Police intervened to stop a Proud Boy from becoming violent at a 'Free Alex Jones' event in Austin
At a "Free Alex Jones"聽demonstration in Austin they claimed was all about free speech, Patriot Prayer and the Proud Boys fell back on their typical playbook: threats and physical intimidation.
Patriot Prayer, a reactionary right-wing group best known for instigating street violence in the Pacific Northwest, traveled to Texas last weekend to protest Alex Jones鈥� expulsion from various social media platforms, including YouTube and Facebook, for repeated terms of service violations. The small demonstration failed to attract any local attention, but that didn鈥檛 stop a leading figure in Patriot Prayer from trying to pick a fight.
An Infowars livestream hosted by Owen Shroyer captured Tusitala 鈥淭iny鈥� Toese 鈥� who is an active member of the hate group the Proud Boys in addition to his prominence in Patriot Prayer 鈥� screaming at and threatening a small group of young African American men attending Austin鈥檚 Pecan Street Festival. According to Shroyer鈥檚 commentary, Toese went after them because they were wearing Obama hats.
After a poorly attended rally of about 60 to聽70 people earlier in the day, which featured Alex Jones himself as a last-minute surprise guest, right-wing demonstrators took their signs, their message and a bullhorn to the Pecan Street Festival and began, as one organizer put it on Facebook, 鈥渢rolling 6th鈥� street. Soon after they arrived, Toese, Patriot Prayer leader Joey Gibson and others in the group began what appears in Shroyer's video聽to be an animated discussion with three young men. According to commentary in the video, demonstrators were upset by their Obama hats, which Shroyer insisted聽they wore on purpose 鈥渏ust to trigger you,鈥� and they also objected to one man鈥檚 sweatshirt, which featured聽the name and likeness of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
鈥淚 have a dream to have all-black college graduations at Harvard,鈥� Patriot Prayer supporter Jason Lo can be heard saying on the video, 鈥淚 have a dream for white genocide.鈥� An unseen person laughs, and he continues. 鈥淚 have 鈥� no, no, no 鈥� I have a dream for all police to die!鈥�
鈥淭hat鈥檚 what he said, huh?鈥� someone asked聽off-camera.
鈥淣o, but when you wear an Obama hat and a Martin Luther King sweater, that鈥檚 what it means,鈥� Lo said. 鈥淥bama is literally a treasonous bastard.鈥�
When two of the men retreat into the store behind them to escape the confrontation, Toese flies into a rage. 鈥淵ou think you a badass? You think you a badass? Get out here!鈥� he yells. 鈥淲hy you standing there like a little b----? Bring your ass here, then! Let鈥檚 see, let鈥檚 see who the little b---- is!鈥�
Gibson reached聽for Toese鈥檚 shoulder, and a demonstrator said, 鈥淲e come in peace, guys,鈥� but Toese thundered聽on.
鈥淵ou won鈥檛 survive in my world, boy!鈥� he roared. 鈥淵ou won鈥檛 survive in my world!鈥�
鈥淚鈥檒l blow through your f----- window!鈥� he said, and then two police officers intervened and removed him from the fray.
Toese, who 聽6 foot 3 inches tall聽and weighs more than 300 pounds, has developed a reputation for responding with explosive anger when confronted with opposing views. At a Patriot Prayer rally in May 2017, he was caught on video punching a man half his size in the face. Later that summer, he caught a 聽from Portland police for brawling at another protest, and later failed to appear in court on the misdemeanor. In December 2017, he was 聽at yet another demonstration on charges of disorderly conduct, harassment and assault. This June, he and Donovon Flippo, fellow member of the Proud Boys, allegedly violently confronted a man at a Portland area mall. , the men called him a 鈥渇-----,鈥� and then Toese punched him in the face, knocking him to the ground.
A man like Toese may seem聽out of place with a group that claims to 鈥渃ome in peace.鈥� But when Patriot Prayer holds a demonstration, the outcome is rarely peaceful, and Toese is far from the only one throwing punches. Ethan Nordean, aka Rufio Panman, achieved a dubious celebrity on the radical right last June for his participation in an 聽Patriot Prayer rally during which one counter-protester was attacked by a group of men, suffering a skull fracture and a brain hemorrhage. Elsewhere that day, Nordean, who is also a member of the Proud Boys (and was wearing the trademark Fred Perry polo for this particular display of violent extremism), decked a man so hard in the face that he apparently knocked him unconscious.
At the Austin rally this weekend, Toese recalled Nordean鈥檚 punch fondly and in vulgar detail. 鈥淭his fool, he literally turned fruit into vegetable that day,鈥� Toese said. 鈥淚t was amazing!鈥�
Toese went on to articulate Patriot Prayer鈥檚 philosophy on free speech far more sincerely than any of his comrades, who prefer lofty platitudes about patriotism and the Constitution.
鈥淢y daddy always tell me, you know, 鈥業f you can鈥檛 talk sense into them, smack some sense into them,鈥欌�� he said.
鈥淪hout out to all my Proud Boys over here,鈥� he continued. 鈥淧roud of your boy! Uhuru!鈥�
