Patriot Front is a group that prefers to not be seen as they post their flyers around town and drop banners, but the neighborhood of Bay Ridge, Brooklyn had other plans, which is why we have their faces and license plates!

BAY RIDGE, BROOKLYN, NY – A handful of individuals who look to be representing the neo-fascist organization Patriot Front, has been caught on video and pictures obtained by Idavox doing a banner drop for the organization on a overpass, which has generated outcry in local media outlets as well as a march against hate in response on Sunday.

In the video, five individuals wearing matching black sweatshirts, beige khakis, light colored caps, sunglasses and masks throw a handmade banner over the side of the 80^th Street pedestrian overpass spanning the Belt Parkway Saturday afternoon. One of the persons waves the flag associated with Patriot Front, a group that was formed when members of the now-defunct Vanguard America broke off from the group in the wake of the deadly “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, VA in 2017. The group was founded by Thomas Rousseau, who led Vanguard America members Charlottesville, and James Alex Fields, Jr., who was convicted last year of murdering anti-racist protester Heather Heyer after fatally driving his vehicle into a crowd of protesters, was among those marching with them. Patriot Front seldom organizes public rallies, but is known primarily through flyers that they post in various areas around the country. They promote the posting of their flyers via various social media networks, but those flyers are often taken down just as soon as they are seen. The banner was removed minutes after the reputed Patriot Front associates ran from the scene, but the action came after Patriot Front flyers have been seen in the Bay Ridge community for several days, causing concern that they were attempting a recruitment campaign in the area.

Although they concealed their faces during their action, at least two of those that were involved are seen unmasked in pictures taken after they fled. Pictures also show the blue pickup truck someone from the group left in, in particular the license plate number. Patriot Front associates have been successful in keeping their identities hidden from the public, possibly making this one of the rare occasions they have not been.

On Sunday, approximately 250 people came out to denounce Patriot Front’s presence in their community with a march that stretched two blocks. Taking place near where one of their posters were found, opponents of the campaign chanted and formed a human chain, symbolize the willingness to protect each other. State Sen. Andrew Gounardes and Assemblymember Mathylde Frontus participated in the march and spoke out against the banner as did Councilmember Justin Brannan, U.S. Rep. Max Rose and Assemblymember Nicole Malliotakis. “Their voices do not speak for us,” Assemblymember Frontus said. “We’re not going backwards, we’re going forward.”