Life on Bayou Lafourche and Thibodaux ...

 

Aiming Right, Part II: More photos from the edge of far-right of America

A few more photos from the edge. I was the lone reporter and photographer that day for my publication, walking around in the cold among 22,000 or so people, many of whom were armed and not likely to have an affinity for my employer. I was chased by a Proud Boy upset over my photo taking in a public space, saw more guns than I care to count, heard racist chants, and was quite happy to snap a lot of pictures before getting back to a warm hotel that evening.

Members of the South Carolina Lightfoot Militia march at a rally in Richmond, Virginia, on Jan. 20, 2020. The rally featured militias, Proud Boys, white supremacists, and more than a few conspiracy theorists.

A militia member at a rally in Richmond, Virginia, on Jan. 20, 2020. The rally featured militias, Proud Boys, white supremacists, and more than a few conspiracy theorists.

"Don't Tread on Me" was a popular slogan at a rally in Richmond, Virginia, on Jan. 20, 2020. The rally featured militias, Proud Boys, white supremacists, and more than a few conspiracy theorists.

"Boogaloo" is a far-right term for a new Civil War. Boogaloo "Bois" were among the attendees at a rally in Richmond, Virginia, on Jan. 20, 2020. The rally featured militias, Proud Boys, white supremacists, and more than a few conspiracy theorists.

Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam, a Democrat, was a popular target of vitriol and jabs at a rally in Richmond, Virginia on Jan. 20, 2020. The rally featured militias, Proud Boys, white supremacists, and more than a few conspiracy theorists.

Patches identifying militias, or sometimes just carrying slogans could be seen on backpacks, coats, and helmets at a rally in Richmond, Virginia, on Jan. 20, 2020. The rally featured militias, Proud Boys, white supremacists, and more than a few conspiracy theorists.

This leader of the group the Proud Boys became quite unhappy that I snapped his photo. He had another Proud Boy chase me down moments later in downtown Richmond, Virginia, after a rally on Jan. 20, 2020. The rally featured militias, Proud Boys, white supremacists, and more than a few conspiracy theorists.

A member of the Proud Boys, a group that says it isn't violent, but whose members partake in violent acts, at a rally in Richmond, Virginia, on Jan. 20, 2020. This particular Proud Boy joked about finding "smack" - slang term for heroin - as he hung out with other Proud Boys. The rally featured militias, Proud Boys, white supremacists, and more than a few conspiracy theorists.

Flags with pseudo-patriotic looks and slogans were popular at a rally in Richmond, Virginia, on Jan. 20, 2020. The rally featured militias, Proud Boys, white supremacists, and more than a few conspiracy theorists.

Pro-gun sentiments were rampant at a rally in Richmond, Virginia, on Jan. 20, 2020. The rally featured militias, Proud Boys, white supremacists, and more than a few conspiracy theorists.

Anger at Virginia politicians seeking to pass gun control measures animated militia members, Proud Boys and others at a rally in Richmond, Virginia, on Jan. 20, 2020. The rally featured militias, Proud Boys, white supremacists, and more than a few conspiracy theorists.

A member of a California militia group waits in formation at the start of a rally in Richmond, Virginia, on Jan. 20, 2020. The rally featured militias, Proud Boys, white supremacists, and more than a few conspiracy theorists.

One of the more colorful looks at a pro-gun rally in Richmond, Virginia, on Jan. 20, 2020. I can't recall if this man was armed. The rally featured militias, Proud Boys, white supremacists, and more than a few conspiracy theorists.

A militia member wanders through the crowd at a pro-gun rally in Richmond, Virginia, on Jan. 20, 2020. The rally featured militias, Proud Boys, white supremacists, and more than a few conspiracy theorists.

Militia members and others compared proposed gun control measures in Virginia to the racist "Jim Crow" laws in the South. "Jim Crow" laws lasted until the 1960s and were aimed at excluding Black people from a variety of parts of civic life in America. The rally featured militias, Proud Boys, white supremacists, and more than a few conspiracy theorists.

Aiming Right - 3 years of photos covering the neo-Nazi, white supremacist movements, and documenting their impact

I've been in this job writing about neo-Nazis, Proud Boys, various racists, and the fallout from "Unite the Right" in Charlottesville for three years now. And during that time, I've shot many, many photos, often walking (and sometimes crossing) the line between bravery and stupidity in efforts to get a good shot. 

So, here's a sampling of some of the thousands of photos I've taken since November 2017, some are of dangerous people, others run-of-the-mill neo-Nazis (now there's a phrase for you!). And I've included a few shots of memorials, memorial services, and monuments. Forgive me, these photos are in no particular order.

Enjoy!

A memorial to Heather Heyer in Charlottesville, Virginia

A bar in downtown Charlottesville, Virginia, had some fun (and presumably made some money) on the first anniversary of "Unite the Right."

People left chalk inscriptions near where a neo-Nazi ran down Heather Heyer on Aug. 12, 2017, in Charlottesville, Virginia.

A member of the American Vanguard, a militia-like organization, at the Mother of All Rallies in Washington, D.C. in 2018.

American Guard members from Pennsylvania at the Mother of All Rallies in Washington D.C. in 2018.

When you gotta go .... American Guard member waits to use a public bathroom at the Mother of All Rallies in Washington, D.C. in 2018.

A black-clad rally participant in Little Rock, Arkansas, at a gathering of the neo-Nazi Shield Wall group and neo-Confederate Hiwaymen in March 2019. The rally was a flop.

A member of the neo-Nazi Shield Wall group at a March 2019 rally in Little Rock, Arkansas. Moments after this photo, he blew me a kiss. Not pictured are his red shoestrings, a symbol among the violent far-right that he's drawn blood.

A woman holds up a "Free Alex Jones" sign at a rally in Austin, Texas, in September 2018. Jones, the host of InfoWars and a conspiracy theorist, organized the rally to protest his being banned from social media platforms. 

Two armed militia members walk the streets of downtown Richmond, Virginia, on Jan. 20, 2020, for a pro-Second Amendment rally that turned into a mass gathering of militias, violent anti-government groups, and protestors.

A member of the New York Militia listens at the Mother of All Rallies in Washington, D.C., in the summer of 2018.

A member of the anti-government militia group Oath Keepers at a rally that drew armed militiamen, anti-government activists, and Proud Boys in Richmond, Virginia, on Jan. 20, 2020.

A Proud Boys member at the Jan. 20, 2020, rally in Richmond, Virginia, that drew armed militia members, anti-government groups, and conspiracy theorists.

A member of the violent group the Proud Boys at the Mother of All Rallies in September 2018. The rally in Washington, D.C., drew violent groups, conspiracy theorists, and militias.

A member of the violent group the Proud Boys at the Mother of All Rallies in September 2018. The rally in Washington, D.C., drew violent groups, conspiracy theorists, and militias.

Roger Stone, a long-time political adviser to President Donald Trump, appeared and made a speech at the Mother of All Rallies in Washington, D.C., in September 2018. He walked up to the rally accompanied by the Proud Boys, a sometimes-violent group.

Susan Bro, the mother of Heather Heyer, speaks at a public memorial for her daughter on the first anniversary of "Unite the Right" in Charlottesville, Virginia, on Aug. 12, 2018. Heyer, a 32-year-old paralegal, died when neo-Nazi James Alex Fields, Jr., rammed his speeding car into a crowd of anti-racism protestors.

They may claim to hate tyranny and socialism, but these right-wing activists are a least willing to have communal water at a rally in Richmond, Virginia, on Jan. 20, 2020.

A memorial to 32-year-old paralegal Heather Heyer in downtown Charlottesville, Virginia. Heyer died on Aug. 12, 2017, after a neo-Nazi, James Alex Fields Jr., rammed his car into a crowd of anti-racism protestors.

A memorial to 32-year-old paralegal Heather Heyer in downtown Charlottesville, Virginia. Heyer died on Aug. 12, 2017, after a neo-Nazi, James Alex Fields Jr., rammed his car into a crowd of anti-racism protestors.

A statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee at a park in downtown Charlottesville, Virginia. The statue was the site of the "Unite the Right" rally on Aug. 12, 2017. A state judge ruled in 2019 that the city may be stuck with Lee for a while.

A memorial to the "Colfax Riot" in central Louisiana. The "riot" was a mob of white men chasing and killing 150 black men and dumping many of the bodies in the Red River. It is one of multiple small monuments to the Confederacy dotting the map of the United States.

A memorial to the "Colfax Riot" in central Louisiana commemorating the white men who died. The "riot" was a mob of white men chasing and killing 150 black men and dumping many of the bodies in the Red River. There is no memorial to the black citizens who were killed that day. It is one of multiple small monuments to the Confederacy dotting the map of the United States.