Warning: Proud Boys extremists intend to ramp up right here in Modesto

If you believe ...

• That former Modesto police officer Joseph Lamantia should not be prosecuted for shooting and killing an unarmed man, because Lamantia was protecting his own life
• That Kyle Rittenhouse should not be prosecuted for shooting and killing two people in a Wisconsin BLM protest after the murder of George Floyd
• That Modesto City Council members all violated their oaths of office when they voted unanimously to proceed with an effort aimed at improving policing
• That 100% of law enforcement training these days is about respecting cultural diversity and not protecting the public
• That 97% of elected officials care nothing about the U.S. Constitution
• That it’s funny to mock Blacks and Eastern Europeans with voice impersonations
• That because he hopes to improve his department’s community relations, Stanislaus County Sheriff Jeff Dirkse is a traitor and a leftist activist in disguise
• That our government is waging a war of medical tyranny on citizens with a $1.5 billion propaganda machine assembled to convince people to get vaccinated against COVID-19
• That all Modesto churches respecting government shut-down rules during the pandemic were complicit with the agenda of Satan’s army

... then the Central Valley Proud Boys might be a good fit for you.

None of this is made up. All came straight from the lips of a 32-year-old Modesto man who says God called him to lead the local Proud Boys movement, and from his uncle.

They said it in a recent hour-long video discussion with a show host who said he would not post it on YouTube for fear of being banned. So he put it on Rumble, a less-discriminating platform.

Affiliates of the Proud Boys initially booked the Modesto Elks Lodge for an upcoming lunch with extreme right gubernatorial candidate Daniel Mercuri, to be followed by a street rally in Modesto, according to promotional literature. Upon learning more, the Elks determined that the event “does not align with the ideals” of the Elks, who on Monday canceled the event, club secretary Anna-Marie Bratton said in an interview Tuesday.

The Elks primarily help disabled children and military veterans and don’t get involved with politics, she said. “What we were told (at booking) and what it ended up becoming are two entirely different things,” Bratton said.

Good for them.

The Proud Boys is called a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center. The Canadian government in February designated the Proud Boys a terrorist entity for its role in the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol, for which several members face criminal charges.

The Proud Boys are associated with racism, misogyny, intolerance and violence. At a Modesto City Council meeting last month, a Modesto Bee photographer captured a Proud Boys member defiantly flashing hand gestures embraced by white supremacists.

Modesto-area Proud Boys are on the move

The Proud Boys apparently aren’t proud enough to identify themselves in public, hiding behind partial names or pseudonyms when speaking at council meetings and in the Rebel Radio Now video. Although we know their names and who they are, they don’t matter. Their hate-filled message deserves no respect.

Why then, you ask, give them more print? Why pay them any attention at all?

Because downplaying this very threat left Washington, D.C. police woefully unprepared for the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. Vileness preys on those not ready to confront and repel it.

In the recent video, the two Proud Boys boasted that they will continue harassing elected officials at public meetings. And they intend to run for office at all levels of government, they said.

If you or your organization has a banquet room or other facility for rent, be aware that this extreme group actively seeks such venues in Modesto. If you intend to run for office, be aware that extremists enjoy infiltrating campaigns by offering volunteer labor.

Ignoring them doesn’t mean they don’t exist. Wishing they would just go away won’t make it happen, and would be foolish.

This story was originally published July 9, 2021 at 4:00 AM.