Far-left journalist among group charged in Black Lives Matter firebomb attacks

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Far-left journalist among group charged in Black Lives Matter firebomb attacks

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ARNAKSAS– Anti-police Black Lives Matter protests began in May following the death of George Floyd, and continued through the summer and into the fall. In August, police vehicles were firebombed in Arkansas, and now four people, including a far-left journalist, are facing federal charges.

Police reported that on August 25th, a large group of Black Lives Matter protesters gathered at the Little Rock Police Department’s 12th Street Substation. According to reports, rioters slashed the tires of police vehicles and threw Molotov cocktails.

When authorities reviewed the surveillance footage, it showed two people throwing Molotov cocktails at the fenced police parking lot.

Things then began to escalate at the Arkansas State Police Headquarters on August 28th, when an Arkansas State Police vehicle was vandalized and burned.

According to the Department of Justice:

“One vehicle had been set on fire, one had been vandalized with spray paint, and several others had punctured tires,”

One state trooper cruiser was spray-painted with the message: “STOP KILLING US.” Investigators also discovered a detonated Molotov cocktail that was constructed from a bottle of brandy, according to The Blaze.

The complaint states that three individuals were caught on surveillance video:

“entering the vehicle storage area wearing dark clothing and backpacks.” 

It goes on to stay:

“The video shows them bending down in a motion consistent with slashing vehicle tires as well as throwing a lighted object into a police vehicle.”

The Blaze reported that Federal search warrants were executed to obtain cell phone data, which showed that the suspects were in the location of Arkansas State Police Headquarters during the time of the attacks.

Arkansas State Police Department, along with ATF, North Little Rock Police Department, and Little Rock Police Department conducted a month long investigation.

On December 17th, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Arkansas made the announcement that Brittany Dawn Jeffrey, 31, Emily Nowlin, 27, Aline Espinosa-Villegas, 24, and Renea Baek Goddard, 22, had been arrested in connection with the incident.

 

Federal investigators believe that Goddard, Nowlin, and Espinosa-Villegas orchestrated the attacks and “conspired together, aided and abetted one another.”

The Post Millennial stated that the group utilized encrypted applications to communicate with each other:

“in an attempt to thwart law enforcement detection of the group[‘s] criminal activities,” 

It is reported that law enforcement officers interviewed several witnesses who were willing to cooperate, and  according to those witnesses, the incendiary devices were allegedly created at Jeffrey’s residence.

Jeffrey live-streamed her arrest on Facebook, according to the report.

The report said:

“She at first refused to exit her car until arresting officers explained what the federal warrant was for. The video ended when police confiscated her phone. She has since been released from police custody,” 

This was not Jeffrey’s first run in with police, as she was previously arrested on July 12th for criminal trespassing at a Black Lives Matter protest at a frozen custard restaurant, where an employee had been fired for allegedly “making racist comments in the presence of a black co-worker.”

This was also not the first time Goddard has faced charges, as she was also previously arrested and charged with obstructing governmental operations while violating curfew at a Black Lives Matter protest on June 2nd. Both Espinosa-Villegas and Nowlin were also arrested at that same protest.

The Blaze reported that Goddard is a far-left journalist from Little Rock, who has contributed to KUAR Public Radio, Arkansas Public Media, and Autostraddle, a “digital publication and real life community for multiple generations of LGBTQIA+ humans” that is “run by a team of progressively feminist queer and trans folks.”

According to her bio she:

“enjoys writing commentary on issues like mass incarceration, U.S militarism, and identity politics.”

In connection with the Molotov cocktail attack, the suspects have been charged with malicious destruction of property belonging to an entity receiving federal funding, conspiracy to commit those acts, and possession of a destructive device.

U.S. Attorney Hiland said in a statement:

“Today’s arrests send a message that violence targeted toward law enforcement will not be tolerated,” 

Hiland continued:

“Breaking into a police compound and fire bombing a police vehicle with a homemade explosive device is clearly not a peaceful protest. Those who would target law enforcement with violent acts will not do so in the Eastern District of Arkansas without the full resources of the federal government being deployed to assist our state and local partners in bringing those responsible to justice. They will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

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LET Unity

Seattle protester arrested for allegedly carrying an ‘incendiary device’ as rioters attack police

September 28, 2020

SEATTLE, WA -Another weekend of violence, destruction and mayhem took place from September 25th-27th in many cities across the country, and Seattle was no different.  

Protesters are using the pretense of “social justice”, “police reform”, and “justice for Breonna” to loot, destroy and assault. Not one ounce of anything taking place is peaceful and effective.

What is taking place night after night in the streets of Seattle is not doing anything positive for the social stances listed above. 

These recent protests have led to at least ten people being arrested on Saturday alone, with countless businesses destroyed, and both protesters and police alike being injured. 

According to King5, on Capitol Hill, police said demonstrators created a barrier between themselves and police by lighting dumpsters on fire. The Seattle fire department was called to extinguish the fire.

Police said as officers moved forward the crowd began throwing rocks, bottles, and fireworks. Officers then used blast balls to move the crowd to a safe distance. 

One person in particular who was arrested on Friday, September 25th, was a 19-year old who was allegedly found with a mortar type explosive in his possession during a protest on Capitol Hill. He was brought before a Judge via video conference on Saturday. 

Casey McNerthney, director of communications with the King County Prosecutor’s Office said:

“It really all depends what happens to the police investigation and when it’s referred to us,” 

According to KomoNews, McNerthney said they wanted to keep him in jail for a three-day period to see if the police investigation leads to enough information to charge him with a crime.

The attorney for the 19-year-old is defending him, saying the teen should not have to stay in jail due to the fact that there is no prior record, and the term “mortar explosive device” is confusing.

The attorney said:

“This could have been a firework, it could have been something else, I think it’s sort of a strange definition,” 

This arrest is different than most of the arrests taking place at the protests, as the 19-year-old allegedly had an explosive.

McNerthney said:

“We want people to know we take violence and property destruction very seriously,”

McNerthney continued:

“We received the investigations from police, we independently review that information and then make the charging decision from there,” 

Although they have the next 72 hours to decide whether to charge the teen with anything before he’s released, that does not mean that he can not face charges in the future.

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