Defend East County

HERE'S WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT THE BOMB-PLOTTING RACISTS AT "SHADOW MOSES"

posted on May 1, 2021
by JAMES STOUT

EDITOR'S NOTE : James Stout is a San Diego-based journalist. You can donate to him on cash app at $jamesstout and venmo at @james-stout-5.

In late July 2020, activists in San Diego were planning a BLM march in La Mesa. There hadn’t been a large action there since banks burned and the cops shot a grandmother’s eye out (within policy apparently) in late May. After those banks burned, a group of anti-BLM locals had sprung up under the name “Defend East County”. Soon DEC had over 20,000 members in their Facebook group and Justin Haskins, a perpetually sunburned Arizona resident, claimed leadership of all of them.

Among that group was Grey Zamudio, age 33. To the uneducated eye, his Facebook page might look like he was a soldier or private security contractor. His banner image features a suppressed, short barreled, and non-California compliant AR15. Zamudio was a long time airsoft enthusiast, and some of his shooting pictures could be mistaken for airsoft. When he played airsoft, Zamudio used the callsign “Shadow Moses” in homage to the computer game Metal Gear Solid. (He seems to have had a somewhat passing understanding of the plot, or only appreciated that the main character was good at killing people. The game focuses on the evils of war and violence for profit.)

But the guns on his page were all too real.

HERE'S THE CALIFORNIANS WE IDENTIFIED AT THE CAPITOL STORMING

posted on Jan 19, 2021
by DESERTBORDER, WATERSPIDER, JAMES STOUT

EDITOR'S NOTE : Waterspider has been filming the LA protest scene and is currently searching for work. Her Twitter is @waterspider__ and her Cashapp is $TWaterspider. Desertborder is an LA-based researcher who really, really hates fascism. You can find him on Twitter @desertborder. His Cashapp is $fuckgarcetti. James Stout is a San Diego-based journalist. His cashapp is $Jamesstout.

After four years of amping up his followers on racism and conspiracy theories, Donald Trump brought followers to the Washington, DC, Wednesday, January the 6th. They marched on the Capitol building as Congress was voting to ratify the results of the election Trump lost and pretended was stolen from him. Trump supporters ransacked the building, posing for photos and live-streaming themselves along the way.

ANTI-FASCIST COUNTER PROTESTERS SHUT DOWN RACIST RALLY IN PACIFIC BEACH

posted on Oct 1, 2020
by ROSE HENNA

EDITOR'S NOTE : Rose Henna is San Diego-based journalist focused on protest coverage. You can follow her work on Twitter here.

San Diego has a history of far-right figureheads and political groups from Roger Ogden and his white nationalist website to the Justin Haskin’s Defend East County group. Recently a new white nationalist group in San Diego, American Coalition Party, gained a following and growing online presence. The group appears to promote an America First and White Nationalist Agenda by appealing to zealous patriotism.

Damien Russell the leader of the American Coalition Party became known in right wing circles after an act of vandalism.

“I found out about the “patriot march” on twitter when someone warned how their leader Damian Russell has previously destroyed George Floyd memorials in North Park and left white nationalist poster/stickers in the area,” a local antifascist activist wo wished to remain anonymous told LCRW.