio Newsroom: A Public Media Collaboration, Reds TV changes could come by end of this week, Updated report shows Springfield Township officer's speed in deadly March crash, O'Bryonville changes its name to O'Piggyville. He has taken several opportunities to explain that he and the Not FuckingAround Coalition are not fans of the decentralize movement advocating for non-violent civil disobedience. He told me that he spent four years in the Army in Germany, where he revised his racial self-understanding. [7] They are a lightning rod that attracts opposing groups, and thats a recipe for conflict., We have a zero-incident record, Jay boasted, mostly accurately. We dont come to chant. Instead they stand, like a praetorian guard for some unseen emperor. Stories worth watching 16 videos. Grandmaster Jay is clear when saying his group doesn't protest. Federally, he's charged with one count of assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers or employees and one count of brandishing a firearm in relation to a crime of violence in relation to the same incident.The NFAC formations in Louisville were large, but mostly peaceful and without issue. john johnson, who goes by the name grandmaster j. we to guilty this morning to five counts of wanton endangerment. Were not going to dig into who I am, he said. Adding to his frustrations was the racism Grandmaster Jay says appeared during the Trump Administration. The men and women are ragtag and amateur, and their uniforms are not, well, uniform. Im a student of history, he said. As he looks ahead to this year, Grandmaster Jay says, Maybe things have calmed down just a little bit that we can now hear each other, and we can now talk., Grandmaster Jay doesnt have a problem with police and government if there is fair and equitable distribution and application of the law., Should things begin to move into the red, he says, We have a responsibility to address those per the Constitution if it means to peacefully assemble.. Case against militia leader 'Grandmaster Jay' heads to Jefferson County grand jury. (That might explain his given name: He would have been born just nine days after the assassination of John Fitzgerald Kennedy.) On Wednesday, the Jefferson County Grand Jury returned an indictment on Johnson for five counts of wanton endangerment. Watching a mob storm the Capitol with a Confederate battle flag should freak out any American who hates racism, and inspire such a person to seek a radical cure for a deep political sickness. Jefferson County grand jury indicts militia leader 'Grandmaster Jay', SAYS IT FULLY SUPPORTS NEW YORK CITYS VACCINE MANDATE FOR CITY WORKERS. The Ohio Newsroom: A Public Media Collaboration, Reds TV changes could come by end of this week, Updated report shows Springfield Township officer's speed in deadly March crash, O'Bryonville changes its name to O'Piggyville. Kelly Clarkson's Home Collection Is Up to 74% Off During Way Day Deals, The Best Wayfair Way Day Deals 2023 Starting at $30. You all are living in an alternate timeline. The official version of the biography of the Grandmaster Jay. Federally, he's charged with one count of assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers or employees and one count of brandishing a firearm in relation to a crime of violence in relation to the same incident. When Grandmaster Jay walked into Millions Crab, a seafood joint in suburban Cincinnati, the waitstaff looked alarmed. It has a militarylike structure, fields an army of hundreds of heavily armed men and women, subscribes to esoteric racist doctrines, opposes Black Lives Matter, and follows a leader who thinks we live in a period of apocalyptic tribulation signaled by the movements of celestial bodies. Like a Rubiks Cube.. He also advises them to destroy police body cameras if they assault cops, to remove evidence. He named four but refused to identify the fifth. Just remember that when Im gone, these will be your instructional videos.. The NFAC has room for only one messiah. I was there to escort Walter Scotts mother into the funeral. He said he was an ordained minister at the time. He said yes, but I pressed him to continue. I saw that I had been socialized to believe that I was second-class, that there was something criminal inherent about me, he said. The NFAC also appears to have tapped into a kind of modish authoritarian magical thinking. top of page. Below, weve put together a quick rundown of the organization and its Supreme Leader, why hate group doesnt apply to it, and why you shouldnt confuse the NFAC with Black Lives Matter. WebJohn Fitzgerald Johnson, also known as Grand Master Jay and John Jay Fitzgerald Johnson, claims leadership of the group and has stated that it is composed of "ex military shooters." In a probable cause hearing on Wednesday, a judge decided that the state case surrounding that incident should head to a grand jury. You figure that part out, youll figure out everything that Im talking about.. In one of Jays videos, he tells his followers that he intends to meet each and every last one of you face-to-face, to conduct an interrogation to screen out fakes, wannabes, snakes, and spiders. Jay says he will swear people in after they have put your life on the line by standing armed in an NFAC formation, in a situation where other armed groups might start trouble. Very interesting, Jay said, speaking slowly and deliberately for the first time since his performance that night had begun. Right: Grandmaster Jay addresses a crowd of NFAC supporters from the steps of the Metro Building in downtown Louisville on July 25, 2020. Grandmaster Jay might have an easier time describing the group by saying what it is not: neither left or right, not anti-semitic, not a gun club and not a social club. Armed self-defense has been around at least since Cyril Briggs, who founded the African Blood Brotherhood in 1919. In 2008, according to the Anti-Defamation League, there were more than 500 militia groups, and the uptick in heavily armed protesters sincehas resulted in clashes aroundthe COVID-19 pandemic, keeping Trump in office, and police brutality. The NFAC leaders real name is John Fitzgerald Johnson. He also said he had a health scare. Even facts as straightforward as his age are not simple to determine. Du Bois, Jay cut me off to condemn Du Bois as a bourgeois and an enemy to the movement Marcus Garvey started If [Du Bois] was alive today, he would eat his words.. In the federal indictment, Johnson's charges focused on two federal law enforcement charges. Later, Jay said he had only two MOSs. The U.S. government is going around cleaning up all of those other organizations, he said. But the transformation does not appear coincidental. They then have to give us contact information on them and offer a valid reason why they would want to join our organization. A West Chester man, intent on defending African Americans in the midst of police brutality and racism, has formed a Black militia group that is gaining attention nationwide and around the world. "At that moment I thought it was time for us to stand up (and) stop talking about it, because apparently there was some other program running in America that we didn't get the memo on. How did we get here? Just because you love your people doesnt mean you hate everybody else.. His social-media accounts are frozen, and he faces a possible 20-year sentencewhich may or may not be a deterrent, if he thinks his end is near anyway. During Friday's hearing,Judge Jennifer Wilcox ordered Johnson to have no firearms or deadly weapons while the case is pending. He led a crowd of tens of thousands across the Arthur Ravenel Bridge to protest the mass shooting. These people are screaming our name while theyre resisting," he said, although no such screams have been independently documented. They do not bicker with other protesters, carry signs, or explain themselves. Self-financed and focused, the NFAC,Grandmaster Jay says, is neither protesters nor demonstrators, explaining to Roland Martin in a July interview, We are a Black militia. Kelly Clarkson's Home Collection Is Up to 74% Off During Way Day Deals, The Best Wayfair Way Day Deals 2023 Starting at $30. Ive lived five different lives, he told me, enigmatically. I offered him a plastic bib, which he declined. Someone has said before, Well, if it had been you guys there would have been bodies on the front lawn. I said, Well, its not so much whether or not it would be us, its how does the United States handle this and appear fair and equitable in the eyes of all citizens?' Updated: 5:01 PM EST November 9, 2022. The NFAC is a militia comprisedof Black members whose core is believed to be largely ex-military. His group, armed with guns, moved into Louisville twice in the wake of Breonna Taylor's death for what they described as peaceful formations: Once in July and again during the 2020 Kentucky Derby in September.Months later, in December, Johnson was federally charged, accused of pointing a rifle during the September demonstration at LMPD, FBI and Secret Service agents, who were on top of the Jefferson County Grand Jury Building.According to the documents, the FBI reviewed the surveillance video from the incident, which consisted of real-time crime center camera footage. State wanton endangerment charges were dropped. Photos from the funeral show Jay wearing an Anglican-style clerical collar and holding Judy Scotts left arm. Additionally, hes a former director of a global cloud integration practice and solutions architect, according to his campaign site. 22, 2021 at 11:37 AM PDT. Grandmaster Jay. Updated: Jun. His group, armed with guns, moved into Louisville twice in the wake of Breonna Taylor's death for what they described as peaceful formations: Once in July and again during the 2020 Kentucky Derby in September. If he is indicted, he could stand trial. He won't be able to post instructional videos for some time, because of the social-media ban that was a condition of his bail. Last month,an organization stylized as NFAC UK participated with thousands of protesters who held an anti-racism rally outside the U.S.Embassy in London as Black Lives Matter demonstrations took place in cities across the U.K. According to prosecutors with the Commonwealth's Attorney, the charges stem from Johnson and the militia taking part in a protest on Sept. 4, is 2020, in Louisville. One way to understand the NFAC is to imagine what a paramilitary wing of the Black Hebrew Israelites would be like. Prosecutors say the flashlight was attached to the barrel of a rifle Johnson was pointing at the officers. Weve never destroyed a piece of property, or had our people arrested for anything. So far, the NFACs only known casualties have been its own members, after a woman in formation sent herself and two others to the hospital when she fired her weapon seemingly by accident. Johnsons attorney, David Lambertus, did not deny Johnson had pointed the rifle, but said Johnson did so to identify who was on the rooftop of downtowns Commonwealth building. One hint that he is no longer a young man is a light smattering of age spots across his nose. He wouldnt eat any food, but he requested a San Pellegrino or, in its absence, filtered tap water. In a probable cause hearing on Wednesday, a judge decided that the state case surrounding that incident should head to a grand jury. It has yet to fire a shot at its enemies, but its prepared for war. Seattle Slew, says Jean Cruguet, 18-year-old senior at Spencer County High School dies in car crash, Organizers release celebrity guest list for 2023 Barnstable Brown Derby Eve Gala, UPDATE | 20-year-old last seen in Jeffersontown has been located, Aerosmith confirms Louisville stop on North American tour in 2024, Thousands attend Kentucky Derby Festival's Pegasus Parade in downtown Louisville, JCPS middle school student taken to hospital after eating possible medicated gummies, Feds seize more than 900 pounds of marijuana at UPS Worldport in Louisville, Churchill Downs' Darren Rogers reveals his top 2 Derby picks, 1 dead, 2 injured in early morning Preston Highway crash, Louisville police say, Louisville nonprofit creates petition calling for grocery store in West End, WDRB FCC Applications & Related Materials, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. He faces federal charges in Louisville for pointing a gun at people on a roof. NFACs leader Grand Master Jay describing how he will build his black ethnostate inside the United States. Washington man isn't going on a vacation. In this laconic way, they distinguish themselves from two groups they loathe or deride: white militias (the camo-bedecked guys who show up at the same demonstrations and, sometimes, at the behest of the president, try to topple American democracy) and Black Lives Matter, whose activists tend toward nonviolence. There was a problem saving your notification. Members of the NFAC also stood their ground in Louisville after the death of Breonna Taylor. The first thing they have to do is submit their information to us via email, the Supreme Leader explains. (Source: Probable Cause Affidavit / FBI). (Many still believe this.) Eventually, it intends to establish a racially pure country called the United Black Kemetic Nation. In 2016, he emerged again, wearing a dark business suit with a black tie, pocket square, and large wristwatch. During the period after the First World War, when white mobs were shooting Black people and burning their businesses, many Black people considered peaceful protests (such as those organized by the NAACP) inadequate. NFAC says it is the definition of a Black Militia and is the largest one in the U.S., with chapters in almost every city. We live in a world where racism is appearing to rear its ugly head again the way it did back in the Jim Crow days, he tells Complex via Zoom. John Fitzgerald Johnson, also known as Grand Master Jay, is facing state and federal charges for allegedly pointing a gun at Louisville Metro Police officers and federal agents while in Louisville last September. Grand Master Jay leads the NFAC, a national militia of armed Black people who came into Louisville multiple times in the wake of Breonna Taylor's death. But even those who originally joined with peaceful intent can become jaded, given enough time, injustice, and absentee leadership. Two federal officers and three LMPD officers then went to the top of the nearby Jefferson County Grand Jury Building to watch the group, but were blinded by a flashlight when they leaned over the roof, the affidavit claims. (Right-wingers, gun enthusiasts, and ex-military types on social media ridicule Jay for his and his followers poor weapons discipline.). Download the WHAS11 News app now. Two photos were included in the court filing that allegedly shows Johnson aiming his firearm at the officers.Background: Case against militia leader 'Grandmaster Jay' heads to Jefferson County grand juryIn the federal indictment, Johnson's charges focused on two federal law enforcement charges. Grandmaster Jay is firm when he says, "If you continue to offend us we will be prepared to defend ourselves.". Firearm Discussion and Resources from AR-15, AK-47, Handguns and more! The crime he is now charged with is a real onepointing guns at cops is illegal and wrongbut poor muzzle discipline and poor judgment are universal at armed protests, and I suspect that other armed protesters have performed equally negligent acts and gotten little more than a dirty look and a chewing out from the cops. Part of the process of creating a new country (under a treaty known as the Montevideo Convention) is demonstrating that enough people are eager to live there permanently and can administer the new state. We sat in Jays SUV, which soon filled with pleasant Cajun aromas from the scallops. Grandmaster Jays group, the NFAC, is a Black militia whose goals, other than to abjure Fucking Around, are obscure. "That was probably one of the first times in recent times that the appearance of African Americans dressed in combat-style gear, carrying semi-automatic weapons in a defensive posture was something that hadn't been seen in recent societies," he says. Jay said he does not admire or imitate any Black activists from previous generationshe protested when I suggested a comparison to the Black Panthers, whose aesthetic the NFAC has obviously ripped offbut was quick to defend the Jamaican political thinker and activist Marcus Garvey, who called for Black self-sufficiency and attempted to found a homeland for Black people. The United States, he thinks, has failed to show the same backbone in reckoning with its crimes against Black people. His goal, he said, is for the Black race to come into its ownwhich it has notand to mature as a race, first by building racial esteem. He said Black people have been like the guy who sleeps on your couch that doesnt go home until you have to throw the couch out with him. If they get armed, and get serious, they will no longer have to blame the non-melanated for their failure. The filtered water must have lowered his inhibitions, because over the next two hours Jay became more garrulous. Grandmaster Jay hosts a series of IG Live talks with titles such as Facts Over Feelings,in which he expounds ontopics ranging from personal development to new developments involving the organization. His group, armed with guns, moved into Louisville twice in the wake of Breonna Taylor's death for what they described as peaceful formations: Once in July and again the day before the 2020 Kentucky Derby in September.In December, Johnson was federally charged for pointing a rifle at Louisville Metro Police Department officers, FBI and Secret Service agents, who were on top of the Jefferson County Grand Jury Building. He will be formally arraigned Monday.The NFAC formations in Louisville were large, but mostly peaceful and without issue.In the July gathering, three people were wounded when a firearm was accidentally discharged ahead of the march. Despite these travailsor because of themJay modeled the NFAC on the military in which he had served. Millions Crab is a family restaurant, and on that placid November evening, Jaythe supreme commander of the Not Fucking Around Coalitionwas wearing body armor rated to take a pistol round directly to the chest. ". Followers of his teachings, he said, would be the first to tell you nothing that I have predicted has not come true. In October, on YouTube, he told his soldiers, At this point, I dont think Ill be joining you all too much longer. Great Jones Cookware Review: Is It Worth Buying? Great Jones Cookware Review: Is It Worth Buying? In August 2003, according to the affidavit, Jay entered Fort Bragg and threatened to kill his wife (who was also a soldier) and her platoon sergeant at a recognition ceremony. That includes defending it. (Don't worry, its temporary), Challenges to books at Ky. libraries tripled in 2022 amid national jump in attempted bans, How the Telugu immigrant community is instilling their culture in the next generation, Richmond, Ind., residents sue owner of property where massive industrial fire occurred, This Mt. Indeed, of the two of us, I was the one who felt sheepish, not because I was wasting his time but because it occurred to me that while I waited, I could have warned the servers that my dining companion was often armed and that he might look as if he had just stepped out of The Matrix. You may have seen its members demonstrating where African Americans have died at the hands of police in places like Louisville and Georgia. He showed up during uprisings following various outrages, such as the murder of nine parishioners at Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina, by a white supremacist. On January 6, at the U.S. Capitol, the insurrectionists included militia members from the groups the NFAC has arrayed itself against. You would sit that person down and have a word with him., Jay reappeared in 2015 as an ally of the movement he now denigrates, Black Lives Matter. What were talking [about] here is a legal action that takes us from being freed slaves and descendants of slaves in a country that classifies us by color and denigrates us by race to a place where we are citizens of our own country, he said. My time is scarce, he said, making aggressive eye contact. According to the documents, the FBI reviewed the surveillance video from the incident, which consisted of real-time crime center camera footage. Two photos were included in the court filing that allegedly shows Johnson aiming his firearm at the officers. These do not sound like promising beginnings for a modern Simn Bolvar or Toussaint LOuverture. Jay told me that all the allegations against him are bullshit. By bringing them up, federal prosecutors are trying to character assassinate him. Everythings upside down; the world a year ago is completely 180 degrees from where you are now and people are just blundering through it without realizing that youre living in an alternate timeline.