February 22nd, 2017
Hello friends, family, and acquaintances (and cyber-community at large),
I have been advised to say nothing about my case, so, this is just a check-in about myself.
I fly to DC on this Saturday. My court appearance is Monday morning. I have a court appointed defense attorney.
aka felony ‘Riot Act’
I’ve been confident, and cavalier…until now, I’m finally feeling some weight. My alcohol consumption has significantly increased since being pepper sprayed and arrested. I’m eating less but healthily. I’m active and inspired out of my brain.
Nothing more needs to be done, except to go. I’ve talked to many lawyers, read copious amounts of articles. I’ve researched galore and sound-boarded with high-caliber minds. I’m as ready as I can be but I truly have no idea how I will measure up.
I live-streamed myself in a riot from beginning to end, one take. I’ve watched ad nauseum, embarrassments and all, and I absolutely stand behind my innocence.
I feel pride in documenting oppositional history all the way to the end. I’m proud my footage and I were close enough to get severely pepper sprayed despite it’s terrible sting.
And, yes, I was stoked.
I’ve been confronted with my biases yet I am embodying a ‘journalist’ identity more than ever. I honor that duty to a professional level. I’ve been featured in US News & World Report three times. As well as in The Raw Story.
I also feel privileged and humble. I couldn’t be where I am without my community. I’ve gotten love near and far. A friend has loaned me cameras. Family has loaned me money. I’ve been gifted airline points and have a good friend in DC. My freelance jobs are understanding, supportive, and flexible. And I even have friends to hold me so I can fall apart.
I’ve been paying huge attention to the clashes between Anarchist/Black Bloc/Anti-Fa versus Alt-Right/White Nationalist/Trump, from Sacramento to Riots in DC to Berkeley. Make no mistake, resistance cultures and conflicts are my beat.
I’ve learned so much about doxxing by following my name all the way to white nationalists’ message boards, where I have already been found guilty. I’ve been cyber-threatened on message boards. I’ve changed my privacy settings on social media and deleted photos with loved ones. I have even had the pleasure of a puny attempt at smearing me on Twitter. Please understand…
this is Narrative Warfare.
But Black Bloc may have gotten the last punch, “the meme to end all memes“.
Lex Shoots 