Proud Boys leader banned from DC
Burned church’s banner, challenged cops to arrest him
Henry “Enrique” Tarrio, the Miami-based leader of the Proud Boys who was arrested for burning a Black Lives Matter banner at a historic church, is banned from the nation’s capital until June, a judge ruled Tuesday in Washington, D.C.
On Dec. 12, a chaotic night in Washington, D.C., that included fistfights with protesters and property destruction, Tarrio lit a historic Black church’s Black Lives Matter banner on fire in the streets, police say. He later issued a challenge to authorities online.
“I did it. Come get me if you feel like what I did was wrong. We’ll let the public decide.”
Tarrio, 36, was arrested for the incident on Monday after detectives used videos on Twitter and YouTube, as well as Tarrio’s own statements to reporters and his social media account, to implicate him, according to an arrest warrant obtained by the South Florida Sun Sentinel.
At a first court appearance Tuesday, Tarrio pleaded not guilty through his attorney, Lucas Ives Dansie.
Paul Courtney, a district attorney, requested that he
be banned from the nation’s capital. Judge Renee Raymond agreed because Tarrio admitted to burning the Black Lives Matter banner at the church and used his Parler account to make it clear that he had no remorse and would do it again.
When Tarrio was arrested Monday, police found two high-capacity firearm magazines on him with 60 rounds of ammo, according to his charging documents. The magazines were marked with Proud Boys insignia.
Tarrio has been charged with a misdemeanor for the sign burning and two felonies for possession of the ammo. After he was arrested, Tarrio refused to speak to police about the burning of the Black Lives Matter banner without a lawyer present.
But he did address the ammunition, telling police that he sells ammunition magazines on his website and the two magazines in question were returned by a customer because they were sent to the wrong address. Tarrio said he was supposed to meet the customer in D.C.
“I have proof of all this,” he said. Tarrio, the “chairman” of the far-right group, has seen the Proud Boys’ profile grow considerably in the past few months. In September 2020, President-elect Biden challenged President Trump to denounce the group in a televised debate. Trump told the Proud Boys to “stand back and stand by.” In the months since, Tarrio and members of the group have been spotted at protests and rallies across the country in support of Trump.
According to Tarrio’s arrest warrant, a reverend at Asbury United Methodist Church reported that members of the Proud Boys destroyed the church’s prominently displayed sign in Washington, D.C.
Police said videos on social media showed Proud Boys destroying “a number” of Black Lives Matter signs that night.
Tarrio’s arrest warrant references one video showing members of the brash, right-wing group holding the torn-down Black Lives Matter sign and posing for pictures until someone yells, “Burn that s—t.”
A Proud Boys member approaches with lighter fluid and the group chants, “Light it up!”
As the plastic banner struggles to stay aflame, Tarrio is seen trying to light one of the upper corners of the banner. When it finally is engulfed in flames, the group chants “USA” before later extinguishing the fire.
After police made it clear they were investigating the Dec. 12 incident as a hate crime, detectives were alerted to Tarrio’s Parler account.
In a post on Dec. 18, Tarrio admitted to burning the banner. “I’m here to tell you that there was no hate crime committed,” he wrote. “The only hate there is in my heart is for communism and an authoritarian government.”
After calling the Black Lives Matter movement “Marxist,” he wrote: “I am here today to admit that I am the person responsible for the burning of this sign. And I am not ashamed of what I did because I didn’t do it out of hate . ... I did it out of love.”
He then issued a challenge to authorities to arrest him.
On Jan. 4, one day before his arrest, Tarrio and the Proud Boys also were sued in Washington, D.C., accused of destroying property at another historic Black church that night.
The suit, brought on by the Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church, accuses Tarrio and the Proud Boys of “engaging in acts of terror and vandalizing church property in an effort to intimidate the Church and silence its support for racial justice.”
According to a complaint, Proud Boys members climbed a fence surrounding the church on Dec. 12 and ripped down a large Black Lives Matter sign being displayed. After stomping on the sign, they stole its remnants, the complaint said.
About 400 Proud Boys gathered that day in D.C., according to the complaint, and launched a
“coordinated attack” on protesters and targeted supporters of racial justice. Social media footage shows Proud Boys fighting with protesters and members of Antifa, a militant protest group that opposes right-wing ideology.
It is not the first time the Proud Boys have shown their presence in the nation’s capital. In November, they helped plan a march shortly after President Trump’s electoral defeat with the mission of stopping the “steal” of the election.
The Proud Boys and Tarrio have voiced plans on Parler to stage further protests in Washington, D.C., in the lead-up to Joe Biden’s inauguration on Jan. 20. After the court’s ruling Tuesday, Tarrio won’t legally be able to participate in those demonstrations.
A fundraiser to support Tarrio’s legal defense raised over $90,000 as of Tuesday afternoon. His next court date is set for June 8.