Militia member and two others charged in Northern California attack on BLM activist

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https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-06-29/militia-member-two-others-charged-in-northern-california-attack-on-blm-activist

For months, Pinkney has been making political parody videos of Zapata, a leader in an effort to recall a trio of Republican Shasta County supervisors who supported Gov. Gavin Newsom’s pandemic health orders. Pinkney has vocally opposed the recall.

Redding, CA, Tuesday, May 11, 2021 - Nathan Pinkney, aka Nathan Blaze, poses for photos in front of a wall filled with posters showing his past social media posts and traffic tickets at the Shasta County Board of Supervisors meeting. The display was placed by Richard Gallardo, who supports the recall of certain board members who said he was looking to discredit Pinkney, a self-described comediean/provacateur who supports the embattled board members. Pinkney was hoping to serve a restraining order against Carlos Zapata, a member of a local militia, and recall leader, who allegedly punched him a week earlier. Zapata did not attend the meeting. (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)


On May 4, Pinkney was working as a line cook at the Market Street Blade and Barrel restaurant in Redding when he spotted Zapata at the bar.

Soon after the two saw each other, Zapata threw a drink at Pinkney, and it escalated from there, according to police. Zapata said Monday he accidentally knocked the glass over, but that night, Pinkney ended up with a black eye after Bailey and Meagher allegedly assaulted him inside the rear entrance of the restaurant while Zapata was present, according to police and interviews with people involved.

The fight heightened tensions in Redding, a conservative city where residents have been divided over health risks posed by the coronavirus, the power of government and the degree to which armed citizens should take matters into their own hands.

Speakers at supervisors’ meetings have threatened violence. Opponents of the far-right, as well as supporters of pandemic health measures, say they are afraid to speak out and fear retribution. Militia members have attended racial justice rallies carrying concealed weapons.

The militia has also stated that they are collecting "intelligence" on citizens who file complaints against businesses that do not follow Covid lockdown restrictions. They are conducting coordinated intimidation against citizens of Shasta County.