NavyJack – Oath Keepers at the Inauguration

“Now that this is over, I can tell you that the video detailing these illegal plans that became a National headline story on FoxNews on January 13^th was recorded by Oath Keepers.” – NavyJack

First, I want to thank all of the Oath Keepers and Patriots that responded to our Call to Action and came to Washington DC to participate in Operation DefendJ20. We were not there to impede peaceful protesters. We were there to assist and protect innocent citizens trying to attend the inauguration events from dangerous anarchists, ANTIFA and black-bloc rioters. I am sorry that I did not get to meet everyone. This was the best SHTF orientation training program you could ever hope for, because S did HTF yesterday afternoon.

Footage from occupied I-395. Confront Trump or get out of the way. pic.twitter.com/BugF4qX91I

— ✊ #DisruptJ20 ✊ (@DisruptJ20) January 20, 2017

I know there has been some criticism of the operation from members who do not see a role for Oath Keepers during events like this. To the naysayers, had we not been there, many more innocent citizens would have been injured. You see, there were hundreds of thousands of people in town to participate in various inauguration activities. To make it easy, the city posted signs last Wednesday all over the city to help those from out-of-town navigate to these events. The problem with this is that before the sun came up, the protesters were already in motion.

The protesters successfully blocked 10 of the 12 security zone entry points before 9AM. They were able to hold 6 of these on the North side of the Washington Mall all day. For a visitor trying to follow the signs to and event, this became a nightmare. They could not proceed as directed and the DC Police were stretched far beyond their ability to even consider providing these people any assistance. This became one of our first objectives of the day. We did a full recon of the situation, found which security portals were likely permanently blocked and then communicated with the officers on the ground what they should tell visitors regarding getting to their assigned area for each blocked portal. Not a big deal, but it needed to be done.

“For the record, Oath Keepers from Operation HYPO attended and videotaped every meeting of all of the organizations responsible for this violence and provided that information and the raw video to the DC Metropolitan Police on January 9^th, 2017. Project Veritas and Oath Keepers cooperated on these activities. It was dangerous work and you should be very proud to be a member of an organization that will go the extra-mile to protect innocent citizens from these violent thugs.” – NavyJack

Oath Keepers informed the organizers of the Inauguration DeploraBall and the DC Metropolitan Police of the planned DisruptJ20/ANTIFA chemical gas/smoke bomb attack INSIDE of the National Press Club ballroom on January 9th. We also provided photographs of the individuals most likely to carry out the attack so that they could be stopped from entering by the National Press Club security team.

Also now that this is over, I can tell you that the video detailing these illegal plans that became a National headline story on FoxNews on January 13^th was recorded by Oath Keepers. The 5 minutes of a 4 hour DisruptJ20 meeting that was broadcast on all major television networks was thankfully edited to protect the identities of the three individuals that recorded it.

During the entire day, agitators from the ANTIFA and Black-bloc harassed visitors to the city. Usually a simple “knock-it-off”, or “that’s going too far” statement in a stern voice from an Oath Keeper would suffice in curbing their actions. In a few instances, the agitators briefly challenged the request and then moved on.  I know of only one instance where an Oath Keeper was forced to defend himself. It was brief and nobody was seriously injured.

This is an example of their tactics:

pic.twitter.com/gFcdEFAice

— nellalou (@NellaLou) January 20, 2017

I was present when this attack occurred and briefly engaged these black-bloc members. I had just taken this picture when the attack started:

They moved on without further incident.  I moved on as well because I was not going to further risk the mission defending Mr. Spencer. For the record, I am not a fan of Mr. Spencer or NPI.  His provocative actions were certain to generate this attack. He intentionally put himself in this dangerous situation right in the middle of the ANTIFA stronghold. I was there. He was not seriously injured.

At about 11AM, a large group of ANTIFA and Black-bloc anarchists assembled at Logan Circle. I knew that something very bad was about to happen and alerted police. Based on their actions and discussions, I believed that they intended to take and hold Freedom Plaza, directly on the parade route. I stayed with this group and forwarded information to police until the group reached 12^th and L Street.

12th and L @DisruptJ20 #disruptj20 cops kettled anti-capitalist protesters tear gas and concussion grenades going #LetThemGo pic.twitter.com/lhOLv9RJ3k

— sam (@rxvodc) January 20, 2017

Police were ready for once and had quickly established a line of riot control police. The advance of this group to the parade route was halted. I unfortunately was not able to escape fast enough and got caught up in the melee. My primary cell phone got dislodged from its’ case and the SIM card failed. I had a backup phone and sent a message out on our Signal channel that I was in trouble, but that phone ended up being lost when I was struggling to escape.

Over 100 protesters were arrested.  I am sure that my inability to let everyone know I was alright caused some concern. I quickly got underground and jumped on a Green Line Metro train heading north to get out of the area. That was a mistake. The train was stopped by protesters that had gotten onto the tracks. Police immediately responded, but I was stuck without communications underground for over an hour. I missed the swearing in ceremony and speech. I resurface at Gallery Place near the US Navy Memorial, was able to repair the SIM card in my primary phone and get a message out on Signal.

The DisruptJ20 organization held a very large permitted parade that started at Union Station and ended at McPherson Square Park starting about Noon. The parade provided cover for ANTIFA and Black bloc to take and hold numerous key intersections along K Street from 10^th Street to 14^th Street. I believe their intent was to stop visitors from reaching the parade viewing area. The police attempted numerous times to push thru and clear their blockades.  Without any verbal warning that I could hear, the police launched a full-on assault using smoke grenades, flash-bangs and concussion grenades. Again, I found myself in the middle of a very bad situation.  I was struck by a concussion grenade and was lifted off my feet and thrown to the ground. My back is still pretty sore and I am probably going to lose a tooth.  It was at this point that I summoned the Calvary.  Stewart Rhodes and his entire Washington Mall security detail came to the sound of gunfire.

Over the next several hours, the blockade turned into a full-fledged riot. I am sure whatever you heard on the news did not even scratch the surface on how much damage was done. It was violent. Thousands of innocent citizens were caught in the cross-fire and had to be directed or escorted out of the area. Oath Keepers rose to this challenge. Be proud of the members that honored the call. They are all brave. They all honored their oath and did their duty. We saved many people from certain injury or worse with our presence. The police absolutely appreciated our assistance as did the National Guard. We did the right thing by going.

I am sure that every one of our Oath Keepers has a story of their own to tell and I encourage them to tell their story in the comments section below. We will provide an after-action-report via Web-Conference in the coming days and post the details on the Members-Only forum. We have some great pictures and personal stories to share with you.

In conclusion, I would like to say a special thanks to Stewart Rhodes. He dropped everything to head out here early to assist me with the escort of citizens attending the Inaguration DeploraBall. His dedication enabled me to ensure the safety of those I was responsible for protecting. Thank you.