Personally, we feel for the car, the real victim in all this!

The so-called “People’s Convoy” has recently rebranded themselves as the “1776 Restoration Movement,” a move that often happens among right wing groups when a campaign not only fails to meet its stated goals to the point its original name is sullied. In this case, the hopes that a multi-truck convoy protest similar to the one that choked Ottawa, Canada and the Canadian border earlier this year were never fully realized when American right wingers attempted to repeat the same kind of campaign in Washington, DC due to lack of planning, infighting that saw organizers going back home well before the protest they organized was over and participants accusing them of fraud and stealing money, and minuscule attention given to it by media outlets. After aimlessly circling the DC Beltway and being holed up in Haggerstown, MD and West Virginia, the assembled pseudo-Patriots began their retreat, although some tried to make one last stand before they did – which also failed miserably.

Meanwhile, those watching the spectacle online were treated to one particular convoy livestreamer that for many cemented just how sad a shape this protest was. Josh “Oreo” Fulfer of Clovis, CA is a prominent figure at California rallies, often seen with Proud Boys and engaging in violence there, particularly against women. Camera in hand, Fulfer would approach those he opposes at a rallies and attempt to provoke them in a confrontation, a tactic that is similar to that of neo-Nazi Craig Cobb, best known for attempting to take over a small town in North Dakota, and most recently, Tim “Baked Alaska” Gionet, who is currently facing charges stemming from his role in the Jan. 6 insurrection. Curiously a criminal record search has shown Fulfer had a domestic violence charge in 2016 of which he received a light sentence. Fulfer was broadcasting a livestream for much of the Convoy and was joined by his friend Quincy Lee Franklin who sometimes goes by the name Quincy Anatello as well as the screen name “BlackConservativePreacher”. Once seen at a Women’s March rally in 2018 shouting, “Some women deserve rape” at the marchers, he hosted Patriot Prayer’s #HimToo rally in November of that year. Not surprising, like Fulfer he also has a domestic violence charge dating back to 2014 when he beat up his partner in front of their children.

With things falling apart with the second attempt by the Convoy to “surround DC” Fulfer and Franklin took a break on May 21 to venture into the city for sightseeing purposes. On their five hour livestream, they regularly berated DC residents and got stuck in traffic, eventually deciding to park in front of the Smithsonian Natural History Museum. Upon parking and exiting their vehicle, adorned with “LETS GO BRANDON” stickers and American Flags, Fulfer turned to Franklin and instructed him “Hey, put your gun in the car ‘cause they won’t let you in the museum with it.” The two first attempted to enter the museum with all of their streaming equipment and tripods, but were turned back due to them to read the multiple warnings stating that you can’t have a tripod. Returning to their car and discarding the bulk of their equipment, they re-entered the museum and livestreamed their entire visit. Upon exiting, Fulfer noticed a large amount of police across the street remarking, “Oh man, there is all kinds of cops out here!”

The police were for them.

The cops Fulfer referred to were DC metro police (MPD) and US National Parks Police, who were parked around Fulfer’s car with at least seven police vehicles and a greater number of officers, including command staff. As they approached the vehicle, one of the Parks Police officers visually identified Fulfer and called him out by name. “Hey, you’re Josh, right?” and asked him about a BB gun in the front seat of the car. “No, I have a airsoft, pepper, pepperball gun.” Fulfer was then advised that none of this mattered, not even the color of the gun, because in the District of Columbia and especially federal property like the National Mall, such items are considered firearms and are prohibited. Parks Police responded to the firearm and MPD, upon being alerted by viewers of Fulfer’s livestream, responded to the fact that the car was not only blocking a cab stand, but also blocked another parking space immediately ahead of it.

Parks Police requested to search their vehicle, which Fulfer denied; he further stated that he did not own the car and it was not registered to him but his girlfriend. Instead of a search, Fulfer offered to open the car and have the Parks Police officer inspect the pepperball gun and another weapon that was in plain view: a large knife that was wedged between the center console and the seat. The stream cut out at that point, but a later stream showed Fulfer and Anatello in the car and on the highway, leaving DC after only apparently receiving a parking ticket.

Fulfer spent this past week still livestreaming the continuing calamities of the Convoy, but once again found himself dealing with police and his car. This time, his vehicle was parked outside his West Virginia hotel and had its tires slashed was spray painted with red paint and strangely according to him, doused with root beer. A “White Privilege” sticker was also removed although the American flags that also adorned the car remained untouched. In the video, Fulfer accused antifa of the vandalism, citing a similar attack on another car that also used root beer in that vandalism. “They used A&W root beer this time. Last time they used Barg’s!” he exclaimed. It is not known who was responsible for the vandalism and when Fulfer told police that “This is antifa’s work,” he was told that there isn’t an antifa presence in the area.

Josh Fulfer was livestreaming a miniscule rally on Saturday in a parking lot along with other Convoy participants, many of whom planning to leave the area for home.