1 00:00:08,039 --> 00:00:11,000 Speaker 1: The ranch in July two is a very different place 2 00:00:11,039 --> 00:00:14,480 Speaker 1: to the one I've visited in March of one. For 3 00:00:14,560 --> 00:00:16,920 Speaker 1: one thing, it's not so cold that my water bottle 4 00:00:16,960 --> 00:00:20,439 Speaker 1: freezes every night. But more notably, there's less tension in 5 00:00:20,480 --> 00:00:24,200 Speaker 1: the air, and no one's wearing a plate carrier. Not 6 00:00:24,280 --> 00:00:27,319 Speaker 1: everyone who is there for the seed stayed. Some of 7 00:00:27,320 --> 00:00:29,920 Speaker 1: them had only been visiting or they found other places 8 00:00:29,920 --> 00:00:33,520 Speaker 1: to live since then, but Penny, cat Jen and Jay 9 00:00:33,760 --> 00:00:38,600 Speaker 1: have been constant on the ranch since. Something I've struggled 10 00:00:38,640 --> 00:00:40,239 Speaker 1: with so far. It's giving a sense of just what 11 00:00:40,280 --> 00:00:44,839 Speaker 1: a welcoming and friendly place to tenaceous unicorn ranches. It's 12 00:00:44,840 --> 00:00:46,879 Speaker 1: a thing I haven't really stopped thinking about since I 13 00:00:46,920 --> 00:00:49,240 Speaker 1: first visited, and a thing that a lot of folks 14 00:00:49,240 --> 00:00:52,760 Speaker 1: have been looking for for a very long time, even 15 00:00:52,760 --> 00:00:55,040 Speaker 1: in the worst time to the siege, when Penny and 16 00:00:55,120 --> 00:00:57,920 Speaker 1: Jay barely slept when Alo was out running off Chad 17 00:00:58,040 --> 00:01:00,520 Speaker 1: with guns, or when Paul and I was sat up 18 00:01:00,560 --> 00:01:03,600 Speaker 1: all night absolutely destroying the Costco snack mileunge that Penny 19 00:01:03,640 --> 00:01:06,840 Speaker 1: had prepared for us. People always seem to be laughing 20 00:01:08,200 --> 00:01:10,640 Speaker 1: when we sat down to talk about the siege. We 21 00:01:10,680 --> 00:01:13,560 Speaker 1: started off by laughing. It's a difficult topic, and it 22 00:01:13,600 --> 00:01:15,880 Speaker 1: was a scary time. But I guess it's easier to 23 00:01:15,959 --> 00:01:19,040 Speaker 1: laugh about it a year later, when you know everyone's okay, Well, 24 00:01:19,120 --> 00:01:21,479 Speaker 1: let's go over everyone's legal names, date of births, such 25 00:01:21,480 --> 00:01:27,960 Speaker 1: a security number maybe you're four digit, or list of fears, 26 00:01:28,040 --> 00:01:39,400 Speaker 1: that sort of thing lots don't have. We don't want 27 00:01:39,400 --> 00:01:41,679 Speaker 1: this to be just a story about the worst week 28 00:01:41,720 --> 00:01:44,000 Speaker 1: the ranch ever had. We wanted to be a story 29 00:01:44,040 --> 00:01:48,120 Speaker 1: about a community that overcame adversity and is thriving. That 30 00:01:48,280 --> 00:01:51,640 Speaker 1: community extends way beyond the dome which Unicorn school home, 31 00:01:52,200 --> 00:01:54,960 Speaker 1: and even beyond the valley that they live in. But 32 00:01:55,320 --> 00:01:58,600 Speaker 1: we should start with that valley, because even at the 33 00:01:58,640 --> 00:02:00,800 Speaker 1: peak of the siege, it seems think most people were 34 00:02:00,840 --> 00:02:04,440 Speaker 1: on the Unicorn side, or at least they just wanted 35 00:02:04,480 --> 00:02:08,200 Speaker 1: to leave them alone. It was because of warnings from 36 00:02:08,200 --> 00:02:10,520 Speaker 1: other people in the valley they knew to patrol their 37 00:02:10,560 --> 00:02:14,200 Speaker 1: perimeter at night. Had they not been there, this might 38 00:02:14,280 --> 00:02:18,760 Speaker 1: be a very different story. A year later, everyone in 39 00:02:18,800 --> 00:02:22,239 Speaker 1: the valley values of Unicorns being there. During the few 40 00:02:22,320 --> 00:02:25,600 Speaker 1: days we spent there this summer, we visited neighbors for drinks, 41 00:02:25,960 --> 00:02:28,760 Speaker 1: We went into town for donuts, and coffee and dropped 42 00:02:28,760 --> 00:02:32,320 Speaker 1: in on Jordan's, the Tribune publisher his ranch. It's none 43 00:02:32,320 --> 00:02:34,639 Speaker 1: of the unicorns of pariahs sitting up in their house 44 00:02:34,680 --> 00:02:37,760 Speaker 1: surrounded by guns and afraid of what's coming next. They're 45 00:02:37,760 --> 00:02:41,520 Speaker 1: active members of the community and they're very welcome. There 46 00:02:41,600 --> 00:02:43,560 Speaker 1: was a time when this community wasn't as friendly to 47 00:02:43,639 --> 00:02:47,680 Speaker 1: queer people, but they've always been here. I spoke to 48 00:02:47,720 --> 00:02:50,400 Speaker 1: Penny about this last year while we drove to recycling 49 00:02:50,400 --> 00:02:54,200 Speaker 1: center in the next county to recycle Westliff cats, Like 50 00:02:54,280 --> 00:02:56,360 Speaker 1: we're doing the same thing y'all are doing, Like you 51 00:02:56,840 --> 00:02:59,799 Speaker 1: not pick up on that, not to mention also that 52 00:03:00,040 --> 00:03:04,520 Speaker 1: like there are queers here. We first wave like yeah, 53 00:03:05,320 --> 00:03:08,000 Speaker 1: it's like we're not breaking any fucking mold, like you 54 00:03:08,040 --> 00:03:10,760 Speaker 1: know what I mean, Like it's we're definitely loud. We're 55 00:03:10,800 --> 00:03:15,160 Speaker 1: not like we didn't like get cow Town and fucking 56 00:03:15,280 --> 00:03:17,680 Speaker 1: like bent over and like told to shut up our 57 00:03:17,720 --> 00:03:20,160 Speaker 1: whole life. So we're definitely like, fuck you were queer 58 00:03:22,160 --> 00:03:26,720 Speaker 1: and they don't like that, Like, yeah, that makes good 59 00:03:26,760 --> 00:03:30,320 Speaker 1: old boys uncomfortable and I get it. Also fuck you, 60 00:03:30,760 --> 00:03:33,040 Speaker 1: Like yeah, I know we're gonna be who we are, 61 00:03:33,440 --> 00:03:35,120 Speaker 1: living the way we want to, like if you can 62 00:03:35,160 --> 00:03:38,320 Speaker 1: hang to Trump flags and a Confederate flag from the 63 00:03:38,320 --> 00:03:43,240 Speaker 1: back of your truck and drive down Main Street screaming fucking, horrible, 64 00:03:43,280 --> 00:03:48,440 Speaker 1: hateful things and feel perfectly justified in doing that. I'm 65 00:03:48,480 --> 00:03:51,120 Speaker 1: gonna just be queer, Like, I'm gonna go ahead and 66 00:03:51,160 --> 00:03:53,560 Speaker 1: be as loud as I want to be. Like, obviously 67 00:03:53,600 --> 00:03:56,320 Speaker 1: you think it's okay to have personal expression. Yeah, like 68 00:03:57,840 --> 00:04:01,600 Speaker 1: right there, right, you really really think it's okay. So 69 00:04:01,840 --> 00:04:03,560 Speaker 1: I'm gonna go ahead and take you up on that. 70 00:04:06,000 --> 00:04:07,880 Speaker 1: They had to, like, I didn't know if it was 71 00:04:07,920 --> 00:04:10,560 Speaker 1: some kind of like don't ask, don't tell. Yeah, well 72 00:04:10,560 --> 00:04:12,600 Speaker 1: that's what they keep saying, does right. It's like, well, 73 00:04:12,640 --> 00:04:14,760 Speaker 1: you don't have to be in our face about it. Mother, 74 00:04:15,040 --> 00:04:18,080 Speaker 1: I'm just living. But I'm not like you know, I'm 75 00:04:18,120 --> 00:04:20,720 Speaker 1: not coming into your home and humping your couch like, 76 00:04:21,200 --> 00:04:24,560 Speaker 1: I'm just being alive. Like it can be easy, especially 77 00:04:24,600 --> 00:04:26,960 Speaker 1: if you only connect with the row places through the media, 78 00:04:27,440 --> 00:04:30,480 Speaker 1: to see cities as queer spaces and the countryside is 79 00:04:30,520 --> 00:04:34,000 Speaker 1: unfriendly to quit people. Well, politics and roll America can 80 00:04:34,040 --> 00:04:36,960 Speaker 1: be pretty bad. It's never really been true to that. 81 00:04:37,040 --> 00:04:40,200 Speaker 1: Quit people don't belong there. The unicorns pointed this out 82 00:04:40,680 --> 00:04:44,560 Speaker 1: historically if you know anything about history, Like country spaces 83 00:04:44,600 --> 00:04:47,920 Speaker 1: are queer fucking spaces, Like we're the ones out here 84 00:04:47,960 --> 00:04:51,839 Speaker 1: doing the actual work while fucking old fucking sis white 85 00:04:51,839 --> 00:04:55,320 Speaker 1: men just collecting money from doing shitty ranching that damages 86 00:04:55,320 --> 00:04:58,400 Speaker 1: the animals, damages the earth and fucking does not build 87 00:04:58,400 --> 00:05:02,240 Speaker 1: community or help anybody but themselves. For your integration into 88 00:05:02,240 --> 00:05:05,320 Speaker 1: country spaces is so fucking important because we bring heart 89 00:05:05,480 --> 00:05:09,560 Speaker 1: and empathy and all these things, uh that that capitalism 90 00:05:09,560 --> 00:05:14,479 Speaker 1: has stripped out of, uh these areas, Um, we bring 91 00:05:14,520 --> 00:05:17,000 Speaker 1: that back. And we've always fucking been here. Like fun off, 92 00:05:17,360 --> 00:05:23,520 Speaker 1: real cowboys were constantly fucking constantly, they fucked a lot 93 00:05:23,600 --> 00:05:26,159 Speaker 1: of each other, and they were mostly like black and 94 00:05:26,200 --> 00:05:29,039 Speaker 1: brown people. Yeah, yeah, it wasn't white. The West was 95 00:05:29,080 --> 00:05:32,840 Speaker 1: not white. And by the way, like we have said 96 00:05:32,880 --> 00:05:35,679 Speaker 1: this before and we'll say it again, nature is inherently queer. 97 00:05:35,720 --> 00:05:40,320 Speaker 1: And we fucking belong here, like we fucking belong wherever 98 00:05:40,360 --> 00:05:42,680 Speaker 1: the funk we go, Like that is a queer space. 99 00:05:43,480 --> 00:05:46,800 Speaker 1: There is no like hard line that country spaces are 100 00:05:46,880 --> 00:05:50,720 Speaker 1: forsis people fuck that, Like we belong here, We've always 101 00:05:50,720 --> 00:05:53,200 Speaker 1: been here, and we're really good at it. After the 102 00:05:53,240 --> 00:05:57,159 Speaker 1: Siege and its coverage. Everyone noticed that the unicorns quit 103 00:05:57,360 --> 00:06:00,680 Speaker 1: Icon's but they're only pototical, quick can mean, and they 104 00:06:00,680 --> 00:06:02,840 Speaker 1: have other folks over for Game ninth once a week. 105 00:06:04,040 --> 00:06:06,680 Speaker 1: They told us one story about Pride Month in Westcliffe 106 00:06:06,720 --> 00:06:09,280 Speaker 1: this year, and thankfully it didn't involve the a t F. 107 00:06:09,680 --> 00:06:12,960 Speaker 1: There was a really adorable During Pride Month, we went 108 00:06:13,000 --> 00:06:15,440 Speaker 1: to Family Dollar, which is like one of the few 109 00:06:15,440 --> 00:06:19,200 Speaker 1: stores in town, and I guess we were talking to 110 00:06:19,200 --> 00:06:22,240 Speaker 1: the manager who was checking us out, and uh and 111 00:06:22,480 --> 00:06:25,120 Speaker 1: he mentioned like, oh, yeah, like I have like I 112 00:06:25,160 --> 00:06:27,240 Speaker 1: have a gay and a trans working here, Like you know, 113 00:06:27,279 --> 00:06:29,000 Speaker 1: I love y'all, you know, And it was it was 114 00:06:29,120 --> 00:06:31,919 Speaker 1: very it was a little a little embarrassing, but but 115 00:06:31,960 --> 00:06:38,359 Speaker 1: the heart was there. It was very like But but 116 00:06:38,440 --> 00:06:40,960 Speaker 1: the point is, like, like even Family Dollar, in the 117 00:06:41,040 --> 00:06:44,680 Speaker 1: middle of nowhere West Cliff has two queer employees, Like, 118 00:06:45,160 --> 00:06:50,039 Speaker 1: you know, we're everywhere. Queer people had always been in 119 00:06:50,080 --> 00:06:53,400 Speaker 1: the valley, but it had become harder to share who 120 00:06:53,440 --> 00:06:57,680 Speaker 1: they were with their neighbors in recent decades. They never 121 00:06:57,680 --> 00:07:02,160 Speaker 1: stopped existing, but they stopped being safe. Yeah, we're connecting 122 00:07:02,200 --> 00:07:03,840 Speaker 1: with a lot of queer people that have lived here 123 00:07:03,880 --> 00:07:07,440 Speaker 1: for a long time. Yeah, it's the fact that a 124 00:07:07,560 --> 00:07:10,800 Speaker 1: community is so hostile that their queer community has to 125 00:07:10,840 --> 00:07:14,880 Speaker 1: be closeted does not mean that the queer community isn't here. 126 00:07:14,960 --> 00:07:17,120 Speaker 1: It just means that a lot of assholes are here. 127 00:07:17,520 --> 00:07:21,320 Speaker 1: Don't Ask, don't tell, an institutional version of closeting is 128 00:07:21,360 --> 00:07:25,080 Speaker 1: something that Penny is very familiar with. She was in 129 00:07:25,120 --> 00:07:27,600 Speaker 1: the army as a Calvary scout while the policy was 130 00:07:27,640 --> 00:07:30,520 Speaker 1: still in place. If you're not familiar, Don't Ask, Don't 131 00:07:30,520 --> 00:07:33,240 Speaker 1: Tell was a military policy that was in place nineteen 132 00:07:33,320 --> 00:07:36,760 Speaker 1: nine four until two thousand eleven. Under the policy, anyone 133 00:07:36,800 --> 00:07:40,040 Speaker 1: who wasn't straight was to remain in the closet, and 134 00:07:40,160 --> 00:07:43,760 Speaker 1: in theory they were protected from discrimination, but if they 135 00:07:43,800 --> 00:07:47,560 Speaker 1: came out as gay, or buy or trans or otherwise queer, 136 00:07:47,960 --> 00:07:51,160 Speaker 1: they could be discharged. Queer people were not even allowed 137 00:07:51,200 --> 00:07:55,320 Speaker 1: to talk about anything related to their queerness because doing so, 138 00:07:55,520 --> 00:07:59,400 Speaker 1: quote would create an unacceptable risk to the high standards 139 00:07:59,440 --> 00:08:03,200 Speaker 1: of morale, good order, and discipline and unit cohesion that 140 00:08:03,280 --> 00:08:06,960 Speaker 1: are the essence of military capability. Don't ask, don't tell? 141 00:08:07,000 --> 00:08:10,880 Speaker 1: What the fuck up? Like? I remember girlfriend when I 142 00:08:10,880 --> 00:08:14,320 Speaker 1: was in the military, um, and I definitely it was 143 00:08:14,400 --> 00:08:18,160 Speaker 1: like this is my best friend of Germany, and it 144 00:08:18,440 --> 00:08:21,280 Speaker 1: comes over. It sometimes spends the night because we're best 145 00:08:21,360 --> 00:08:25,040 Speaker 1: friend knows. I don't know. It was really really damaging. 146 00:08:25,200 --> 00:08:29,120 Speaker 1: It was just really really damaging to like not being 147 00:08:29,160 --> 00:08:33,600 Speaker 1: able to be yourself, um, but then also like be 148 00:08:33,679 --> 00:08:36,240 Speaker 1: able to leave posts and have a secret life where 149 00:08:36,280 --> 00:08:39,240 Speaker 1: you were yourself, you know, like and then when you 150 00:08:39,240 --> 00:08:41,600 Speaker 1: go out with the guys, like there's always those weird 151 00:08:41,640 --> 00:08:45,520 Speaker 1: moments where you like do run into other gay locals 152 00:08:45,600 --> 00:08:50,240 Speaker 1: that you have like known and like you've had deep 153 00:08:50,280 --> 00:08:53,200 Speaker 1: conversations with another context and just have to be like, 154 00:08:54,600 --> 00:08:57,520 Speaker 1: don't don't talk to me. Every won't know each other, um, 155 00:08:57,600 --> 00:09:00,160 Speaker 1: which is I'm sure damaging for them, you know, Like 156 00:09:00,320 --> 00:09:04,640 Speaker 1: that can't be fucking normal, Like, I don't know, that's weird. 157 00:09:05,520 --> 00:09:07,320 Speaker 1: And then on the from on top of that that 158 00:09:07,360 --> 00:09:09,960 Speaker 1: you're also a girl, like you know what I mean, Like, 159 00:09:10,000 --> 00:09:15,280 Speaker 1: so you're pretending to be a gay man who's straight 160 00:09:15,600 --> 00:09:21,400 Speaker 1: sometimes around certain people, um, but really you're a gay 161 00:09:22,200 --> 00:09:28,440 Speaker 1: you're a bisexual woman um pre surgery and with the 162 00:09:28,520 --> 00:09:33,480 Speaker 1: wrong um hormones. And so it just ends up being 163 00:09:33,480 --> 00:09:38,240 Speaker 1: a soup of just like compartmentalization to the point where 164 00:09:38,240 --> 00:09:41,120 Speaker 1: you just like forgetting people and then they show back 165 00:09:41,200 --> 00:09:43,199 Speaker 1: up and you're like, oh yeah, like you're from this 166 00:09:43,440 --> 00:09:47,760 Speaker 1: quadrant of my life, Like, I don't know. It's not healthy, 167 00:09:48,040 --> 00:09:51,319 Speaker 1: it doesn't do good things. Don't ask, don't tell had 168 00:09:51,360 --> 00:09:55,000 Speaker 1: pretty devastating consequences for the mental health of thousands of 169 00:09:55,040 --> 00:09:59,600 Speaker 1: service people. The National Transgender Discrimination Survey found that of 170 00:09:59,600 --> 00:10:02,920 Speaker 1: transp people have served in the military over twice the 171 00:10:03,000 --> 00:10:07,040 Speaker 1: rate of cis gender people, but until very recently, they 172 00:10:07,040 --> 00:10:10,240 Speaker 1: weren't even allowed to do so openly. Not being able 173 00:10:10,280 --> 00:10:12,880 Speaker 1: to be yourself with people that you're expected to risk 174 00:10:12,920 --> 00:10:17,560 Speaker 1: your life for isn't really conductive to good morale or 175 00:10:17,600 --> 00:10:21,000 Speaker 1: indeed quote the unit cohesion that is the essence of 176 00:10:21,080 --> 00:10:26,640 Speaker 1: military capability. There's no doubt that being familiar with guns, 177 00:10:26,640 --> 00:10:31,280 Speaker 1: something they gained from military experience, did help the unicorns, 178 00:10:31,840 --> 00:10:34,960 Speaker 1: but it's not the only thing that helped them. Sometimes, 179 00:10:35,120 --> 00:10:37,400 Speaker 1: especially on Twitter, where things seem to get reduced to 180 00:10:37,520 --> 00:10:40,199 Speaker 1: simple terms to fit into the discourse of the day, 181 00:10:40,480 --> 00:10:43,680 Speaker 1: the Tenacious Unicorn ranch story has been reduced to a 182 00:10:43,720 --> 00:10:48,760 Speaker 1: story about guns. Undoubtedly, guns are a part of the story, 183 00:10:48,800 --> 00:10:52,959 Speaker 1: but they would have been useless without community and solidarity. 184 00:10:53,120 --> 00:10:55,400 Speaker 1: That is something that the unicorns at the ranch have 185 00:10:55,679 --> 00:10:59,120 Speaker 1: taken to heart. A year later, they're doing mutual aid 186 00:10:59,120 --> 00:11:02,120 Speaker 1: work with the Laicode people on the Pine Ridge Reservation, 187 00:11:02,760 --> 00:11:06,120 Speaker 1: driving truckloads of donations to them every few months and 188 00:11:06,320 --> 00:11:09,960 Speaker 1: using their Internet presence to get donations. If we want 189 00:11:10,000 --> 00:11:12,400 Speaker 1: to look at this story as an example of anarchism 190 00:11:12,440 --> 00:11:15,280 Speaker 1: in action, and it's important to remember that if we 191 00:11:15,320 --> 00:11:17,560 Speaker 1: want a world where the state is not the only 192 00:11:17,679 --> 00:11:21,199 Speaker 1: entity with the ability to do violence, then we should 193 00:11:21,200 --> 00:11:23,160 Speaker 1: also want a world where it's not the only entity 194 00:11:23,200 --> 00:11:28,839 Speaker 1: responsible for caring for people with unmet material needs. Alongside 195 00:11:28,920 --> 00:11:31,920 Speaker 1: ranch work, Penny and j also make ends meet by 196 00:11:31,960 --> 00:11:36,560 Speaker 1: working construction jobs on local buildings. Something that George from 197 00:11:36,600 --> 00:11:39,880 Speaker 1: the Sentinel is very proud of and that other local 198 00:11:39,920 --> 00:11:43,560 Speaker 1: residents are beginning to regret, is that Custer County doesn't 199 00:11:43,559 --> 00:11:47,280 Speaker 1: have a building code. Here's the snippet of his conversation 200 00:11:47,360 --> 00:11:51,480 Speaker 1: with t L about that. Then, one example to you 201 00:11:52,440 --> 00:11:55,320 Speaker 1: is this county is so free. We don't even have 202 00:11:55,640 --> 00:11:59,040 Speaker 1: building codes. If you're going to live here, you can 203 00:11:59,120 --> 00:12:03,960 Speaker 1: build yourself shock with twas you know. That's uh, that's 204 00:12:03,960 --> 00:12:06,480 Speaker 1: the way it is here in my little berg in 205 00:12:07,040 --> 00:12:12,360 Speaker 1: Texas too. Do you really need them? Do you really need? 206 00:12:12,600 --> 00:12:17,800 Speaker 1: I mean, that's something I think should be attacked in 207 00:12:17,840 --> 00:12:21,440 Speaker 1: other ways, but go ahead. But that's one of the 208 00:12:21,480 --> 00:12:24,840 Speaker 1: things that make Custer County and one of the reasons 209 00:12:24,880 --> 00:12:27,560 Speaker 1: I moved to this one. Yeah, yeah, I mean fail 210 00:12:27,640 --> 00:12:32,240 Speaker 1: that goes to the basically, of course housing prices who 211 00:12:33,480 --> 00:12:36,800 Speaker 1: become unreachable for the middle class. The problem with this 212 00:12:36,920 --> 00:12:40,600 Speaker 1: conservative utopian vision is that it has resulted in a 213 00:12:40,640 --> 00:12:44,040 Speaker 1: lot of residents getting ripped off by less than upstanding 214 00:12:44,120 --> 00:12:48,800 Speaker 1: builders and now left with their homes falling apart. That's 215 00:12:48,800 --> 00:12:51,440 Speaker 1: where Penny and Jake can step in and make a 216 00:12:51,440 --> 00:12:56,040 Speaker 1: decent side income drywalling and finishing buildings that well often 217 00:12:56,080 --> 00:13:01,400 Speaker 1: are not very old, are already crumbling. Like we've always said, um, 218 00:13:01,440 --> 00:13:07,439 Speaker 1: this community is awesome, UM, and that has held true. 219 00:13:07,520 --> 00:13:11,840 Speaker 1: We uh, we do contracting work because there are no 220 00:13:12,520 --> 00:13:17,079 Speaker 1: UM building codes in Custer County as opposed to what 221 00:13:17,200 --> 00:13:21,040 Speaker 1: like the libertarian ideal of no building codes is. It 222 00:13:21,080 --> 00:13:23,400 Speaker 1: actually just means that there's a bunch of shoddy houses 223 00:13:23,440 --> 00:13:27,920 Speaker 1: that need repaired constantly, UM, and we have construction skills, 224 00:13:28,320 --> 00:13:33,440 Speaker 1: So we're in people's homes repairing them and doing work 225 00:13:33,480 --> 00:13:38,199 Speaker 1: for the actual people of the county daily. Um, we 226 00:13:38,480 --> 00:13:41,080 Speaker 1: frequent businesses up here because we're all about local support. 227 00:13:41,120 --> 00:13:46,520 Speaker 1: We build community, UM gleefully we build community like we 228 00:13:46,559 --> 00:13:59,160 Speaker 1: really enjoy it up here. The community now is a 229 00:13:59,200 --> 00:14:03,400 Speaker 1: little smaller when James first visited. Currently five people live 230 00:14:03,480 --> 00:14:06,120 Speaker 1: at the ranch full time, but they still have a 231 00:14:06,120 --> 00:14:08,840 Speaker 1: couple of trailers open to transfolks in need of a 232 00:14:08,880 --> 00:14:13,400 Speaker 1: safe place to stay or you know, visiting journalists looking 233 00:14:13,440 --> 00:14:16,400 Speaker 1: for a safe place to stay. Is how Jay first 234 00:14:16,640 --> 00:14:19,280 Speaker 1: came to the ranch. Like a lot of us, she 235 00:14:19,400 --> 00:14:21,800 Speaker 1: had a difficult time at the start of the pandemic. 236 00:14:22,240 --> 00:14:24,600 Speaker 1: The world was changing and it seemed in May of 237 00:14:25,480 --> 00:14:28,640 Speaker 1: that America was as well. For a lot of people 238 00:14:28,760 --> 00:14:33,640 Speaker 1: with less progressive parents, the BLM uprising presented a difficult 239 00:14:33,680 --> 00:14:37,520 Speaker 1: choice between family and community. Jay was one of those 240 00:14:37,560 --> 00:14:44,040 Speaker 1: people that had to face that choice. So basically, UM, 241 00:14:44,160 --> 00:14:48,840 Speaker 1: I was living in Dallas, work in retail, when living 242 00:14:48,880 --> 00:14:56,840 Speaker 1: in my car when the UM pandemic started, and so 243 00:14:56,880 --> 00:15:00,600 Speaker 1: I was furloughed. Luckily, Texas is actually some risingly good 244 00:15:00,640 --> 00:15:05,560 Speaker 1: about unemployment, so I you know, had that. Um it 245 00:15:05,720 --> 00:15:09,560 Speaker 1: was my parents are retired from the military around there, 246 00:15:09,680 --> 00:15:16,200 Speaker 1: and when the BLM uprisings happened. I participant, you know, 247 00:15:16,320 --> 00:15:22,240 Speaker 1: did some things, and basically my parents were like, you 248 00:15:22,440 --> 00:15:26,360 Speaker 1: either can stay here or and not be associated with 249 00:15:26,400 --> 00:15:30,440 Speaker 1: Antifa or you know, you you can't stay here if 250 00:15:30,480 --> 00:15:33,800 Speaker 1: you're associated with Antifa. And so I was like, okay, 251 00:15:33,960 --> 00:15:38,280 Speaker 1: I'm I guess I'm leaving then, which is fine. Um 252 00:15:38,320 --> 00:15:43,000 Speaker 1: there was a lot of tension there anyways. Uh it 253 00:15:43,080 --> 00:15:48,640 Speaker 1: wasn't good for me. So um I because of the unemployment. 254 00:15:48,640 --> 00:15:50,600 Speaker 1: I was like, okay, I, you know, for once, have 255 00:15:51,520 --> 00:15:54,040 Speaker 1: some resources. I can just kind of you know, I'm 256 00:15:54,080 --> 00:15:56,640 Speaker 1: already living in my car. I can just kind of 257 00:15:56,640 --> 00:16:00,920 Speaker 1: travel around for a bit. Why not? And I think 258 00:16:00,920 --> 00:16:04,120 Speaker 1: I just posted on Twitter like trans commune win you know, 259 00:16:04,200 --> 00:16:08,920 Speaker 1: as as probably most queer people have, and one of 260 00:16:08,960 --> 00:16:12,600 Speaker 1: my permaculture mutuals actually it was like, hey have you 261 00:16:12,680 --> 00:16:14,880 Speaker 1: heard of this place? It's not far from you and 262 00:16:15,280 --> 00:16:18,440 Speaker 1: posted a link to I think it was the Vice article. Yeah, 263 00:16:19,200 --> 00:16:23,360 Speaker 1: and uh I sent a message and with a bunch 264 00:16:23,400 --> 00:16:26,120 Speaker 1: of questions about it and making sure it wasn't you know, 265 00:16:26,280 --> 00:16:29,440 Speaker 1: like trans medicalists or anything like that, which is always 266 00:16:29,480 --> 00:16:31,880 Speaker 1: like what you want to see when somebody contacts the ranch, 267 00:16:32,000 --> 00:16:35,480 Speaker 1: think about coming up. I wait, prefer an in depth 268 00:16:35,480 --> 00:16:38,000 Speaker 1: breakdown and a lot of questions to I'll just show 269 00:16:38,080 --> 00:16:41,440 Speaker 1: up and figure it out. In case you're not familiar 270 00:16:41,480 --> 00:16:44,680 Speaker 1: with what a trans medicalist is, we'll let Paul ask 271 00:16:44,760 --> 00:16:47,800 Speaker 1: that question for you. And we're gonna play this not 272 00:16:47,880 --> 00:16:50,920 Speaker 1: to make Paul look bad. We're playing it for you 273 00:16:51,000 --> 00:16:53,800 Speaker 1: because I think it's important to see what kind of 274 00:16:53,840 --> 00:16:57,360 Speaker 1: space the ranch is. It's not one where you can't 275 00:16:57,400 --> 00:17:00,000 Speaker 1: get things wrong. It's one where you can ask if 276 00:17:00,040 --> 00:17:03,360 Speaker 1: you don't know something. And because everyone there had shown 277 00:17:03,360 --> 00:17:05,359 Speaker 1: that they were willing to risk life and limb for 278 00:17:05,480 --> 00:17:08,639 Speaker 1: one another, they assume that you're asking it because you 279 00:17:08,720 --> 00:17:10,720 Speaker 1: care about them and you want to know how to 280 00:17:10,760 --> 00:17:13,239 Speaker 1: say things in a way that won't hurt anyone. What 281 00:17:13,280 --> 00:17:16,360 Speaker 1: the fund is A trans medicalist someone who thinks that 282 00:17:16,800 --> 00:17:21,959 Speaker 1: primarily well, so this does not describe any of us, 283 00:17:22,080 --> 00:17:25,440 Speaker 1: but a trans medical list is someone who, uh first 284 00:17:25,440 --> 00:17:28,360 Speaker 1: and foremost thinks that all trans people should be on hormones, 285 00:17:28,440 --> 00:17:30,960 Speaker 1: all trans people should have surgery, all trans people should 286 00:17:30,960 --> 00:17:35,159 Speaker 1: strive towards YA. And they don't believe in yeah, and 287 00:17:35,200 --> 00:17:38,240 Speaker 1: they don't believe in anything but the gender binary as well. Like, basically, 288 00:17:38,400 --> 00:17:43,000 Speaker 1: if you don't want to transition directly from like a 289 00:17:43,040 --> 00:17:47,280 Speaker 1: male to a female or direct whatever, ma, like you're 290 00:17:47,320 --> 00:17:53,359 Speaker 1: not transon did they think they think those trans people 291 00:17:53,440 --> 00:18:00,320 Speaker 1: are making it worse for other trans people? Okay, so 292 00:18:00,400 --> 00:18:02,960 Speaker 1: like that was my next question, like our non binary Yeah, 293 00:18:02,960 --> 00:18:05,280 Speaker 1: they hate those people. They think they're faking. So, but 294 00:18:05,440 --> 00:18:10,680 Speaker 1: like do they say they're not trans and different? They 295 00:18:10,720 --> 00:18:14,359 Speaker 1: often call them trans trenders because it's like a popularity 296 00:18:14,400 --> 00:18:18,359 Speaker 1: contest they think. So yeah, okay, and those people suck. 297 00:18:18,880 --> 00:18:21,800 Speaker 1: Jay has found a home at the ranch now, and 298 00:18:21,920 --> 00:18:24,119 Speaker 1: just like everyone else there, she's a part of the 299 00:18:24,160 --> 00:18:26,919 Speaker 1: family which takes care of one another. It was actually 300 00:18:26,960 --> 00:18:29,679 Speaker 1: really funny because Jay showed up and the assumption I 301 00:18:29,720 --> 00:18:31,479 Speaker 1: thought was that just gonna stay for a little bit 302 00:18:31,520 --> 00:18:33,520 Speaker 1: and then you just didn't leave and it was great. Yeah, 303 00:18:35,920 --> 00:18:39,359 Speaker 1: it was very This is exactly what you know a 304 00:18:39,359 --> 00:18:42,480 Speaker 1: lot of queer people talk about online, which is, yeah, well, 305 00:18:42,520 --> 00:18:45,879 Speaker 1: when Jay brought a passion that we hadn't seen with 306 00:18:45,920 --> 00:18:47,840 Speaker 1: a lot of people that had come up. A lot 307 00:18:47,840 --> 00:18:51,040 Speaker 1: of people had come up with this like yeah, we'll 308 00:18:51,080 --> 00:18:53,520 Speaker 1: just see what it is or whatever. But Jay came 309 00:18:53,600 --> 00:18:58,440 Speaker 1: up with like knowledge about theory and like had studied 310 00:18:58,480 --> 00:19:01,040 Speaker 1: and was really like conscience. Just like a part of 311 00:19:01,080 --> 00:19:04,640 Speaker 1: this project UM, which was huge, I mean for me, 312 00:19:04,920 --> 00:19:07,160 Speaker 1: like part of what Jay has been able to help 313 00:19:07,200 --> 00:19:10,760 Speaker 1: with is organizing the moving of animals to different pastures. 314 00:19:11,400 --> 00:19:13,760 Speaker 1: James was at the ranch last year when they were 315 00:19:13,800 --> 00:19:18,479 Speaker 1: replacing their old fence and planning out their fields ready 316 00:19:18,560 --> 00:19:24,119 Speaker 1: as fence. UM and this back fence here as we 317 00:19:24,240 --> 00:19:27,640 Speaker 1: build the new kind of structure for the girls out 318 00:19:27,640 --> 00:19:32,080 Speaker 1: in matt Field. UM, when we're doing the fence heightening, 319 00:19:32,880 --> 00:19:37,480 Speaker 1: so it's not only UM security increase, but we're also 320 00:19:37,840 --> 00:19:41,480 Speaker 1: will fence off the driveway. And then the girls watched 321 00:19:41,560 --> 00:19:44,359 Speaker 1: the babies that mom will actually get access all the 322 00:19:44,359 --> 00:19:47,400 Speaker 1: way down the driveway and up this hill a little bit. Hey, 323 00:19:47,520 --> 00:19:52,880 Speaker 1: babies come on, UM and uh yeah, we'll just structure 324 00:19:52,880 --> 00:19:55,280 Speaker 1: our fields a little bit better and then the girls 325 00:19:55,280 --> 00:20:00,040 Speaker 1: will have two pastures, which is kind of into and 326 00:20:00,119 --> 00:20:03,359 Speaker 1: we can start actual perma culture or is it perm culture. 327 00:20:03,400 --> 00:20:08,080 Speaker 1: I mean it's regeneration in this context, it's like regenerative agriculture. 328 00:20:09,359 --> 00:20:11,919 Speaker 1: You know, you can also like perma culture. People do 329 00:20:12,000 --> 00:20:14,200 Speaker 1: it too, you know. Yeah, but by what we're doing 330 00:20:14,280 --> 00:20:17,960 Speaker 1: is that's both. Really we'll be doing both. Okay, Yeah, 331 00:20:18,160 --> 00:20:21,000 Speaker 1: so you can use either are experts. Okay, there's definitely 332 00:20:21,040 --> 00:20:24,480 Speaker 1: an industry, like, oh, regenerative agriculture is the new thing, 333 00:20:24,720 --> 00:20:27,919 Speaker 1: and but it's still capitalism and it's still exploitative. But 334 00:20:28,040 --> 00:20:32,800 Speaker 1: there are also people doing real regenerative Talking with Jay, 335 00:20:32,920 --> 00:20:36,040 Speaker 1: it's very evident just how passionate they are about these 336 00:20:36,080 --> 00:20:40,560 Speaker 1: topics and how things like biodiversity and regenerative and perma 337 00:20:40,600 --> 00:20:44,600 Speaker 1: culture processes tie into many aspects of the ranch itself. 338 00:20:45,000 --> 00:20:50,160 Speaker 1: The you know, capitalist project is homogenization and simplification. The 339 00:20:50,320 --> 00:20:53,160 Speaker 1: entire goal is things like mono crops. The entire goal 340 00:20:53,280 --> 00:20:56,560 Speaker 1: is you know, you know, the gender binary and controlling 341 00:20:56,560 --> 00:21:02,280 Speaker 1: the reproduction of labor, controlling sisue men and queer gender 342 00:21:02,280 --> 00:21:04,840 Speaker 1: expression is a big part of that. Like you can't 343 00:21:04,880 --> 00:21:10,720 Speaker 1: have those things and have a capitalist, white supremacist environment 344 00:21:10,800 --> 00:21:15,119 Speaker 1: where you can extract from the earth and from labor. 345 00:21:15,720 --> 00:21:19,200 Speaker 1: That is such a key component of this whole, like 346 00:21:19,440 --> 00:21:22,920 Speaker 1: you know, m Western project or whatever you want to 347 00:21:22,960 --> 00:21:25,639 Speaker 1: call it. And nature doesn't care. Nature is queer nature, 348 00:21:25,800 --> 00:21:31,000 Speaker 1: like nature is just exists. Fungi have thousands of sexes 349 00:21:31,080 --> 00:21:36,560 Speaker 1: and genders and that's fine. In fact that that's in fact, 350 00:21:36,600 --> 00:21:39,760 Speaker 1: like the part of the point of nature is biodiversity, 351 00:21:39,840 --> 00:21:44,720 Speaker 1: because that is the most effective method for actually iterating 352 00:21:44,760 --> 00:21:48,840 Speaker 1: and testing what works and sing and surviving and and 353 00:21:48,880 --> 00:21:52,320 Speaker 1: we're biomodal, by the way, not binary like. And you know, 354 00:21:52,359 --> 00:21:53,800 Speaker 1: if you need to look that up, you can go 355 00:21:53,840 --> 00:21:58,640 Speaker 1: ahead and do that. And in Perman culture in particular, 356 00:21:59,320 --> 00:22:02,000 Speaker 1: you know some one big problem with Perma culture is 357 00:22:02,080 --> 00:22:05,919 Speaker 1: there's a lot of white people who uh use the 358 00:22:06,000 --> 00:22:10,640 Speaker 1: practices and don't acknowledge that it all comes from indigenous cultures. 359 00:22:10,680 --> 00:22:14,600 Speaker 1: It all comes from indigenous life ways, and they make 360 00:22:14,640 --> 00:22:18,199 Speaker 1: a lot of money by not saying that not, you know, 361 00:22:18,640 --> 00:22:22,560 Speaker 1: so that's important to address. Uh. Perma culture has its 362 00:22:22,600 --> 00:22:27,840 Speaker 1: you know, value, But if you're not learning from indigenous 363 00:22:27,840 --> 00:22:30,280 Speaker 1: people and giving back to indigenous people, you're doing wrong. 364 00:22:41,080 --> 00:22:44,720 Speaker 1: Just because the immediate threat of armed men breaking into 365 00:22:44,760 --> 00:22:48,240 Speaker 1: the ranch has gone away, it doesn't mean that they 366 00:22:48,680 --> 00:22:53,080 Speaker 1: still don't have to be careful. In April one, after 367 00:22:53,160 --> 00:22:58,040 Speaker 1: the siege was over, the then sheriff Shannon Bayerley claimed 368 00:22:58,080 --> 00:23:00,280 Speaker 1: that one of his deputies went to the ran to 369 00:23:00,320 --> 00:23:03,800 Speaker 1: ask questions about a road traffic accident that one of 370 00:23:03,800 --> 00:23:07,080 Speaker 1: the ranchers had been involved in. He claimed the deputy 371 00:23:07,160 --> 00:23:11,199 Speaker 1: was met by armed and uncooperative ranchers who barred the 372 00:23:11,240 --> 00:23:15,880 Speaker 1: deputy from entering. Body cam video obtained by Reuter's thanks 373 00:23:15,920 --> 00:23:19,760 Speaker 1: to a Public Records Act request, shows nothing of the sorts. 374 00:23:20,280 --> 00:23:23,240 Speaker 1: The deputy met a single person, not visibly armed, who 375 00:23:23,320 --> 00:23:28,160 Speaker 1: was polite and courteous. In subsequent interviews, Byerly acknowledged that 376 00:23:28,200 --> 00:23:31,080 Speaker 1: he had been mistaken in his account, but we'll let 377 00:23:31,119 --> 00:23:34,400 Speaker 1: you hear Jay's account of the events that day. So, 378 00:23:34,560 --> 00:23:38,160 Speaker 1: my Chevy Blazer had been sitting over the winter. Um 379 00:23:38,240 --> 00:23:40,760 Speaker 1: it had a bad alternator, and I finally, like we 380 00:23:40,840 --> 00:23:44,320 Speaker 1: finally got you know, the money together, fixed to replace 381 00:23:44,359 --> 00:23:50,560 Speaker 1: the alternator. UM, looked it over, Everything seemed fine, um. 382 00:23:50,560 --> 00:23:54,480 Speaker 1: And I was going back to Texas to grab some 383 00:23:54,560 --> 00:23:59,720 Speaker 1: stuff and bring it back. UM, and went around a 384 00:24:00,320 --> 00:24:05,199 Speaker 1: h apparently black ice corner. And I'm pretty sure what 385 00:24:05,320 --> 00:24:08,240 Speaker 1: happened was my tire popped around Like I was only 386 00:24:08,240 --> 00:24:12,320 Speaker 1: going like thirty because you know, black there's ice. It's 387 00:24:12,480 --> 00:24:15,280 Speaker 1: still went. Yeah, it was. It was like four or 388 00:24:15,280 --> 00:24:17,680 Speaker 1: five o'clock in the morning or something like that, And 389 00:24:18,840 --> 00:24:21,119 Speaker 1: I'm pretty sure what happened was my tire popped and 390 00:24:21,160 --> 00:24:27,400 Speaker 1: then my blazer proceeded to tumble. Uh. You know, roll over, Yeah, 391 00:24:27,440 --> 00:24:31,439 Speaker 1: into the Luckily not a ditch or anything, just on 392 00:24:31,480 --> 00:24:33,880 Speaker 1: the left of the south left side of the road. 393 00:24:34,600 --> 00:24:39,880 Speaker 1: And so I called Penny and got picked up. Yeah, 394 00:24:39,880 --> 00:24:43,480 Speaker 1: we take care of it. Was it only was you 395 00:24:44,080 --> 00:24:47,320 Speaker 1: there no reason? And and then I was like, okay, 396 00:24:47,400 --> 00:24:49,439 Speaker 1: let me look at towing around the area. Let me 397 00:24:49,480 --> 00:24:53,159 Speaker 1: see and the towing the local towing company which is 398 00:24:53,240 --> 00:24:59,560 Speaker 1: just like a small family owned one guy basically. Um. 399 00:24:59,800 --> 00:25:03,560 Speaker 1: They on their Facebook like business page, they said they 400 00:25:03,560 --> 00:25:05,800 Speaker 1: opened it like nine or ten or something like that. 401 00:25:05,880 --> 00:25:07,919 Speaker 1: So I was like, okay, So I'm it's gonna be 402 00:25:07,960 --> 00:25:09,760 Speaker 1: on the side of the road until then. That's fine, 403 00:25:09,800 --> 00:25:11,960 Speaker 1: I'll call and I'm going to go to sleep until 404 00:25:11,960 --> 00:25:13,960 Speaker 1: then because I was just in a rollover. Actually probably 405 00:25:13,960 --> 00:25:19,800 Speaker 1: can cuss, like yeah, probably whiplashed at least. And then 406 00:25:19,920 --> 00:25:23,919 Speaker 1: so I was in my trailer and I suddenly in 407 00:25:23,960 --> 00:25:26,800 Speaker 1: my pj's and suddenly get a call from dispatch and 408 00:25:26,840 --> 00:25:29,680 Speaker 1: they're like, there's a deputy at your gate. Uh you know, 409 00:25:29,840 --> 00:25:32,040 Speaker 1: can you go blah blah blah. So I was like, okay, 410 00:25:32,480 --> 00:25:37,080 Speaker 1: take took a vehicle downs. I didn't. I didn't have 411 00:25:37,119 --> 00:25:42,359 Speaker 1: a pistol in the car or on me, and UM, 412 00:25:42,440 --> 00:25:44,840 Speaker 1: I basically just you know, as you do with cops, 413 00:25:45,200 --> 00:25:51,000 Speaker 1: as any sane human does, answer to the extent that 414 00:25:51,040 --> 00:25:54,120 Speaker 1: you're legally required to be polite, but also like I'm 415 00:25:54,160 --> 00:25:55,959 Speaker 1: not going to invite you on. I'm not gonna be 416 00:25:56,040 --> 00:25:59,240 Speaker 1: your friends. You don't need to be You're not my friend. Um, 417 00:25:59,359 --> 00:26:01,960 Speaker 1: but you answered office and he he he, you know, 418 00:26:02,040 --> 00:26:04,000 Speaker 1: he did the usual, like you know where you were 419 00:26:04,040 --> 00:26:07,200 Speaker 1: you drinking? And I was like, it's like five o'clock 420 00:26:07,200 --> 00:26:10,320 Speaker 1: in the morning. It's like six o'clock right now. Like 421 00:26:10,840 --> 00:26:12,919 Speaker 1: I was going back. I was driving back to Texas 422 00:26:12,960 --> 00:26:15,200 Speaker 1: to pick up stuff. I was starting a road trip. 423 00:26:15,280 --> 00:26:21,680 Speaker 1: That's not when you like get blitzed, like yeah, and 424 00:26:21,920 --> 00:26:25,800 Speaker 1: uh So he gave me his card and left and 425 00:26:26,000 --> 00:26:27,919 Speaker 1: I was like, okay, that's you know, that's fine. That 426 00:26:28,000 --> 00:26:30,840 Speaker 1: was weird, but and it was weird to me too 427 00:26:30,880 --> 00:26:34,280 Speaker 1: that like they apparently have some kind of relationship with 428 00:26:34,359 --> 00:26:39,800 Speaker 1: this towing guy where because they didn't even ask me, like, hey, 429 00:26:39,840 --> 00:26:44,320 Speaker 1: do you to this place? Um, they just towed it 430 00:26:45,160 --> 00:26:50,639 Speaker 1: before they even contacted me. And so either you bring 431 00:26:50,680 --> 00:26:53,439 Speaker 1: the title over to sign it over to the towing person, 432 00:26:54,160 --> 00:26:57,359 Speaker 1: or you pay him like four or five out here 433 00:26:57,400 --> 00:27:00,680 Speaker 1: to bring it back here. So that's what actual we happened. 434 00:27:01,080 --> 00:27:04,960 Speaker 1: But then for some reason, the local sheriff started telling 435 00:27:05,040 --> 00:27:08,720 Speaker 1: a very different account of what took place outside the 436 00:27:08,800 --> 00:27:14,920 Speaker 1: Unicorns driveway. So that was the that was the actual incident. 437 00:27:15,520 --> 00:27:19,800 Speaker 1: Then Byerley, the sheriff started getting interviewed, and in those 438 00:27:19,840 --> 00:27:23,760 Speaker 1: interviews he would say they there were six of them. 439 00:27:24,000 --> 00:27:27,200 Speaker 1: They met us at the gate, armed, were extremely hostile, 440 00:27:27,240 --> 00:27:30,639 Speaker 1: to the point where my my sheriff felt definitely felt 441 00:27:30,800 --> 00:27:34,280 Speaker 1: fear for his life and had to retreat back and 442 00:27:35,400 --> 00:27:38,040 Speaker 1: fear for his life. But he also said we don't 443 00:27:38,119 --> 00:27:41,880 Speaker 1: go there anymore. But he said on record, we don't 444 00:27:41,880 --> 00:27:45,520 Speaker 1: go there anymore because it's too scary. And so that 445 00:27:45,680 --> 00:27:48,359 Speaker 1: is setting us up to be killed. That is setting 446 00:27:48,400 --> 00:27:50,600 Speaker 1: us up to be marked by the place. It's like, 447 00:27:50,720 --> 00:27:55,000 Speaker 1: you know, this is Kiwie Farm, says this all the time, 448 00:27:55,680 --> 00:27:58,960 Speaker 1: This is trainy Waco. Yeah, and that is the setup 449 00:27:59,040 --> 00:28:02,840 Speaker 1: for it took become that and so because then now 450 00:28:02,880 --> 00:28:04,959 Speaker 1: all of his deputies are just ready to shoot us 451 00:28:04,960 --> 00:28:08,560 Speaker 1: on site because we're dangerous. A reporter from Reuters was 452 00:28:08,640 --> 00:28:12,120 Speaker 1: looking into the incident and heard the conflicting stories from 453 00:28:12,119 --> 00:28:15,160 Speaker 1: the sheriff and the unicorns, but she thought of an 454 00:28:15,160 --> 00:28:19,200 Speaker 1: easy fix to definitively know what happened. She just boyed 455 00:28:19,280 --> 00:28:24,920 Speaker 1: the body cam footage, which proved unequivocally that they were 456 00:28:25,080 --> 00:28:28,240 Speaker 1: lying there fucking ass off and we were telling the truth. 457 00:28:29,080 --> 00:28:31,440 Speaker 1: And Byerley retired this year. I don't know if well, 458 00:28:31,520 --> 00:28:35,320 Speaker 1: and she when she oh yet it, she went back, 459 00:28:35,960 --> 00:28:38,200 Speaker 1: oh god, yeah, And Byerley was like, can I remove 460 00:28:38,280 --> 00:28:41,240 Speaker 1: my comments from because she she asked she she like, 461 00:28:41,400 --> 00:28:42,920 Speaker 1: I don't know if it was a follow up, do 462 00:28:43,000 --> 00:28:47,000 Speaker 1: you have any additional comments? And his additional comments were 463 00:28:47,360 --> 00:28:51,160 Speaker 1: can you please remove my my previous statements from the record, 464 00:28:51,720 --> 00:28:55,160 Speaker 1: and she emphatically said no and then published it internationally. 465 00:28:55,480 --> 00:28:59,959 Speaker 1: This wasn't the first suspect incident regarding the local SHAREFF. 466 00:29:00,760 --> 00:29:03,520 Speaker 1: When Paul was at the ranch and the immediate aftermath 467 00:29:03,600 --> 00:29:06,880 Speaker 1: of the original siege, he witnessed cops hanging out with 468 00:29:06,920 --> 00:29:10,120 Speaker 1: a group of people who were actively harassing the ranch. 469 00:29:10,520 --> 00:29:14,360 Speaker 1: I was here for a week and at one point 470 00:29:14,480 --> 00:29:18,800 Speaker 1: they always like fifteen to twenty cars at hud Ranch. 471 00:29:19,000 --> 00:29:21,640 Speaker 1: Which it's up to you to release that location, right, 472 00:29:21,800 --> 00:29:25,080 Speaker 1: we just called ranch, but it's the ranch. You can 473 00:29:25,160 --> 00:29:27,520 Speaker 1: you can visit. You can see it from you can 474 00:29:27,600 --> 00:29:30,280 Speaker 1: you can see it from here, and um, there were 475 00:29:30,320 --> 00:29:33,480 Speaker 1: two sheriff's deputies sitting at the curb the entire time 476 00:29:33,520 --> 00:29:37,120 Speaker 1: as those cars pulled in there, and they were protecting 477 00:29:37,120 --> 00:29:39,479 Speaker 1: our harasses. Yeah. Well they were sitting there side by 478 00:29:39,520 --> 00:29:42,040 Speaker 1: side talking to each other while the cars pulled in there. 479 00:29:42,120 --> 00:29:44,479 Speaker 1: You probably said, I have said this before and I 480 00:29:44,560 --> 00:29:46,760 Speaker 1: just don't didn't remember. Yeah, I mean, it must spend 481 00:29:46,760 --> 00:29:48,840 Speaker 1: twenty of them. So the other end of that is 482 00:29:49,280 --> 00:29:55,080 Speaker 1: then when it got publicized, the sheriff then said, oh, 483 00:29:55,160 --> 00:29:57,040 Speaker 1: we don't, we don't know anything about it, Like they 484 00:29:57,040 --> 00:30:01,800 Speaker 1: didn't contact us. We didn't because of by the statements 485 00:30:01,840 --> 00:30:05,120 Speaker 1: made in the media about threats against the ranch. Were 486 00:30:05,240 --> 00:30:07,360 Speaker 1: just hanging out at the fascist well and they were 487 00:30:07,360 --> 00:30:09,480 Speaker 1: super stooty about it. They made it sound like, well, 488 00:30:10,600 --> 00:30:12,720 Speaker 1: ranch clearly doesn't want to be part of our community, 489 00:30:13,040 --> 00:30:15,240 Speaker 1: so I would help them that That seemed to be 490 00:30:15,240 --> 00:30:20,400 Speaker 1: the implication. Sheriff Buyerley, who spoke at a fifteen Oathkeepers rally, 491 00:30:20,560 --> 00:30:26,000 Speaker 1: has since resigned as sheriff, But for understandable reasons, the 492 00:30:26,120 --> 00:30:30,760 Speaker 1: Unicorns still don't dial when they feel in danger. Instead, 493 00:30:30,760 --> 00:30:33,880 Speaker 1: they reach out to Paul to Aldo and a network 494 00:30:33,920 --> 00:30:37,040 Speaker 1: of community members who helped with their security both online 495 00:30:37,200 --> 00:30:41,160 Speaker 1: and on the ground. They also routinely trained with firearms 496 00:30:41,480 --> 00:30:43,840 Speaker 1: and have added a much more serious fence to the 497 00:30:43,880 --> 00:30:49,640 Speaker 1: property than the one that the intruders climbed over. Right 498 00:30:49,680 --> 00:30:52,760 Speaker 1: after James and I's most recent visit this past summer, 499 00:30:53,160 --> 00:30:55,760 Speaker 1: Kiwi Farms started being in the news a lot more 500 00:30:55,960 --> 00:30:58,680 Speaker 1: due to a campaign attempting to take it down. But 501 00:30:59,080 --> 00:31:01,920 Speaker 1: as the hateful where I'm entered the discourse again, the 502 00:31:02,000 --> 00:31:06,520 Speaker 1: unicorns said started noticing cars driving past the ranch repeatedly, 503 00:31:07,080 --> 00:31:10,520 Speaker 1: something that Paul Aldo and James observed during the siege, 504 00:31:11,160 --> 00:31:13,960 Speaker 1: and now in just the past few weeks, trans people 505 00:31:14,200 --> 00:31:17,200 Speaker 1: have been killed in a nightclub just an hour away 506 00:31:17,200 --> 00:31:19,920 Speaker 1: from their house, just a few miles away from the 507 00:31:19,920 --> 00:31:23,120 Speaker 1: bar where we met them this past summer. To celebrate 508 00:31:23,120 --> 00:31:27,360 Speaker 1: at Jay's birthday tomorrow, we'll talk about what those threats 509 00:31:27,440 --> 00:31:34,640 Speaker 1: mean for the ranch and where they are now. It 510 00:31:34,680 --> 00:31:36,960 Speaker 1: could happen here as a production of cool Zone Media. 511 00:31:37,200 --> 00:31:39,880 Speaker 1: For more podcasts from cool Zone Media, visit our website 512 00:31:39,880 --> 00:31:42,000 Speaker 1: cool zone media dot com, or check us out on 513 00:31:42,040 --> 00:31:44,560 Speaker 1: the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you 514 00:31:44,640 --> 00:31:47,400 Speaker 1: listen to podcasts. You can find sources for it could 515 00:31:47,440 --> 00:31:50,440 Speaker 1: happen here. Updated monthly at cool Zone Media dot com 516 00:31:50,480 --> 00:31:52,400 Speaker 1: slash Sources. Thanks for listening.