Deputies execute search warrant on ‘Nazi white nationalists' in Lacey; stolen military gear found
On June 3, the Army Criminal Investigation Division (CID) reached out to the Thurston County Sheriff's Office to assist in executing a warrant at a home of suspects 'actively involved in Nazi white nationalist efforts' who were accused of a violent robbery and theft of military weapons.
An FBI SWAT team executed the warrant in Lacey, which resulted in the seizure of short barrel rifles, an MG42 machine gun, fire/gas launchers, explosives, body armor, ammunition, and ballistic helmets surrounded by Nazi paraphernalia.
Sheriff Sanders noted that the launches are 37mm launchers can be used to fire gas, concussion, chemical, smoke, or homemade explosive rounds.
'Thankfully, none of those would be useful in a domestic terrorism attack, and extremists gearing up for a race war who are unlawfully in possession of other explosives would NEVER fabricate their own 37mm explosive rounds now that we've established they're 3mm too small,' Sheriff Derek Sanders wrote on Facebook.
Multiple rifles were staged at windows throughout the residence, according to the sheriff's office.
Two suspects were booked into Thurston County Jail on firearm-related offenses, with additional federal charges likely to be filed when the federal investigation is complete, Sanders wrote on Facebook.
Both suspects were seen in court for local firearm charges.
Bail was set at $500,000 each.
The Thurston County Sheriff's Office did not specify if they learned of any intended violent plans from the suspects.
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The Hill
5 hours ago
- The Hill
White House slams LA ‘insurrection' as protests erupt over deportation raids
The White House slammed protests in Los Angeles on Saturday after some residents expressed outrage over raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Stephen Miller, White House deputy chief of staff, described demonstrations at the city's federal building as an 'insurrection.' 'An insurrection against the laws and sovereignty of the United States,' Miller wrote in a Saturday post online. Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin said more than 800 protesters gathered to challenge the arrest of dozens of individuals by 'assaulting ICE enforcement officers, slashing tires, defacing buildings' on Friday. Demonstrations continued near the sites of raids on Saturday, with authorities also conducting a raid in the nearby Paramount. McLaughlin said Los Angeles Police did not respond to the incident on Friday. 'A message to the LA rioters: you will not stop us or slow us down. @ICEgov will continue to enforce the law,' Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem wrote on the social media platform X Saturday. 'And if you lay a hand on a law enforcement officer, you will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,' she added. McLaughlin said there's been an uptick in assault on law enforcement officers across the country. 'Our ICE enforcement officers are facing a 413% increase in assaults against them. And we have seen, in recent days, their family members being doxxed and targeted, as well,' she wrote on Saturday. 'Make no mistake, politicians like @RepJeffries, @AOC, and @Tim_Walz are contributing to the assaults of our officers through vilification and demonization—calling ICE the modern day Nazi gestapo and calling for their doxxing,' she added. Some California Democrats said the arrests were illegal and condemned the detainment led by Trump administration officials as an 'abuse of power.' They said they were denied access to the ICE facility where immigrants were being held amid concerns about the welfare of detainees. 'That's not a misunderstanding—it's a violation of federal law,' Rep. Jimmy Gomez (D-Calif.) wrote in a Saturday post on X. 'I'm demanding @Sec_Noem launch an immediate investigation. If her agency won't follow the law, she needs to answer for it,' he added.
Yahoo
14 hours ago
- Yahoo
15 Incidents That Remind Us How Close We Still Are To Jim Crow America
Every time a slavery-set film like 'Sinners' hits the screen, Black folks are inevitably pulled in two directions: a necessary reckoning with our history and a painful confrontation with how that history continues to bleed into our present, fueling a chilling, subconscious awareness of racist violence. It's a pattern that repeats itself with agonizing regularity. Each time we see an unarmed Black man fall victim to police brutality, each time we witness a Black person targeted by racist vigilantes, and each time a crime that reeks of hate goes inexplicably unclassified as such, we are reminded that the specter of Jim Crow still haunts our modern-day reality. Let's be clear: the rope and tree are not the only instruments of lynching. The legacy of white supremacy finds new and insidious ways to manifest. Here are 15 true crime cases that remind us… we're not that far from the 1960s. In one of the most horrifying police killings to date, Floyd was reported for using a fraudulent bill at a corner store before he was apprehended by a group of Minneapolis Police officers. The 2020 incident shook the world after people watched the bystander video of the arrest, where former officer Derek Chauvin knelt on Floyd's neck for nearly 10 minutes as he yelled out for his mother and voiced that he couldn't breathe. Floyd died as a result of the incident but sparked an international movement against police brutality. What happens when a group of white cops have a Black inmate all to themselves? Attorneys say a 'modern day lynching.' Robert Brooks was allegedly beaten to death by a group of New York prison correctional officers. Surveillance footage shows the officers punching him in the chest, striking him in the face and pinning him up against the wall all while he was restrained in handcuffs. At some point, officers were seen pinning him down on his neck and groin with their feet while others took turns punching him. He then fell unresponsive and was declared dead by asphyxiation. Only one of the few officers charged pleaded guilty. The family of Javion Magee took to social media to sound alarms about his mysterious death. The 21-year-old truck driver was found dead in a rural part of North Carolina, leaning up against a tree with a rope around his neck, police said. Authorities ruled his death to be a suicide, arguing that evidence shows he bought the rope from Walmart. However, Magee's family claim he was lynched, arguing he never had a history of mental illness. Three young Black men say they were chased down but a group of seventeen outlaws from biker gang Hell's Angels in a KKK-like pursuit. They recalled being called racial slurs and told they 'didn't belong in the neighborhood,' per prosecutors. One of the men was kicked and punched by one of the gang members while another was stabbed in the chest and suffered a cracked sternum. Prosecutors said these individuals have a history of touting Nazi symbols and displaying white supremacy. They were also slammed with assault charges. Back in 1998, 49-year-old James Byrd took a ride home from a truck full of white men – Shawn Berry, Lawrence Brewer and John King. Unbeknownst to Byrd, the men had strong ties to the Ku Klux Klan. Byrd hopped in the back of the truck and the men took him down an old town road, dragged him out of the back of the truck and brutally beat him with hands, feet and beer bottles. Byrd was then chained by his ankles to the back of their pickup truck and driven wildly down the road for about three miles, leaving a trail of flesh and blood on the ground. Forensic experts say he was conscious for most of the dragging until he was swung over a concrete drainage culvert causing his head to sever from his body along with one of his arms. Once the car stopped, the three men dumped the remains of Byrd's body in a cemetery and drove off to a barbeque like nothing happened. The authorities say they found 81 different places where Byrd's scattered remains were found. Shawn Berry was sentenced to life in prison after cooperating with the investigation into Byrd's death, Lawrence Brewer was executed by lethal injection in connection to the murder and John King was placed on death row but wasn't executed until 2019. When the only Black guy on a camping trip ends up dead, you can expect there to be questions. Spencer, 29, was found shot to death at a home in rural Pennsylvania after being invited on a trip with a former co-worker, per NBC. Spencer's family believed the cops were trying to paint their loved one out to be the aggressor and argue that he was murdered in cold blood. None of the four witnesses were immediately arrested or charged despite a number of firearms and substances collected from the scene, police said. The man accused of shooting him will not face charges in the incident after authorities claim he acted in self-defense. Father and son duo Travis and Greg McMichael, initiated a chase in their pickup truck behind Arbery as he jogged through the neighborhood, suspecting he was looting a nearby property that was under renovation. Travis hopped out of the truck and fatally shot Arbery at close range. Despite arguing that they were trying to protect the neighborhood, investigators found loads of social media posts riddled with racist rhetoric suggesting their targeting of Arbery was racially motivated. The two were convicted of hate crimes. Tamla Horsford was found dead in a friend's backyard years ago. She had been invited to a slumber party where she'd been drinking, per 11Alive News. Witnesses claimed Horsford went out on the balcony for a cigarette when she allegedly fell over the balcony to her death, leading police to rule her death as an accident under the influence of alcohol and marijuana. However, the position of her body at the crime scene as well as an independent autopsy found Horsford sustained serious injuries before she fell including blunt force trauma to her body. Also, photos from throughout the event don't show Horsford being sick or incoherent. Being she was the only Black person present at the party, her family believed foul play was afoot. Authorities say Johnson was found by classmates in the school gym, stuck upside down in a gym mat. Georgia Bureau of Investigation ruled he died of asphyxia in some weird accident, suffocating while trying to retrieve a shoe. However, the teen's cause of death later showed he suffered blunt force trauma to the head and other injuries from what seemed like a Taser according to his death certificate and a third autopsy done in 2018. Johnson's family still believes foul play was involved despite the authorities' claim that there's no evidence to support that theory. Instead, they believe two white brothers beat him to death and hid his body out of retaliation of Johnsons talking to one of their girlfriends. They also believe the boys' fathers, who were connected to law enforcement, helped clear the boys of any criminal fault. Eddie Parker and Michael Jenkins accused a gang of former Ranking County sheriff's deputies – Hunter Elward, Brett McAlpin, Christian Dedmon, Daniel Opdyke, Jeffrey Middleton and former Richland Police Department officer Joshua Hartfield – of torturing them in a no-knock raid. The two outlined the horrifying incident in a lawsuit detailing that they were profiled by a neighbor who saw them entering a white woman's home – which was a friend of theirs. When the officers pulled up on them, Jenkins and Parker said they were bound, forced to strip nude, sexually assaulted as well as beaten. Jenkins was also shot in the jaw after an officer shoved his firearm in his mouth. The so-called 'Goon Squad' pleaded guilty to federal charges in connection to the incident. On his way to meet some friends, Booker walked onto property he didn't know was private. He told police he was then apprehended by a group of white men accusing him of trespassing. Though he tried to calmly explain himself, he says the men proceeded to beat him, rip out his hair and threaten to break his arms. In the midst of the chaos, he said he heard one of them say 'get a noose.' The two men involved were criminally charged. However, Booker claims he was retaliated against by authorities who threatened to charge him in the incident if he didn't drop the charges against the two men. A 22-year-old Black woman escaped Haslett's captivity, running from his house screaming with a metal dog collar around her neck, police say. The woman told authorities Haslett said two other women 'didn't make it' – one dying by electrocution during a sexual encounter and another dying by a gas mask. The Kansas City Defender found Haslett had social media riddled with racist posts, including nasty references to Breonna Taylor. He was charged with first-degree rape, aggravated sexual offense, first-degree kidnapping, second-degree assault and first-degree murder of another Black woman. Taylor and his girlfriend were kidnapped by a group of Philadelphia police officers and frisked for their money and drugs. While his girlfriend was let go, Taylor disappeared and his mother and sister were shot and injured. It wasn't until a dozen years later that police located Taylor's remains in a shallow grave. Prosecutors found he was suffocated to death by the group of cops, per CBS. Also, those cops weren't cops but impersonating law enforcement. The five were charged with kidnapping resulting in death. One of them was acquitted. Authorities say McClain was walking home from the convenience store when someone called 911 to report a suspicious-looking Black man. Within eight seconds of exiting his patrol car, an officer ran up on McClain and immediately tried to grab him, prosecutors argued. Per USA TODAY's report, they also claim that instead of de-escalating the situation, the officers made the situation more intense as they tackled McClain to the ground and placed him the now-banned carotid artery control hold which rendered him temporarily unconscious. The responding officers and EMTs argued McClain displayed 'superhuman' strength leading to a fatal dose of ketamine. Two of the three officers was acquitted of criminal charges. Over the past few years, neighborhoods all over the nation have randomly been taunted with flyers from KKK or white supremacist groups either telling people of color to get out or inviting racists to be recruited into their antics. On the other hand, some communities have seen the hate firsthand by Nazi or white supremacist marches coming through town. The last one we saw went through a predominantly Black neighborhood and almost got f-cked up! The residents burned their flags, snatched their posters and forced them out of their town limits.
Boston Globe
16 hours ago
- Boston Globe
Harvard withheld their degrees for participating in a pro-Palestinian protest. They don't regret it.
'It felt like a culmination of things that had already been happening,' said Joshi in an interview this week with the Globe. 'It felt inseparable from the way they were treating pro-Palestinian protests in general.' A year since Harvard refused to award degrees to the 13 graduating seniors who participated in a pro-Palestinian encampment on Harvard Yard, the students say the experience left them feeling disillusioned about their Ivy League education and frustrated with what transpired, but grounded in their activism and largely unscathed. A handful are now pursuing graduate degrees from other elite universities, and others are working. Some are still participating in protests. A pro-Palestinian protest encampment behind a gate of Harvard Yard in April 2024. Andrew Burke-Stevenson for The Boston Globe Advertisement All were eventually awarded their Harvard degrees in the months after their intended graduation, the graduates said. After the war in Gaza between Israel and Hamas began, the 2024 tent encampments on Harvard Yard became one of the key symbols of a pro-Palestinian student movement that spread across the nation. At Harvard, both Jewish and Muslim students reported feeling uncomfortable, while a Advertisement On Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led militants killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducted 251 people from Israel. Gaza health authorities have said that Israel's retaliatory offensive has The Harvard student protesters agreed days before commencement in 2024 to dismantle the encampment; university leaders Days later, the students found out they wouldn't graduate since they were not in 'good standing' with the university due to multiple campus policy violations related to the encampment. That prompted another wave of outrage among students and faculty, more than 1,000 of whom reportedly Graduating students walked out of the 373nd Commencement at Harvard University to call attention to the plight of Palestinians on May 23, 2024. The university's top governing board rejected the recommendation of faculty to allow 13 pro-Palestinian students who participated in a three-week encampment in Harvard Yard to graduate with their classmates. Craig F. Walker/Globe Staff Some protestors, including Joshi, were allowed to don their caps and gowns at Harvard's 2024 Commencement and walk across the stage. Joshi said she was handed a piece of white cardboard instead of a degree. Others, however, were barred from commencement. Syd Sanders, 23, was told to withdraw from the university (a directive that he says was later dropped) and was banned from graduation. He had several ongoing student disciplinary cases at the time related to what he described as 'a long and storied career' in on-campus activism. 'They kept trying to evict me,' Sanders said in an interview this week, 'They would go by my dorm and be like, 'Why is all your stuff still here?'' Sanders was the final of the 13 students to receive a degree, to his knowledge. Advertisement 'They mailed it to me in February,' Sanders said. In a statement, Harvard spokesperson Jonathan Palumbo said that the university does not comment on student matters and did not further comment for this story. The impact of the withheld degrees varied by graduate. Phoebe Barr, 24, was among the protesters who were placed on an involuntary leave by the university, meaning she lost access to her dorm room and could not work at her on-campus job for the remainder of the semester. 'I was homeless and unemployed very suddenly,' Barr said. She stayed on the couch of someone who offered her a place to crash. Those are the memories of Harvard she wants to recall, she said, the acts of kindness in the community. 'For all the hostility we received, we also saw a real outpouring of support from the community of Harvard students, faculty, and those who lived around us in Cambridge,' she said. Barr was denied access to the Harvard campus at the end of her senior year. Lane Turner/Globe Staff Barr's temporarily withheld history and literature degree also impacted her search for a job after college: She could not list her undergraduate degree as her highest level of education. Not knowing when she would get her degree, she said, was difficult and stressful as she cobbled together cover letters and resumes. To potential employers, she wrote that her degree was still pending. Her degree was conferred in July last year; she got a job at a Boston University library that fall. Joshi's probation was initially to last until May 2025, meaning she would graduate a year later than planned. That timing was a problem: If she weren't in good standing with the university, she'd lose her Harvard fellowship to fund a master's degree at the University of Cambridge in England. Advertisement The funding securing her spot at Cambridge eventually came through after Harvard conferred her degree over the summer. Sanders, however, said that, at least for him, the lack of a degree didn't have any impact on his professional life. He still moved to California and got his dream job as a union organizer. 'I can't imagine a career in college activism was an inhibitor to becoming a union organizer — it was probably an asset," Sanders said. The encampment taught him how to do effective community organizing, lessons he said he is applying today as he helps organize support for immigrants targeted for Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrests. 'It was the most sacred moment of community I have ever felt in my life,' Sanders said of the Harvard encampment. 'No regrets.' A protester hung a Palestine flag in the pro-Palestinian encampment in Harvard Yard on May 7, 2024. Lane Turner/Globe Staff Sanders is now an activist in Oakland and is working as a bartender and waiter (he quit his union organizing job). 'Just like everybody else who graduated on time, I'm figuring life out,' Sanders said. He's thinking of applying to grad school or getting another union organizer job; he still participates in pro-Palestinian demonstrations. Had the protesters' probation resulted in them walking at graduation this year, they would've been at a much different ceremony. This May, Garber was greeted by 'It was pretty jarring,' said Barr, who attended the commencement to take part in a pro-Palestinian demonstration. 'Last year, he was booed by the audience.' Advertisement While she is glad to see Harvard fighting Trump, she said it does not negate her frustrations with how the university handled the encampment last year. Joshi added that while there is a lot of excitement for Harvard's stance against Trump, the school's stance on free speech and academic freedom still 'rings hollow' to her. She is now finishing a master's degree in sociology at the University of Cambridge — funded by the Harvard fellowship that almost didn't materialize — and writing her dissertation on South Asian involvement in the Palestinian movement in the UK. After graduation, she plans to find legal work at a nonprofit. Overall, she remembers the Harvard protests as a success: They drew attention to the thousands of children who have died in Gaza and will never have the chance to grow up to get a degree, she said. Material from the Associated Press was used in this report. Erin Douglas can be reached at
