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. Most soldiers have just one MOS over the course of their career; once the Army trains a soldier, why go through the expense of training him again? Photos from the funeral show Jay wearing an Anglican-style clerical collar and holding Judy Scotts left arm. His story, and the purpose of Not Fucking Around, became a little more clear, and a little less. He attained the rank of sergeant, went absent without leave just over a year later, then escaped court martial by getting out of the Army a third time, again under other-than-honorable conditions, and again reduced to private. The latest breaking updates, delivered straight to your email inbox. A JEFFERSON COUNTY GRAND JURY CHARGED JOHNSON WITH 5 COUNTS OF. I thanked Jay for his time, and he thanked me for mine. We dont understand why we have to be anti-somebody because we love our people. I counted 28 rows of seven before I stopped counting. The NFAC has room for only one messiah. But Im not. (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. At that time, LMPD officers at the scene received a radio transmission stating that a group of "six to eight heavily armed individuals" were parked on Armory Place, near a parking garage, according to court documents. The first thing they have to do is submit their information to us via email, the Supreme Leader explains. He named four but refused to identify the fifth. (A sample lyric from one of his hip-hop songs: They call you racist if you proud of your folks / But they be muting you now if you forget about the Holocaust!), Jays videos repeat several themes popular among anti-Semitic segments of the Black Hebrew Israelites, a religious movement known for noisy proselytizing and elaborate conspiracy theories. John Fitzgerald Johnson, also known as Grand Master Jay, is facing state and federal charges for allegedly pointing a gun at Louisville Metro Police Twenty-twenty is a great example. NFAC Unlike the NFAC, they were flagrantly breaking the law and, for a time at least, getting away with it. He was busted down to the lowest rankprivateand drummed out of the Army with an other than honorable discharge. Not Fucking Around Coalition When I mentioned W. E. B. 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. He wore his trademark body armor and sunglasses in the summer heat and spoke grandly of self-defense, Black empowerment and the creation of a Black nation. Not Fucking Around Coalition on Capitol Riots This is the worry of those who monitor domestic extremist threats: If you recruit an army, equip it to fight, and range it as infantry across from other armed groups, one shot could ignite a skirmish and perhaps turn downtown Louisville into Baghdad for an afternoon. The first public appearance of the NFAC was at a KKK rally in Dayton, Ohio, in 2019. Prosecutors said Johnson faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for the state charges. LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) - A presentation in front of a grand jury trial with the leader of a self-proclaimed militia organization has been delayed. Jay had run out of boilerplate. This GoFundMe was organized by his friend Eleanor Harvey, a native of Oakland, CA that now resides in the Inland Empire of Southern CA. Were not going to dig into who I am, he said. Among the small armory of assault rifles, they also found a prodigious amount of marijuana. Ive seen for myself, he said. Some people come to change the world, he said, and some come to end it all. The latter, he implied, are unwelcome in the NFAC and have to be screened out. Kelly Clarkson's Home Collection Is Up to 74% Off During Way Day Deals, The Best Wayfair Way Day Deals 2023 Starting at $30. How did we get here? Arbery was pursued by three white men and fatally shot. His life sometimes seems like a long disinformation campaign about itself. 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. That movement accomplished nothing, Jay told me, just a lot of singing, a lot of hand-holding, a lot of sentiments and praise.. Dressed from mask to shoes in black, he was four hours late to our meeting, and remorseless. Our editorial content is not influenced by any commissions we receive. Jay claims that the NFAC first appeared publicly when nine white supremacists came to Dayton, Ohio, in May 2019. WebThe Official Channel of The Official Grand Master Jay, Supreme Commander, NFAC 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. You figure that part out, youll figure out everything that Im talking about.. Documents and several eyewitness state Johnson had pointed an AR-style rifle at the officers. WebGrand Master Jay explains in 2016 interview why he was at the trump rally #NFAC. His website, onlywecanfixus.com, advertised a bid for the White House on an independent ticket. In just two days, May 28, it will be the one year anniversary since protests first filled the streets of Louisville in response to the deaths of Taylor, George Floyd and more. 'Send a Message': Black Militia Leader Says Membership Grandmaster Jay says beyond trying to "police ourselves," he would like to work with local governments and community groups. One way to understand the NFAC is to imagine what a paramilitary wing of the Black Hebrew Israelites would be like. The Not Fucking Around Coalitionbetter known as the NFACis the latest organization to join the likes of the Boogaloo Bois, Oath Keepers, and the 3 Percenters, the nationwide entitiesthat have taken root amidthe craziness going on right now. NFAC Im still here because I was cured in a way that defies medicine and changed my entire brain structure. He began eating differently, and drinking alkaline water to reactivate his pineal gland and scrub his system of impurities that were impeding higher abilities. His drink orderSan Pellegrino or filtered tap waterhad spiritual implications. 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. Jefferson County grand jury indicts militia leader 'Grandmaster Jay', SAYS IT FULLY SUPPORTS NEW YORK CITYS VACCINE MANDATE FOR CITY WORKERS. Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. I was there to escort Walter Scotts mother into the funeral. He said he was an ordained minister at the time. John Fitzgerald Johnson, who also is known as Grandmaster Jay, is the enigmatic founder of the Not FuckingAround Coalition. The group is called the Not F---ing Around Coaliton (NFAC). According to Jay, Were not here to attack anyone. It has been described by news outlets as a "Black militia ". And we appear to be the target of an undeclared domestic war against African Americans.". Amazon Has Uncanny Dupes of CB2's Popular Dining Chair for Hundreds Less. Right: Grandmaster Jay addresses a crowd of NFAC supporters from the steps of the Metro Building in downtown Louisville on July 25, 2020. I'm a title. A lot of times when people talk about time travel, they always run into the paradigm If you change something in the past, then youll screw up your present. Jay shook his head. In Germany, Jay was treated with the utmost respect, and he said he enjoyed a reprieve from the American racial hierarchy. John Fitzgerald Johnson, also known as Grandmaster Jay, was arrested on Dec. 3 and charged with five counts of wanton endangerment. The U.S. government is going around cleaning up all of those other organizations, he said. Black Lives Matter was the forefront of the pro-Black movement until it was hijacked by other entities, so it does not represent the will or the sentiment of the Black nation. Unfortunately, Jays answercreate a parallel, quasi-fascist race army with its own flag and homelandstrikes me as a particularly bad case of becoming that which you hate. I offered him a plastic bib, which he declined. The coalition is larger than the older [white] militias. They do not bicker with other protesters, carry signs, or explain themselves. top of page. I had five MOSs, Jay said. Tommie Shelby, a professor of African American studies and philosophy at Harvard, noted that these ideas have precursors in Black political thought. The state charges were heard in court May 25, where Kentucky District Judge Eric Haner said the case would be moved forward to a grand jury after multiple pieces of evidence showed probable cause. Johnson is accused of pointing a rifle at Louisville Metro Police officers and federal officers the night before the 2020 Kentucky Derby, according to a probable cause affidavit. The Commonwealth's Attorney said the indictment in Jefferson County also includes three additional local law enforcement officers.Prosecutors said Johnson faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for the state charges. john fitzgerald johnson army The NFAC formations in Louisville were large, but mostly peaceful and without issue. Someone asked me the other day, they said, How is it that youve managed to do in six months what other people have not been able to do for 60 years? I would simply say that knowing the future doesnt help. This is like majoring in five different subjects in collegenot technically against the rules, but rare and implausible. 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. According to the documents, the FBI reviewed the surveillance video from the incident, which consisted of real-time crime center camera footage. Case against militia leader 'Grandmaster Jay' heads Its leader, Grandmaster Jay, whose real name is John Fitzgerald Johnson, retained the cocky, steel-eyed confidence that has made him a messiah to tens of thousands of Black Americans. Like a Rubiks Cube.. The NFAC is this privates chance to be a general. There is no set future. 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. In early December, the FBI raided his apartment and arrested him on charges that, during a September demonstration in Louisville, he pointed a rifle at federal agents, blinding them with its mounted light. 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. [7] No one seems to have noticed the coalition then, amid some 600 other counterprotesters. 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. Yes, you can screw up things in that timeline. The official version of the biography of the Grandmaster Jay. 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. A self-described militia composed exclusively of Black members, the NFAC has appeared at the protests for Ahmaud Arbery in Brunswick, Georgia, and Breonna Taylor in Louisville, Kentucky. WebThe Not Fucking Around Coalition ( NFAC) is a black nationalist militia part of the militia movement in the United States. When Grandmaster Jay walked into Millions Crab, a seafood joint in suburban Cincinnati, the waitstaff looked alarmed. Wed spent an hour talking some sense, and a lot of nonsense; now the restaurant staff presented me with the bill and a doggie bag, and exiled us to the parking lot. (That might explain his given name: He would have been born just nine days after the assassination of John Fitzgerald Kennedy.) 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. But Jay told me that when he floated Wyoming to his followers, their response was: Hell nonobody wants to go to Wyoming. (Shelby notes that the desire to establish a Black homeland on American territory likewise has a long history, showing up in Harry Haywoods book Negro Liberation in the 1940s and the Republic of New Afrika movement in the 60s and 70s.). Its leader, Grandmaster Jay, whose real name is John Fitzgerald Johnson, retained the cocky, steel-eyed confidence that has made him a messiah to tens of thousands of Black Americans. Birth of the NFAC; Americas Black Militia 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. I saw that I had been socialized to believe that I was second-class, that there was something criminal inherent about me, he said. He could say anything, do anything, and somehow survive. Youve always had a demographic of veterans and grown adults who are law-abiding citizens who are responsible gun owners who understand the Constitution., According to Grandmaster Jay, the mission of the NFAC is two-fold. Plenty of Trump supporters believed that their man had a mystical ability to outwit his opponents and bend previously unbendable laws of politics. He left the Army in 1997 but despised civilian life. Do you know anything about these things?. "We respond to situations where there's been a killing within our community, and law enforcement nor the legislature seem reluctant to give us the same level of assistance they give to people of other demographics in a timely fashion.". PublishedFebruary 2, 2022 at 4:24 AM EST. They stand in neat, spaced columns. The NFAC leaders real name is John Fitzgerald Johnson. You wont get that from me. He said he wasnt from the Midwest. GMJ STORY. Hes expected in court on Thursday. Grand Master Jay Grandmaster Jay Surely, though, there must be limits to what Jays followers can accept. White people decided to act up and show us their true colors, Jay said. They often carry semi-automatic weapons and wear body armor. Ann Thompson has decades of journalism experience in the Greater Cincinnati market and brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to her reporting. He led a crowd of tens of thousands across the Arthur Ravenel Bridge to protest the mass shooting. You may have seen him and members of his group in cities where African Americans have died at the hands of police and others. The NFAC also appears to have tapped into a kind of modish authoritarian magical thinking. Prosecutors say the flashlight was attached to the barrel of a rifle Johnson was pointing at the officers. Case against militia leader 'Grandmaster Jay' heads to Jefferson County grand jury. Jay paused. The NFAC leaders real name is John Fitzgerald Johnson. The NFAC is a militia comprisedof Black members whose core is believed to be largely ex-military. Grandmaster Jay. 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. 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. Iron was a vital commodity, and Leonard was already thinking volume. Jay described its recruiting strategy: You must be Black, he said. The visit was one of multiple last summer. (Source: Probable Cause Affidavit / FBI). 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. Johnsons case in front of a grand jury was expected on June 21, but was delayed to the week of July 12 to allow further review. Grandmaster Jay has gone out of his way to make it known that the NFAC has no affiliations or ties to Black Lives Matter. 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. 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. I think thats a pretty significant indication There are 57 million of us here. While the inner workings of the militia areonly known to its leadership and key members, the total number of active participants in the organization is unknown, as well as where they are headquartered, or how they fund themselves. 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?' Grandmaster Jay He later claimed to have worked as the director of a global cloud-integration practice and solutions architect. He tried a career as a hip-hop DJ, which took an embarrassing turn when stars including Grandmaster Flash and DJ Jazzy Jeff accused him of plagiarism and rsum exaggeration. On Wednesday, the Jefferson County Grand Jury returned an indictment on Johnson for five counts of wanton endangerment. GMJ MIXES & SONGS. CONTACT GMJ. Its an extremely top-down, chain-of-command organization, perfect for people who like to take orders, or give them. Moore Park in Louisville, Kentucky, on September 5, 2020. Grandmaster Jay (center) says he urges the members of the NFAC to stay within the law, when demonstrating, unlike what happened on January 6. Stories worth watching 16 videos. According to Pentagon records, he joined the military in 1989. WebJohn Jay Fitzgerald Johnson aka: Grand master jay, John Johnson, John Fitzgerald. He swooned during the eclipse, felt a wave of energy, and began preaching the ideas of the NFAC soon after. Led by Grandmaster Jay (John Fitzgerald Johnson), the NFAC has been posited as an eye for an eye organization, in opposition to those aforementioned organizations, and hasloudly called for Black citizens to arm themselves in the face ofwhite supremacy. 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. Buy, Sell, and Trade your Firearms and Gear. This may galvanize inquiring minds, but the road to becoming an actual member is fairly straightforward. (By contrast, aerial photos suggest that the white militiamen present that day could have fit in a small school bus.) Meanwhile, Jay acquired a record of violence. Jay posted a video from Louisville showing white militia members expressing concern that the NFAC would annihilate them. 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.