1 00:00:00,440 --> 00:00:02,280 Speaker 1: Before we get started, I want to give you a 2 00:00:02,320 --> 00:00:05,119 Speaker 1: reason up front to stick around for the next ten episodes, 3 00:00:05,760 --> 00:00:08,520 Speaker 1: as well as offer a warning we are going to 4 00:00:08,560 --> 00:00:13,399 Speaker 1: expose using secret undercover recordings, have the Federal Bureau of 5 00:00:13,400 --> 00:00:18,520 Speaker 1: Investigation infiltrated and undermined the racial justice movement during the 6 00:00:18,560 --> 00:00:23,079 Speaker 1: summer of twenty twenty. This is not a story the 7 00:00:23,160 --> 00:00:28,880 Speaker 1: FBI once told, and these episodes contain explicit language and 8 00:00:28,920 --> 00:00:32,479 Speaker 1: descriptions of violence and death. Some listeners may find the 9 00:00:32,479 --> 00:00:41,800 Speaker 1: show disturbing. I want to take you back to the 10 00:00:41,800 --> 00:00:45,360 Speaker 1: summer of twenty twenty. The pandemic is here and a 11 00:00:45,440 --> 00:00:49,600 Speaker 1: lot is still really unknown. For months, millions of Americans 12 00:00:49,640 --> 00:00:51,640 Speaker 1: have been out of work, locked up in their homes, 13 00:00:52,000 --> 00:00:55,480 Speaker 1: and left deeply uncertain about the future. The nation is 14 00:00:55,520 --> 00:01:01,320 Speaker 1: a tinder box of anger. Look. Racial justice activists have 15 00:01:01,360 --> 00:01:04,240 Speaker 1: come out in force in cities nationwide to protest against 16 00:01:04,280 --> 00:01:09,120 Speaker 1: police brutality, resulting in an unprecedented explosion of activism around 17 00:01:09,160 --> 00:01:12,800 Speaker 1: the broader Black Lives Matter movement. Right wing activists hit 18 00:01:12,800 --> 00:01:17,360 Speaker 1: the streets too as counter protesters, groups ranging from pro 19 00:01:17,440 --> 00:01:23,040 Speaker 1: police demonstrators to violent street thugs like the Proud Boys, 20 00:01:23,240 --> 00:01:26,000 Speaker 1: and militia groups like the oathkeepers, it will turn to war. 21 00:01:28,600 --> 00:01:38,080 Speaker 1: Some of the encounters turned violent. In turn, anti fascist activists, 22 00:01:38,120 --> 00:01:41,319 Speaker 1: often dressed in black and referred to as antifa, begin 23 00:01:41,400 --> 00:01:44,280 Speaker 1: meeting right wing violence with force of their own. The 24 00:01:44,360 --> 00:01:47,880 Speaker 1: clashes result in the kind of political violence Americans haven't 25 00:01:47,880 --> 00:01:52,080 Speaker 1: seen in decades. The city became a war zone. Large 26 00:01:52,120 --> 00:01:56,720 Speaker 1: groups torch police cruisers as officers fired back with rubber bullings. 27 00:01:58,720 --> 00:02:02,320 Speaker 1: Violence involving the Proud Boys and leftist Antifa in Portland, Oregon. 28 00:02:02,360 --> 00:02:05,760 Speaker 1: In recent weeks, President has been calling for law and order, 29 00:02:05,800 --> 00:02:09,200 Speaker 1: but many say he's fueling the flames. Lots of people 30 00:02:09,200 --> 00:02:11,440 Speaker 1: on the right, from President Donald Trump in the Oval 31 00:02:11,440 --> 00:02:15,120 Speaker 1: Office to Tucker Carlson on Fox News, they start calling 32 00:02:15,120 --> 00:02:19,400 Speaker 1: out Antifa, painting them as militarized extremists who want nothing 33 00:02:19,480 --> 00:02:22,840 Speaker 1: more than to kill cops and burn America to the ground. 34 00:02:23,280 --> 00:02:27,440 Speaker 1: Black lives matter, Antifa is going to grow like ices 35 00:02:27,480 --> 00:02:30,359 Speaker 1: dated the Middle Ease. Violent young men with guns will 36 00:02:30,400 --> 00:02:32,560 Speaker 1: be in charge. You will not want to live here 37 00:02:32,680 --> 00:02:36,720 Speaker 1: when that happens. According to President Trump, anti fascist activists 38 00:02:36,760 --> 00:02:41,440 Speaker 1: aren't simply there to stop violent right wing extremists and fascists. No, 39 00:02:42,240 --> 00:02:46,320 Speaker 1: these antifa guys they're the real threat. Former Defense Secretary 40 00:02:46,320 --> 00:02:49,320 Speaker 1: Mark Asper says that Trump suggested that the US military 41 00:02:49,360 --> 00:02:52,520 Speaker 1: shoot Black Lives Matter protesters outside of the White House. 42 00:02:52,720 --> 00:02:59,760 Speaker 1: A mounted police have been coming down the street using 43 00:03:00,080 --> 00:03:02,600 Speaker 1: lash bangs in front of them to clear what has 44 00:03:02,639 --> 00:03:08,960 Speaker 1: been an entirely peaceful protest. Note nine percent, but one 45 00:03:09,000 --> 00:03:13,400 Speaker 1: hundred percent. People can protests. If you remember this public 46 00:03:13,440 --> 00:03:17,919 Speaker 1: debate gets pretty ridiculous. Soup and they throw the cans 47 00:03:17,960 --> 00:03:20,399 Speaker 1: of soup. That's better than a brick, because you can't 48 00:03:20,440 --> 00:03:23,080 Speaker 1: throw a brick it's too heavy. But a can of soup, 49 00:03:23,120 --> 00:03:26,040 Speaker 1: you can really put some power into that. Right, people 50 00:03:26,040 --> 00:03:29,280 Speaker 1: on the left are practically screaming, this is all a distraction, 51 00:03:29,560 --> 00:03:32,320 Speaker 1: a distraction from the very real issues of police brutality 52 00:03:32,320 --> 00:03:35,600 Speaker 1: against black people. And TIEF is an idea, not an organization, 53 00:03:35,680 --> 00:03:37,680 Speaker 1: you got it. Not polition, That's what it is. To 54 00:03:37,800 --> 00:03:43,320 Speaker 1: the FBI is FBI direct. All the while, demonstrators are 55 00:03:43,320 --> 00:03:46,920 Speaker 1: marching and COVID is raging, the economy is falling apart, 56 00:03:47,160 --> 00:03:50,120 Speaker 1: people are getting shot, and nobody knows what's going to 57 00:03:50,160 --> 00:03:55,720 Speaker 1: happen next. Plus there's this boogeyman hiding behind every corner. 58 00:03:56,200 --> 00:04:00,800 Speaker 1: He's playing into Antifa being the boogeyman being behind these protests. 59 00:04:00,840 --> 00:04:03,240 Speaker 1: You know, Fox News is still running riot porn, acting 60 00:04:03,280 --> 00:04:05,600 Speaker 1: like the riots are still happening today. Fantiva is just 61 00:04:05,680 --> 00:04:10,400 Speaker 1: sort of this abstract boogeyman word that we hear. On 62 00:04:10,440 --> 00:04:13,440 Speaker 1: the other side, you can clearly see it is what happens. 63 00:04:13,440 --> 00:04:15,280 Speaker 1: All I can tell you is we're not the evil 64 00:04:15,480 --> 00:04:19,920 Speaker 1: boogeyman people think we are. What are you people that 65 00:04:20,040 --> 00:04:25,719 Speaker 1: care about our country? But what if I were to 66 00:04:25,760 --> 00:04:30,600 Speaker 1: tell you there is an Antifa boogeyman? He was real. 67 00:04:32,040 --> 00:04:35,080 Speaker 1: He drove a silver hearse and the back of that 68 00:04:35,160 --> 00:04:40,320 Speaker 1: hearse was filled with guns, lots and lots of guns. 69 00:04:41,360 --> 00:04:44,120 Speaker 1: In the summer of twenty twenty, he rode into town. 70 00:04:44,800 --> 00:04:46,680 Speaker 1: I don't give a fuck about the cops, and I 71 00:04:46,720 --> 00:04:50,880 Speaker 1: don't care about the police. I do not agree nor 72 00:04:50,960 --> 00:04:56,160 Speaker 1: accept fascism. But understand this, if you come to me 73 00:04:56,360 --> 00:05:02,159 Speaker 1: fucked up, I'm gonna fuck you up. Stupid games, when 74 00:05:02,279 --> 00:05:08,920 Speaker 1: stupid prizes. I'm Trevor Aaronson from Western Sound and iHeart podcasts. 75 00:05:09,400 --> 00:05:34,400 Speaker 1: This is alphabet boys, So what or who is an 76 00:05:34,400 --> 00:05:39,799 Speaker 1: alphabet boy. Alphabet boys are federal agents or informants working 77 00:05:39,880 --> 00:05:45,840 Speaker 1: for the Alphabet agencies FBI, CIA, d EA, ATF These 78 00:05:45,920 --> 00:05:49,680 Speaker 1: are our national law enforcement and intelligence agencies that run 79 00:05:49,720 --> 00:05:54,479 Speaker 1: around the country and the world, fighting crime and collecting intelligence. 80 00:05:55,480 --> 00:05:59,559 Speaker 1: These agencies aren't interested in small cases either. We're talking 81 00:05:59,560 --> 00:06:04,320 Speaker 1: about really, really big cases, some of the biggest attacks 82 00:06:04,360 --> 00:06:08,839 Speaker 1: against the United States, criminal organizations, terrorists, etc. For about 83 00:06:08,880 --> 00:06:11,000 Speaker 1: as long as I've been a journalist, I've covered the 84 00:06:11,040 --> 00:06:14,480 Speaker 1: way that these alphabet agencies use undercover agents and informants 85 00:06:14,520 --> 00:06:18,000 Speaker 1: to orchestrate so called sting operations, where an undercover agent 86 00:06:18,200 --> 00:06:21,480 Speaker 1: pretends to be a criminal, a terrorist, a drug dealer, 87 00:06:21,640 --> 00:06:25,120 Speaker 1: an arms trader, a corrupt lobbyist, a money launder, and 88 00:06:25,279 --> 00:06:28,559 Speaker 1: on and on. We've largely come to accept undercover stings 89 00:06:28,560 --> 00:06:31,880 Speaker 1: as legitimate and necessary. But it wasn't so long ago 90 00:06:31,920 --> 00:06:35,520 Speaker 1: that many Americans found these techniques outrageous for the way 91 00:06:35,560 --> 00:06:38,000 Speaker 1: they appear to create crimes and entrap people in criminal 92 00:06:38,040 --> 00:06:44,360 Speaker 1: plots made possible only by aggressive undercover federal agents. Each 93 00:06:44,360 --> 00:06:47,039 Speaker 1: season of Alphabet Boys, we'll take you inside one of 94 00:06:47,040 --> 00:06:51,360 Speaker 1: these investigations as the FBI. Sometimes you get it grabbed 95 00:06:51,360 --> 00:06:54,200 Speaker 1: the little guy to go after the biggest. You'll hear 96 00:06:54,320 --> 00:06:58,560 Speaker 1: undercover recordings that were kept secret until now. This is 97 00:06:58,600 --> 00:07:01,479 Speaker 1: reference case number four one five Season Charlie, New York 98 00:07:01,680 --> 00:07:05,280 Speaker 1: three zero zero eight five one. Okay, so you do 99 00:07:05,320 --> 00:07:08,000 Speaker 1: personal security all over the world. You're connected to all 100 00:07:08,000 --> 00:07:11,640 Speaker 1: these different people. You'll meet supposed terrorists, arms dealers, and 101 00:07:11,720 --> 00:07:15,000 Speaker 1: drug runners. And you had somebody call you and say, 102 00:07:15,080 --> 00:07:20,480 Speaker 1: can you get grenades and guns for this guy in Columbia? 103 00:07:20,760 --> 00:07:24,320 Speaker 1: A lot of ammunitions forty seven And you'll discover that 104 00:07:24,320 --> 00:07:27,400 Speaker 1: while many of these cases have plenty of danger and intrigue, 105 00:07:27,600 --> 00:07:30,200 Speaker 1: I just drove for eight hours and then I just 106 00:07:30,520 --> 00:07:33,400 Speaker 1: stuffed my gun in the face of a federal agent. 107 00:07:33,640 --> 00:07:36,720 Speaker 1: They also introduce so much absurdity. I got knocked off 108 00:07:36,720 --> 00:07:39,520 Speaker 1: of Golding about a month ago, and my hip is shattered. 109 00:07:39,600 --> 00:07:43,120 Speaker 1: My maipulation is a Jedi mindshield that it's hard not 110 00:07:43,160 --> 00:07:46,280 Speaker 1: to wonder. I will be polite and professional, our America's 111 00:07:46,320 --> 00:07:49,040 Speaker 1: top cops catching real criminals, but I have a plan 112 00:07:49,120 --> 00:07:51,200 Speaker 1: to kill everybody in the fucking room. I need to 113 00:07:51,240 --> 00:07:56,400 Speaker 1: be or are they creating them? You want to show? 114 00:08:03,400 --> 00:08:08,840 Speaker 1: This is season one Trojan Hearst, Episode one, Summer of Rage. 115 00:08:22,760 --> 00:08:26,520 Speaker 1: The protests in Denver continuous. Hundreds of protesters have gathered 116 00:08:26,600 --> 00:08:31,200 Speaker 1: in front of the state capital tonight. Of all the 117 00:08:31,320 --> 00:08:33,960 Speaker 1: racial justice demonstrations around the country in the summer of 118 00:08:33,960 --> 00:08:38,240 Speaker 1: twenty twenty, Denver, Colorado saw some of the biggest, most 119 00:08:38,280 --> 00:08:44,440 Speaker 1: intense protests we've been watching as fences are smashed, torn down, 120 00:08:44,559 --> 00:08:48,880 Speaker 1: protesters starting fires, and building umbrella barricades. This is a 121 00:08:48,960 --> 00:08:51,920 Speaker 1: live look at downtown Denver where we have seen this 122 00:08:51,960 --> 00:08:55,040 Speaker 1: clash happening now for about the thousands demonstrate outside the 123 00:08:55,040 --> 00:08:58,600 Speaker 1: Colorado State Capital, chanting a phrase synonymous with young black 124 00:08:58,600 --> 00:09:08,120 Speaker 1: men dying at the hands of police officers. Some of 125 00:09:08,120 --> 00:09:11,680 Speaker 1: the Denver protests become violent and destructive. The police fire 126 00:09:11,720 --> 00:09:15,079 Speaker 1: pepper spray and rubber bullets into the crowds, injuring dozens, 127 00:09:15,920 --> 00:09:20,040 Speaker 1: but the protesters just keep coming out undaunted. Day ten 128 00:09:20,160 --> 00:09:23,520 Speaker 1: of protests across Denver, nearly a week after police use 129 00:09:23,600 --> 00:09:30,600 Speaker 1: tear gas and pepper balls to disperse protesters outside, and 130 00:09:30,679 --> 00:09:33,200 Speaker 1: then one night, a new guy shows up at the protests. 131 00:09:33,640 --> 00:09:36,560 Speaker 1: He's a white guy wearing military fatigues with patches and 132 00:09:36,640 --> 00:09:39,160 Speaker 1: stripes that he claims to have earned fighting the Islamic 133 00:09:39,200 --> 00:09:42,840 Speaker 1: State or ISIS in a rock and Syria. He has 134 00:09:42,880 --> 00:09:45,560 Speaker 1: a cigar dangling from his lips. And the car he 135 00:09:45,640 --> 00:09:49,680 Speaker 1: drives is unmistakable. It's a silver hearse with a sticker 136 00:09:49,760 --> 00:09:53,200 Speaker 1: on the back window reading Peshmerga, the Kurdish military force, 137 00:09:54,480 --> 00:09:56,200 Speaker 1: and inside his hearts with a lack a lot of guns, 138 00:09:56,360 --> 00:09:58,360 Speaker 1: you know, a R fifteens and all other kind of shit. 139 00:09:58,800 --> 00:10:01,000 Speaker 1: This is zep Hal. He was a regular at the 140 00:10:01,040 --> 00:10:04,840 Speaker 1: Denver protests. Yeah, it was just this badass dude, you know, 141 00:10:05,040 --> 00:10:07,840 Speaker 1: talking about he worked in the foreign military. He was 142 00:10:07,880 --> 00:10:11,040 Speaker 1: for the Black Lives Matter movement. He just seemed like 143 00:10:11,120 --> 00:10:15,000 Speaker 1: some authoritary figure, you know, this powerful figure that was there. 144 00:10:15,520 --> 00:10:17,640 Speaker 1: He was very convincing, but he did explain, you know, 145 00:10:17,679 --> 00:10:20,320 Speaker 1: he was part of like a bad biker gangs. You know, 146 00:10:20,440 --> 00:10:22,960 Speaker 1: he had committed a ton of violence, you know, but 147 00:10:23,160 --> 00:10:25,960 Speaker 1: you know he was for this BLM movement. This dude 148 00:10:26,040 --> 00:10:30,680 Speaker 1: was like a bad motherfucker. This bad motherfucker also introduces 149 00:10:30,760 --> 00:10:34,760 Speaker 1: himself to another Denver organizer, Trey Quinn. He's like, I've 150 00:10:34,800 --> 00:10:36,920 Speaker 1: done this and that. I was in the PKK and 151 00:10:37,160 --> 00:10:43,120 Speaker 1: the French Foreign Legion and so on, and YadA, YadA, YadA. 152 00:10:43,559 --> 00:10:47,080 Speaker 1: We ran night protests every night, and so we see 153 00:10:47,160 --> 00:10:50,000 Speaker 1: him a bunch and he approaches us every single time 154 00:10:50,559 --> 00:10:54,439 Speaker 1: from that point on, he walked up with a body 155 00:10:54,520 --> 00:10:57,559 Speaker 1: cam on me. And here's another regular at the Denver protests, 156 00:10:58,000 --> 00:11:00,680 Speaker 1: Bright Shelby. I didn't think nothing about the body cam 157 00:11:01,360 --> 00:11:06,800 Speaker 1: in hindsight, just because I just I don't know. There 158 00:11:06,840 --> 00:11:08,680 Speaker 1: were just a lot of things going on. I guess 159 00:11:09,600 --> 00:11:11,720 Speaker 1: he remembers the Hearst dude walking around with a GoPro 160 00:11:11,800 --> 00:11:15,040 Speaker 1: camera stropped to his chest. It was strange. I guess 161 00:11:15,040 --> 00:11:20,320 Speaker 1: he de escalated any type of suspicion because he started 162 00:11:20,360 --> 00:11:24,400 Speaker 1: like flashing his prison badge. So yeah, you know what 163 00:11:24,400 --> 00:11:27,199 Speaker 1: I mean, Like, Okay, he's not this guy in affair 164 00:11:27,280 --> 00:11:32,240 Speaker 1: you walking around with a prison badge. Yeah. Around the 165 00:11:32,280 --> 00:11:35,280 Speaker 1: time this mysterious character starts showing up, the protests in 166 00:11:35,360 --> 00:11:39,400 Speaker 1: Denver are stagnating. They're becoming this cat and mouse game 167 00:11:39,440 --> 00:11:43,679 Speaker 1: between demonstrators and cops. People coming out in mostly peaceful ways, 168 00:11:44,320 --> 00:11:49,000 Speaker 1: cops coming out with riot gear and overwhelming force. People 169 00:11:49,040 --> 00:11:53,640 Speaker 1: like zeb Tray and Bryce. They're getting frustrated. Something more 170 00:11:53,679 --> 00:11:59,600 Speaker 1: needs to happen, something new, and then something new does happen. 171 00:12:00,320 --> 00:12:02,280 Speaker 1: I was like, Hey, this guy, you know, he wants 172 00:12:02,280 --> 00:12:04,920 Speaker 1: to train people how to you know, defend themselves and 173 00:12:05,000 --> 00:12:06,640 Speaker 1: use the weapons and he showed me how to do 174 00:12:06,640 --> 00:12:10,680 Speaker 1: it as well. The guy with real military experience is here. 175 00:12:11,360 --> 00:12:14,520 Speaker 1: He's a commanding presence, he's got a hearse full of guns. 176 00:12:15,240 --> 00:12:19,040 Speaker 1: He's going to take things to the next level. That's 177 00:12:19,040 --> 00:12:30,520 Speaker 1: after the break. We live in a very divided country 178 00:12:30,600 --> 00:12:33,880 Speaker 1: right now, and that's not news. Everyone knows it. We 179 00:12:33,960 --> 00:12:37,240 Speaker 1: talk about it over dinner, cable news, on social media. 180 00:12:38,520 --> 00:12:41,400 Speaker 1: But this division is something that really bothers Denver racial 181 00:12:41,440 --> 00:12:45,319 Speaker 1: justice activist zeb Hal. He thinks it's really a distraction. 182 00:12:45,920 --> 00:12:48,680 Speaker 1: We're not focusing on how our government is abusing all 183 00:12:48,720 --> 00:12:54,240 Speaker 1: of us. They're so good at dividing us, so good 184 00:12:54,280 --> 00:12:56,840 Speaker 1: at it that we can't acknowledge things will happening to 185 00:12:56,880 --> 00:13:00,640 Speaker 1: other people. We can't accept anyone stepping out degree from 186 00:13:00,679 --> 00:13:04,880 Speaker 1: the group think, and that enables them to continue this 187 00:13:05,000 --> 00:13:09,240 Speaker 1: mass surveillance. Instead, zeb says, we sit at home watching 188 00:13:09,240 --> 00:13:12,599 Speaker 1: Cops and Robbers shows with clear good guys and unambiguous 189 00:13:12,600 --> 00:13:15,600 Speaker 1: bad guys, the portrait of a just and fair American 190 00:13:15,640 --> 00:13:19,880 Speaker 1: criminal justice system that has never really existed. Look at CBS, 191 00:13:19,920 --> 00:13:22,240 Speaker 1: they have like fucking a million police officer shows, all 192 00:13:22,280 --> 00:13:24,560 Speaker 1: these other major networks, so we know the networks cater 193 00:13:24,679 --> 00:13:27,400 Speaker 1: them make them look real good. Hell, they could be 194 00:13:27,440 --> 00:13:29,520 Speaker 1: listening in here, they could be in my fucking TV. 195 00:13:30,000 --> 00:13:35,120 Speaker 1: The apparatus is that powerful. So yeah, Zeb, he's pretty 196 00:13:35,120 --> 00:13:38,120 Speaker 1: skeptical of the US government, and as a black man, 197 00:13:38,720 --> 00:13:41,679 Speaker 1: Zeb's pretty tired of hearing about our racial divide. In 198 00:13:41,720 --> 00:13:44,840 Speaker 1: his view, the US government and the country's most powerful 199 00:13:44,880 --> 00:13:48,680 Speaker 1: corporations encourage the racial division we now have so that 200 00:13:48,720 --> 00:13:51,640 Speaker 1: poor white people and poor black people can't form the 201 00:13:51,679 --> 00:13:55,320 Speaker 1: political alliance they naturally should. Well, I understand, you know, 202 00:13:56,120 --> 00:13:59,080 Speaker 1: me and being black in this system, you know, I 203 00:13:59,080 --> 00:14:04,000 Speaker 1: feel like this, Yeah, yeah, Okay, there's white privilege, but 204 00:14:04,480 --> 00:14:07,240 Speaker 1: we are led to believe that it's this all powerful weapon, 205 00:14:07,440 --> 00:14:10,280 Speaker 1: like white people don't have to do anything, and that 206 00:14:10,480 --> 00:14:12,600 Speaker 1: is part of the thing that's used to divide us. 207 00:14:13,200 --> 00:14:15,400 Speaker 1: But I dare someone to go in the middle of 208 00:14:15,440 --> 00:14:19,480 Speaker 1: fucking Arkansas to a white community who lost a factory 209 00:14:19,480 --> 00:14:23,840 Speaker 1: and say, hey, you're entitled, You've got this privilege. But 210 00:14:24,000 --> 00:14:26,680 Speaker 1: we're made to think that way. They're dealing with the 211 00:14:26,760 --> 00:14:30,080 Speaker 1: same shit people in inner city. They are fucked up, 212 00:14:30,120 --> 00:14:33,280 Speaker 1: they're own drugs. Also, they're living in poverty. But we're 213 00:14:33,320 --> 00:14:35,480 Speaker 1: made to think those white people in rural areas are 214 00:14:35,520 --> 00:14:39,960 Speaker 1: constantly the enemy when they're living in a hall as well, 215 00:14:40,240 --> 00:14:43,160 Speaker 1: the same fucking hell as us, but we are told 216 00:14:43,960 --> 00:14:50,720 Speaker 1: that that other side is fucking terrible. Zeb, whose full 217 00:14:50,800 --> 00:14:54,520 Speaker 1: name is Zebadias, wasn't always this caustic. His anger really 218 00:14:54,520 --> 00:14:57,040 Speaker 1: set in a couple of years ago, in early twenty twenty, 219 00:14:57,200 --> 00:14:59,720 Speaker 1: when the pandemic started. He saw how people on the 220 00:15:00,000 --> 00:15:05,640 Speaker 1: an edge like him, suffered job losses, poor healthcare, mounting debts, 221 00:15:05,680 --> 00:15:08,880 Speaker 1: and anxieties about eviction. At the same time, Zeb saw 222 00:15:08,920 --> 00:15:12,560 Speaker 1: affluent Americans adapting to the pandemic with ease, working remotely 223 00:15:12,920 --> 00:15:16,480 Speaker 1: deliveries from Amazon in their local grocery store, lush fenced 224 00:15:16,480 --> 00:15:19,720 Speaker 1: in backyards to get fresh air, iPads, and new laptops 225 00:15:19,720 --> 00:15:23,080 Speaker 1: for their kids to use for remote schooling. The pandemic, 226 00:15:23,400 --> 00:15:27,520 Speaker 1: in Zeb's view, laid bare the inequities in America. Some 227 00:15:27,680 --> 00:15:30,560 Speaker 1: of us had everything, while others of us were a 228 00:15:30,560 --> 00:15:35,840 Speaker 1: missed paycheck away from poverty. Were all in danger. We're 229 00:15:35,880 --> 00:15:41,240 Speaker 1: all in danger, and that is serious. I think in 230 00:15:41,280 --> 00:15:44,000 Speaker 1: the right ways. I have become more radicalized because I 231 00:15:44,040 --> 00:15:48,320 Speaker 1: care more about people. Zeb was born in nineteen eighty four. 232 00:15:48,760 --> 00:15:50,440 Speaker 1: His parents were in high school when his mom got 233 00:15:50,440 --> 00:15:53,520 Speaker 1: pregnant with him, and then his dad skipped down, so 234 00:15:53,680 --> 00:15:56,800 Speaker 1: Zeb's childhood was tumultuous. He lived with his grandmother for 235 00:15:56,840 --> 00:15:59,080 Speaker 1: a bit in California when he was a small boy, 236 00:15:59,520 --> 00:16:02,200 Speaker 1: and aually moved to North Carolina when his mother married 237 00:16:02,200 --> 00:16:05,920 Speaker 1: a US marine. In his twenties, Zeb had a serious 238 00:16:05,920 --> 00:16:08,840 Speaker 1: girlfriend in North Carolina and she decided to move to Denver. 239 00:16:09,560 --> 00:16:12,480 Speaker 1: So Zeb followed and he and his girlfriend got married. 240 00:16:13,520 --> 00:16:18,160 Speaker 1: I got here shockingly, unexpectedly on four twenty and she 241 00:16:18,280 --> 00:16:20,840 Speaker 1: takes me downtown Denver, and I'm seeing all these people smoking. 242 00:16:21,040 --> 00:16:22,880 Speaker 1: They're all going to get arrested. They're all gonna arrested. 243 00:16:22,920 --> 00:16:24,080 Speaker 1: I gotta get out of here. I gotta get here, 244 00:16:24,080 --> 00:16:26,040 Speaker 1: and I'm freaking out. Then I got pulled over by 245 00:16:26,080 --> 00:16:30,400 Speaker 1: a cop in October of twenty twelve, and he asked, 246 00:16:30,480 --> 00:16:31,760 Speaker 1: you got any drugs in the car, And I'm like, 247 00:16:32,000 --> 00:16:34,280 Speaker 1: I've got some marijuana sart, Okay, you got any drugs 248 00:16:34,280 --> 00:16:36,200 Speaker 1: in the car I've got this week? And I'm freaking out. 249 00:16:36,240 --> 00:16:37,720 Speaker 1: He says, no, do you have any real drugs. We're 250 00:16:37,760 --> 00:16:40,560 Speaker 1: not worried about that. I'm like, oh no, I do not. 251 00:16:41,240 --> 00:16:43,720 Speaker 1: You know. It was real funny. It was real funny. 252 00:16:43,880 --> 00:16:47,120 Speaker 1: But that's how I got your You know, we had 253 00:16:47,120 --> 00:16:49,160 Speaker 1: a daughter along the way. She has our other two 254 00:16:49,240 --> 00:16:51,880 Speaker 1: kids as well, which is a big story on the side. 255 00:16:51,920 --> 00:16:54,360 Speaker 1: But yeah, that's how I got here. I got here. 256 00:16:55,440 --> 00:16:57,960 Speaker 1: Zeb glosses over this part a bit. He and his 257 00:16:58,040 --> 00:17:01,400 Speaker 1: now ex wife, Bridget, had a dog, as Zeb mentioned, 258 00:17:01,960 --> 00:17:03,720 Speaker 1: but they were living in poverty and didn't want to 259 00:17:03,720 --> 00:17:06,840 Speaker 1: subject their daughter to such a difficult life. So Zeb's 260 00:17:06,880 --> 00:17:09,560 Speaker 1: mother and stepfather in North Carolina, who were well off 261 00:17:09,600 --> 00:17:13,080 Speaker 1: by comparison, agreed to take care of the girl. Zeb 262 00:17:13,160 --> 00:17:15,520 Speaker 1: travels back regularly to visit and tries to be there 263 00:17:15,520 --> 00:17:19,920 Speaker 1: for big moments birthdays, first days of school, major holidays. 264 00:17:21,400 --> 00:17:23,960 Speaker 1: It was around twenty fifteen when his daughter was born. 265 00:17:24,720 --> 00:17:28,440 Speaker 1: That's when Zeb began to feel America had become fundamentally unfair, 266 00:17:29,240 --> 00:17:32,480 Speaker 1: that rich people were getting richer, and that no matter 267 00:17:32,480 --> 00:17:36,080 Speaker 1: how hard he worked, he was getting poorer. He couldn't 268 00:17:36,119 --> 00:17:42,560 Speaker 1: even support his daughter. The American system seemed broken. Zeb 269 00:17:42,640 --> 00:17:45,480 Speaker 1: wasn't the first person to feel disillusioned with the American promise, 270 00:17:46,040 --> 00:17:48,399 Speaker 1: but he and others were seeing how body camera and 271 00:17:48,480 --> 00:17:51,399 Speaker 1: cell phone footage had created a near constant stream of 272 00:17:51,440 --> 00:17:54,280 Speaker 1: news stories about Black people dying at the hands of 273 00:17:54,280 --> 00:17:59,600 Speaker 1: police officers nationwide. Eric Gardner, Michael Brown, to mere Rice, 274 00:18:00,080 --> 00:18:05,080 Speaker 1: Freddy Gray, Brianna Taylor. The list goes on. In Colorado, 275 00:18:05,440 --> 00:18:10,000 Speaker 1: in twenty nineteen, there was Elijah McClain, a twenty three 276 00:18:10,080 --> 00:18:12,720 Speaker 1: year old who died after being arrested by a war police. 277 00:18:12,840 --> 00:18:15,760 Speaker 1: Police say Elijah McClain was wearing a ski mask, acting 278 00:18:15,800 --> 00:18:21,120 Speaker 1: agitated and ignored officers commands. Elijah was, by all accounts, 279 00:18:21,440 --> 00:18:24,760 Speaker 1: an introverted, sensitive, twenty three year old. He worked as 280 00:18:24,760 --> 00:18:27,880 Speaker 1: a massage therapist and taught himself to play guitar and violin. 281 00:18:28,920 --> 00:18:31,600 Speaker 1: Elijah would often play music at animal shelters to help 282 00:18:31,640 --> 00:18:36,280 Speaker 1: calm the stray cats and dogs. Elijah also suffered from anemia, 283 00:18:36,320 --> 00:18:39,560 Speaker 1: and so we'd wear an open faced ski mask even 284 00:18:39,640 --> 00:18:44,439 Speaker 1: during the summer in Colorado in order to stay warm. 285 00:18:44,480 --> 00:18:47,560 Speaker 1: On the evening of August twenty four, twenty nineteen, Elijah 286 00:18:47,560 --> 00:18:50,400 Speaker 1: walked from his apartment to a convenience store in Aurora 287 00:18:50,600 --> 00:18:53,880 Speaker 1: suburb just outside Denver. A resident there called nine one 288 00:18:53,960 --> 00:19:00,640 Speaker 1: one and reported a man wearing a ski mask. The mask, Oh, man, 289 00:19:06,960 --> 00:19:10,720 Speaker 1: Elijah looks sketchy, the nine one one caller said, then 290 00:19:10,760 --> 00:19:14,040 Speaker 1: added he might be a good person or a bad person. 291 00:19:15,480 --> 00:19:18,679 Speaker 1: Three cops responding to this call stopped Elijah as he 292 00:19:18,720 --> 00:19:21,680 Speaker 1: was walking back to his apartment. The cops claimed Elijah 293 00:19:21,680 --> 00:19:24,160 Speaker 1: resisted arrest and reached for one of the officers guns. 294 00:19:25,840 --> 00:19:28,200 Speaker 1: It's hard to know what's true. The video of the 295 00:19:28,240 --> 00:19:32,320 Speaker 1: initial encounter is shaky and unclear. The body camera of 296 00:19:32,320 --> 00:19:35,320 Speaker 1: another police officer recorded from the point that Elijah was 297 00:19:35,359 --> 00:19:41,159 Speaker 1: already on the ground. We started their visiting. That's one 298 00:19:41,200 --> 00:19:43,360 Speaker 1: of the officers claiming that Elijah reached for a gun. 299 00:19:43,800 --> 00:19:46,240 Speaker 1: As you can hear, Elijah pinned down to the ground, 300 00:19:46,760 --> 00:19:50,000 Speaker 1: pleading to be let go. The officers speculated that Elijah 301 00:19:50,080 --> 00:19:52,959 Speaker 1: was on drugs, but Elijah kept telling them that he 302 00:19:53,000 --> 00:20:01,680 Speaker 1: wasn't on drugs and that he wasn't trying to resist. 303 00:20:08,320 --> 00:20:11,800 Speaker 1: I can't breathe, I have my ID right here. That's 304 00:20:11,800 --> 00:20:15,240 Speaker 1: what Elijah tells the officers. At the time, Elijah was 305 00:20:15,240 --> 00:20:17,480 Speaker 1: handcuffed behind his back and one of the officers was 306 00:20:17,520 --> 00:20:23,639 Speaker 1: applying a chokeold to his neck. Page of different, completely, 307 00:20:27,480 --> 00:20:30,400 Speaker 1: I'm just different, Elijah told the officers as a way 308 00:20:30,440 --> 00:20:32,520 Speaker 1: to explain why they might have thought his behavior was odd, 309 00:20:33,119 --> 00:20:36,320 Speaker 1: but also to assure them that he wasn't violent, he 310 00:20:36,400 --> 00:20:39,040 Speaker 1: wasn't trying to resist. He kept saying that to the cops. 311 00:20:40,520 --> 00:20:43,119 Speaker 1: Paramedics then arrived on the scene and injected Elijah with 312 00:20:43,119 --> 00:20:46,919 Speaker 1: five hundred milligrams of ketamine as a sedative. That dosage 313 00:20:46,920 --> 00:20:48,800 Speaker 1: would have been excessive for a two hundred pound man. 314 00:20:49,400 --> 00:20:53,400 Speaker 1: Elijah was just one hundred and forty pounds. His pull 315 00:20:53,480 --> 00:20:57,560 Speaker 1: stopped and he was taken to the hospital. Three days later, 316 00:20:58,119 --> 00:21:01,560 Speaker 1: Elijah was pronounced brain dead and taken off life support. 317 00:21:06,200 --> 00:21:09,840 Speaker 1: Elijah's death sparked outrage in Denver. People poured into the 318 00:21:09,880 --> 00:21:12,400 Speaker 1: streets to protest. One of the first events I went 319 00:21:12,440 --> 00:21:16,320 Speaker 1: to was shortly after the murder of Elijah mclin. Zeb 320 00:21:16,720 --> 00:21:20,479 Speaker 1: Angered about Elijah's senseless killing was among them. He'd never 321 00:21:20,560 --> 00:21:23,439 Speaker 1: been politically active before. You know. I went there and 322 00:21:23,920 --> 00:21:26,320 Speaker 1: saw his mother and a bunch of other people, and 323 00:21:26,960 --> 00:21:29,320 Speaker 1: everyone was hurt. You know, we knew it was wrong. 324 00:21:30,600 --> 00:21:34,280 Speaker 1: In February twenty twenty, after the demonstrations for Elijah mclin 325 00:21:34,320 --> 00:21:38,119 Speaker 1: began to fizzle out, public officials announced they would investigate 326 00:21:38,119 --> 00:21:42,800 Speaker 1: the police response. It was something, sure, but there wasn't 327 00:21:42,800 --> 00:21:44,840 Speaker 1: a lot of faith that the police officers and paramedics 328 00:21:44,880 --> 00:21:49,560 Speaker 1: responsible for Elijah's death would be held accountable. Then three 329 00:21:49,600 --> 00:21:52,560 Speaker 1: months later, on May twenty fifth, twenty twenty, a white 330 00:21:52,560 --> 00:21:55,640 Speaker 1: police officer in Minneapolis named Derek Schouven arrest a black 331 00:21:55,640 --> 00:21:58,160 Speaker 1: man named George Floyd on suspicion that he had used 332 00:21:58,160 --> 00:22:01,679 Speaker 1: a counterfeit twenty dollar bill. Chauvin restrains Floyd on the 333 00:22:01,680 --> 00:22:04,560 Speaker 1: concrete street during the arrest, and he places his knee 334 00:22:04,720 --> 00:22:08,840 Speaker 1: directly on Floyd's neck for approximately nine minutes, and he 335 00:22:08,920 --> 00:22:11,840 Speaker 1: murders George Floyd. Good even to everyone. We're coming on 336 00:22:11,880 --> 00:22:14,320 Speaker 1: the air with the latest on the wave of protests 337 00:22:14,880 --> 00:22:18,440 Speaker 1: unrest taking place at this hour across the country, outrage 338 00:22:18,440 --> 00:22:21,120 Speaker 1: at the death of George Floyd and African American man 339 00:22:21,119 --> 00:22:23,480 Speaker 1: in Denver. Floyd's death is like gasoline thrown on the 340 00:22:23,480 --> 00:22:26,960 Speaker 1: warm embers of anger over Elijah McClain. Thousands of people 341 00:22:27,000 --> 00:22:30,200 Speaker 1: protest in the streets, animated by both men's untimely death 342 00:22:30,240 --> 00:22:33,280 Speaker 1: at the hands of police officers, and the Denver area 343 00:22:33,320 --> 00:22:41,159 Speaker 1: police response to the demonstrations was brutal. In June, dozens 344 00:22:41,200 --> 00:22:43,840 Speaker 1: of people gather in Aurora's public Square for Elijah McClain. 345 00:22:44,520 --> 00:22:47,760 Speaker 1: They call it the Violin vigil as many of the 346 00:22:47,760 --> 00:22:52,119 Speaker 1: demonstrators play violins in Elijah's honor. The police, dressed in 347 00:22:52,200 --> 00:22:55,760 Speaker 1: riot gear, storm into the demonstration and disperse the crowd 348 00:22:55,760 --> 00:23:15,080 Speaker 1: with violent shoves in full volume streams of pepper spring. 349 00:23:18,560 --> 00:23:21,399 Speaker 1: During other demonstrations, police in the Denver area fire pepper 350 00:23:21,400 --> 00:23:25,040 Speaker 1: balls and rubber bullets into the crowds, injuring dozens. It's like, 351 00:23:25,080 --> 00:23:27,080 Speaker 1: fucking wow, I'm out there with my camera, he goes, 352 00:23:27,280 --> 00:23:29,840 Speaker 1: I'd never taken photos, you know before, I just picked 353 00:23:29,920 --> 00:23:32,800 Speaker 1: up the hobby at the time. Zeb Hal had purchased 354 00:23:32,800 --> 00:23:37,040 Speaker 1: a camera to document the protest. It was crazy, you know, 355 00:23:37,119 --> 00:23:39,440 Speaker 1: I'm just you know, taking pictures that I'm seeing his 356 00:23:39,480 --> 00:23:41,840 Speaker 1: fire in a civic center park and then it's kind 357 00:23:41,840 --> 00:23:47,040 Speaker 1: of like a saving private Ryan moment. Zeb isn't quite 358 00:23:47,080 --> 00:23:49,879 Speaker 1: sure what happened next. Did a rubber bullet hit him 359 00:23:49,880 --> 00:23:53,040 Speaker 1: in the head? Where did he pass out after being 360 00:23:53,040 --> 00:23:55,800 Speaker 1: overwhelmed with pepper spray and then smack his head on 361 00:23:55,800 --> 00:23:59,320 Speaker 1: the concrete. I'm like, you're just like kind of flozzed 362 00:23:59,320 --> 00:24:02,080 Speaker 1: out of people picked me up off the ground and 363 00:24:02,119 --> 00:24:04,560 Speaker 1: they brought me, you know, took me away, put some 364 00:24:04,920 --> 00:24:06,400 Speaker 1: I think it was milk in my eyes and shit 365 00:24:06,960 --> 00:24:10,520 Speaker 1: and kind of brought me back to But I was 366 00:24:10,560 --> 00:24:14,000 Speaker 1: having issues after that. My head was hurting so bad 367 00:24:14,040 --> 00:24:16,919 Speaker 1: and I wasn't able to sleep well. I was just 368 00:24:16,960 --> 00:24:19,879 Speaker 1: like sporadic, like emotional, like losing my mind. You know. 369 00:24:19,920 --> 00:24:21,720 Speaker 1: I had to get I think it was a cat skin. 370 00:24:21,960 --> 00:24:24,359 Speaker 1: You know. They almost told me to like stop driving 371 00:24:24,400 --> 00:24:28,600 Speaker 1: at one point, they were really concerned memory was off 372 00:24:28,680 --> 00:24:32,280 Speaker 1: a little bit, you know, to some degree. Yeah, it 373 00:24:32,320 --> 00:24:36,280 Speaker 1: was pretty pretty rough. From that point on, Zeb admits 374 00:24:36,880 --> 00:24:39,520 Speaker 1: he's done in his right mind. He's taking a hard 375 00:24:39,600 --> 00:24:41,800 Speaker 1: hit to the head, and he feels traumatized by the 376 00:24:41,800 --> 00:24:45,240 Speaker 1: police response of the protests, but he doesn't want to quit. 377 00:24:46,440 --> 00:24:48,439 Speaker 1: It feels like they're on the edge of something big. 378 00:24:49,440 --> 00:24:52,720 Speaker 1: Maybe the system could be reformed if enough people come 379 00:24:52,720 --> 00:24:58,040 Speaker 1: out and speak up. He's too far in, Zeb can't 380 00:24:58,040 --> 00:25:03,600 Speaker 1: stop now. And this is about the time that a 381 00:25:03,640 --> 00:25:07,480 Speaker 1: man arrives in Denver driving up to a protest in 382 00:25:07,520 --> 00:25:20,520 Speaker 1: a silver hearse filled with guns. One of the primary 383 00:25:20,640 --> 00:25:24,119 Speaker 1: organizers of the Denver racial justice protests is Trey Quinn, 384 00:25:24,560 --> 00:25:26,840 Speaker 1: a tall black man who wears a beard and large 385 00:25:26,880 --> 00:25:32,119 Speaker 1: frame glasses. Trey identifies as a black nationalist through his 386 00:25:32,160 --> 00:25:35,800 Speaker 1: activism he's trying to promote organizations and causes that invest 387 00:25:35,840 --> 00:25:39,000 Speaker 1: directly in black communities in Colorado. What we were asking 388 00:25:39,080 --> 00:25:43,200 Speaker 1: for is the same type of investment in the community 389 00:25:43,440 --> 00:25:46,840 Speaker 1: that would give us the same type of ownership in 390 00:25:46,920 --> 00:25:50,160 Speaker 1: a city that other communities have. You know, people can 391 00:25:50,200 --> 00:25:54,359 Speaker 1: look at the skyline and they see all these buildings, 392 00:25:54,640 --> 00:25:57,480 Speaker 1: and none of those buildings provide any sort of wealth 393 00:25:57,520 --> 00:25:59,880 Speaker 1: to black culture, but they provide wealth to these other 394 00:26:00,040 --> 00:26:03,280 Speaker 1: cultures because they have investments in that. And we wanted 395 00:26:03,320 --> 00:26:07,000 Speaker 1: to let people know this is what is really needed 396 00:26:07,040 --> 00:26:09,439 Speaker 1: for us to get out of our situation. Since you 397 00:26:09,520 --> 00:26:12,399 Speaker 1: want to help us so much, this is actually what 398 00:26:12,440 --> 00:26:16,440 Speaker 1: we need, and so that was my message. Trade dislikes 399 00:26:16,440 --> 00:26:19,600 Speaker 1: that the protests in Denver and others around the country 400 00:26:19,640 --> 00:26:24,160 Speaker 1: are being described as Black Lives Matter protests. Black Lives 401 00:26:24,160 --> 00:26:27,440 Speaker 1: Matter is largely a decentralized movement, and the term became 402 00:26:27,440 --> 00:26:30,840 Speaker 1: a catch all phrase for news media worldwide. Any racial 403 00:26:30,880 --> 00:26:33,920 Speaker 1: justice protest in America was described as a Black Lives 404 00:26:34,000 --> 00:26:38,440 Speaker 1: Matter or BLM demonstration. But at the same time, a 405 00:26:38,560 --> 00:26:41,760 Speaker 1: number of groups begin raising money under BLM, and in 406 00:26:41,880 --> 00:26:44,960 Speaker 1: Trade's view, very little of this money is being invested 407 00:26:44,960 --> 00:26:49,480 Speaker 1: in black communities. As Tracy's it, it's all a scam. 408 00:26:49,560 --> 00:26:52,840 Speaker 1: They extract wealth from us via the donations that we 409 00:26:52,920 --> 00:26:55,639 Speaker 1: get from these well meaning white liberals who want to 410 00:26:55,640 --> 00:26:58,399 Speaker 1: give us money, who want to stay out of it, 411 00:26:58,440 --> 00:27:01,280 Speaker 1: but want to help out. They see that as a 412 00:27:01,400 --> 00:27:05,320 Speaker 1: cash cow, and so they became a barrier over top 413 00:27:05,359 --> 00:27:08,440 Speaker 1: of us, a big fat bubble layer, to catch all 414 00:27:08,480 --> 00:27:10,760 Speaker 1: of that money before it reached us, so that they 415 00:27:10,800 --> 00:27:13,320 Speaker 1: could decide who to give it to, which obviously wasn't us. 416 00:27:15,080 --> 00:27:18,359 Speaker 1: Besides all that, Trey has some real practical things to 417 00:27:18,400 --> 00:27:21,399 Speaker 1: sort out on the ground. The police have established a 418 00:27:21,480 --> 00:27:25,240 Speaker 1: reputation in and around Denver for responding to demonstrators with force, 419 00:27:25,760 --> 00:27:28,399 Speaker 1: like they did on June twenty, twenty twenty during the 420 00:27:28,480 --> 00:27:33,040 Speaker 1: violin vigil for Elijah McClain. It's now mid July and 421 00:27:33,080 --> 00:27:35,520 Speaker 1: Trey has gathered a bunch of demonstrators to teach them 422 00:27:35,520 --> 00:27:38,320 Speaker 1: how to move together in a formation in order to 423 00:27:38,440 --> 00:27:41,639 Speaker 1: escape safely from a charging line of police officers dressed 424 00:27:41,640 --> 00:27:44,639 Speaker 1: in riot gear. The cops come in lines like stormtroopers, 425 00:27:44,840 --> 00:27:47,400 Speaker 1: and so what they try to do is they'll pick 426 00:27:47,440 --> 00:27:50,480 Speaker 1: a person off by separating the group with their line. 427 00:27:50,800 --> 00:27:54,160 Speaker 1: And so I started teaching these people how to create 428 00:27:54,880 --> 00:27:58,239 Speaker 1: you know, like the Spartan Faylenx rank, essentially teaching them 429 00:27:58,240 --> 00:28:01,160 Speaker 1: how to cress it moon and how to like open 430 00:28:01,240 --> 00:28:03,760 Speaker 1: up in like a wide oval so that they can 431 00:28:04,400 --> 00:28:07,760 Speaker 1: move their way out of a situation. And so if 432 00:28:07,800 --> 00:28:12,080 Speaker 1: everyone links arms and everyone creates a crescent moon, it 433 00:28:12,119 --> 00:28:14,639 Speaker 1: prevents the cops from wanting to go into the group 434 00:28:14,960 --> 00:28:17,960 Speaker 1: and move people out because now they see that they 435 00:28:18,000 --> 00:28:21,320 Speaker 1: are in danger. As Trey is describing how to employ 436 00:28:21,359 --> 00:28:24,359 Speaker 1: this defensive tactic during a demonstration, a couple of other 437 00:28:24,359 --> 00:28:28,119 Speaker 1: activists show up with this new guy. He'd driven up 438 00:28:28,119 --> 00:28:31,520 Speaker 1: in a silver hearse he's a white guy in military fatigues, 439 00:28:32,080 --> 00:28:35,320 Speaker 1: and so they're like, hey, this guy's really really dope. 440 00:28:35,359 --> 00:28:38,120 Speaker 1: He's legit, he knows his shit. You should let him 441 00:28:38,120 --> 00:28:40,360 Speaker 1: sit in and he could probably help you out. And 442 00:28:40,400 --> 00:28:44,560 Speaker 1: so he comes in and essentially he's really pushy, trying 443 00:28:44,600 --> 00:28:47,080 Speaker 1: to like give directions and trying to like, you know, 444 00:28:47,120 --> 00:28:50,560 Speaker 1: like put himself at the forefront to trade. This guy's 445 00:28:50,600 --> 00:28:52,640 Speaker 1: a brash, no it all who's ready to take charge. 446 00:28:53,360 --> 00:28:56,640 Speaker 1: And he looks like a biker and Trey he doesn't 447 00:28:56,640 --> 00:29:00,560 Speaker 1: trust bikers, and I usually approach dudes who look bikers 448 00:29:00,680 --> 00:29:02,880 Speaker 1: in these groups because I just need to know one, 449 00:29:02,920 --> 00:29:05,080 Speaker 1: are you armed, so that I can keep an eye 450 00:29:05,160 --> 00:29:08,000 Speaker 1: on you until I know that you're quote unquote one 451 00:29:08,000 --> 00:29:09,920 Speaker 1: of us or whatever you know the term could be. 452 00:29:11,120 --> 00:29:14,040 Speaker 1: But this biker guy, he's got the goods. He's like, 453 00:29:14,120 --> 00:29:17,000 Speaker 1: I got guys all around here videotaping. They'll give us 454 00:29:17,000 --> 00:29:18,520 Speaker 1: a call as soon as the cops are moving around 455 00:29:18,560 --> 00:29:22,800 Speaker 1: the corner, which they did. They let us know by 456 00:29:22,840 --> 00:29:26,360 Speaker 1: providing information about where the police were, information that turned 457 00:29:26,400 --> 00:29:29,840 Speaker 1: out to be accurate. This guy quickly establishes credibility among 458 00:29:29,920 --> 00:29:33,920 Speaker 1: the demonstrators. They start to trust him, and as far 459 00:29:33,960 --> 00:29:36,880 Speaker 1: as Trey remembers, this is also around the time that 460 00:29:37,040 --> 00:29:39,880 Speaker 1: Zeb Hall comes on the scene. Zeb was known for 461 00:29:39,920 --> 00:30:01,720 Speaker 1: his impassioned and fiery speeches during demonstrations. At one of 462 00:30:01,720 --> 00:30:05,000 Speaker 1: the demonstrations, Zeb meets the guy driving the silver hearse, 463 00:30:05,720 --> 00:30:08,240 Speaker 1: the mysterious man who appears to be taking charge of 464 00:30:08,240 --> 00:30:13,800 Speaker 1: the demonstrators. He's leading protests, organizing people, and drawing up plans. 465 00:30:14,800 --> 00:30:18,000 Speaker 1: Zeb is in awe of him. He seems like a 466 00:30:18,120 --> 00:30:21,720 Speaker 1: guy who can make stuff happen. He has military training. 467 00:30:22,280 --> 00:30:25,520 Speaker 1: He speaks with a raspy voice of dominance, his shirt 468 00:30:25,560 --> 00:30:28,920 Speaker 1: fits tight or and his large biceps. He's like, he 469 00:30:28,960 --> 00:30:33,960 Speaker 1: has testosterone dripping from his pores. And he has guns, 470 00:30:34,000 --> 00:30:37,200 Speaker 1: a lot of guns. He was there and I'm like, Yo, 471 00:30:37,280 --> 00:30:39,520 Speaker 1: this dude has a ship ton of guns in his car. 472 00:30:40,240 --> 00:30:43,400 Speaker 1: So my thing is he worked for foreign military. He 473 00:30:43,440 --> 00:30:46,040 Speaker 1: said the United States government knew it, So maybe this 474 00:30:46,120 --> 00:30:49,440 Speaker 1: guy's a lot to have guns. At that time, Zeb 475 00:30:49,520 --> 00:30:52,640 Speaker 1: is enthralled with this mysterious guy. He's experienced on the 476 00:30:52,640 --> 00:30:56,240 Speaker 1: battlefield and he has expertise with weapons. Zeb exchanged his 477 00:30:56,280 --> 00:30:59,240 Speaker 1: phone numbers with him and they agree to stay in touch. Yeah, 478 00:30:59,360 --> 00:31:02,520 Speaker 1: see you the next protests a year round. I'll contact you. 479 00:31:02,520 --> 00:31:04,600 Speaker 1: You know, I'll text you if I find out if 480 00:31:04,600 --> 00:31:07,440 Speaker 1: this is going on with this thing. Zeb's new friend 481 00:31:07,440 --> 00:31:10,520 Speaker 1: doesn't waste any time contacting him. He tells Zeb that 482 00:31:10,560 --> 00:31:13,560 Speaker 1: the protests are reaching a tipping point and that violence 483 00:31:13,640 --> 00:31:17,360 Speaker 1: is coming. It's inevitable. The way I look at is 484 00:31:17,400 --> 00:31:20,880 Speaker 1: like shit has to happen. The has to happen. Shit 485 00:31:21,000 --> 00:31:23,600 Speaker 1: has to happen. He says to Zeb, how extreme do 486 00:31:23,640 --> 00:31:28,360 Speaker 1: you expected? Would you want it to go? This guy 487 00:31:29,160 --> 00:31:31,360 Speaker 1: he's about to take the racial justice protest in Denver 488 00:31:31,800 --> 00:31:35,000 Speaker 1: a violent step forward. It's time to shoot the rich, 489 00:31:35,240 --> 00:31:38,960 Speaker 1: he tells zeb. It's time to take down buildings, It's 490 00:31:38,960 --> 00:31:42,800 Speaker 1: time to burn down the whole system. I don't give 491 00:31:42,840 --> 00:31:45,840 Speaker 1: a fuck about going to prison. I don't give a 492 00:31:45,880 --> 00:31:49,080 Speaker 1: fuck about getting killed, because you believe me. I've fought 493 00:31:49,160 --> 00:31:54,360 Speaker 1: Isis or Nash, I've fought Al Kayeeda, I've fought Hubble Shoppy. 494 00:31:56,400 --> 00:31:59,560 Speaker 1: I've fought in Iraq and I've fought in Syria. I've 495 00:31:59,600 --> 00:32:03,840 Speaker 1: trained real emptief of freedom fighters in both those regions. 496 00:32:05,840 --> 00:32:09,800 Speaker 1: And I am certainly not fucking scared of you. Who 497 00:32:09,960 --> 00:32:15,480 Speaker 1: is this man that's in the next episode? This is 498 00:32:15,520 --> 00:32:24,720 Speaker 1: Trojan Hearst Season one of Alphabet Boys. Alphabet Boys is 499 00:32:24,760 --> 00:32:27,720 Speaker 1: a production of Western Sound and iHeart Podcasts. The show 500 00:32:27,840 --> 00:32:31,480 Speaker 1: is reported, written and hosted by me Trevor Aaronson. For 501 00:32:31,560 --> 00:32:34,160 Speaker 1: more information about this series or to drop us a tip, 502 00:32:34,520 --> 00:32:38,280 Speaker 1: head to our website Alphabet Boys dot xyz. You can 503 00:32:38,320 --> 00:32:42,840 Speaker 1: contact me on Twitter or Instagram at Trevor Aaronson. We 504 00:32:42,960 --> 00:32:45,800 Speaker 1: believe this story is important and could result in changes 505 00:32:45,800 --> 00:32:49,560 Speaker 1: to FBI oversight and public policy. But to have impact, 506 00:32:50,080 --> 00:32:54,560 Speaker 1: people need to hear this story, so we need your help. First, 507 00:32:54,880 --> 00:32:58,440 Speaker 1: tell your friends about the show. Personal recommendations are the 508 00:32:58,480 --> 00:33:03,240 Speaker 1: best recommendations. Second, spread the word on social media. At 509 00:33:03,280 --> 00:33:06,960 Speaker 1: alphabet boys dot x y Z you'll find FBI undercover 510 00:33:07,040 --> 00:33:10,840 Speaker 1: recordings and secret documents. You can share stuff the government 511 00:33:11,320 --> 00:33:15,600 Speaker 1: never wanted public. Third, help us ride the algorithms by 512 00:33:15,680 --> 00:33:18,760 Speaker 1: leaving a rating or review on your favorite podcast app 513 00:33:19,400 --> 00:33:22,200 Speaker 1: that helps other people find us and thanks for listening.