Five Proud Boys Are Part of Miami-Dade GOP's Executive Committee | Miami New Times
By: Alex DeLuca (Miami New Times)
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Alex DeLuca June 15, 2022 11:11AM
Former Proud Boy Gabriel Garcia gathered outside Miami's Federal Detention Center to "commemorate" January 6 on the one-year anniversary.Photo by Michele Eve Sandberg
Some say the best way to make a big change is to start small. This appears to be the latest strategy of a local branch of far-right Proud Boys organization, which, over the past two years, has somewhat quietly infiltrated the ranks of the Republican Party's local governing body, the Miami-Dade Republican Executive Committee.
As several of the group's members are facing charges in connection with the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, at least a half-dozen current and former Proud Boys have managed to secure seats within the 125-member committee in an attempt to shape local politics from the inside, according to a New York Times story published earlier this month. The Times piece, by Patricia Mazzei and Alan Feuer, spotlighted how the far-right nationalist group has "destabilized and dramatically reshaped" a once-conservative and buttoned-up Miami-Dade Republican Party.
Committee chairman Rene Garcia did not respond to New Times' request for comment, and it's unclear whether the national coverage will lead to any changes.
Listed in alphabetical order, here are five current or former Proud Boys who are listed on the Miami-Dade Republican Party's member roster, a copy of which was obtained by New Times and attached at the end of this story.
#bitcoinpic.twitter.com/t7XTtCaFxa
— Chris Barcenas (@chrisbarcenas_) May 3, 2022
Chris Barcenas
Local real estate agent Chris Barcenas was identified by the New York Times as a Proud Boy. He describes himself on Twitter as a "Miami conservative and crypto enthusiast" and told the Times that he first considered running for a seat on the committee about a year ago. Although Barcenas protested at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, he reportedly did not enter the building and has not been charged with any crimes. He also voluntarily testified to the January 6 committee several months ago about his understanding of the Proud Boys' role in the events.
"They asked me questions like where do I get my news from and if I thought the election was stolen. They want to demonize conservatives for...beliefs different from their own," Barcenas recently tweeted. "God forbid I like @TuckerCarlson."
Also present on the Trump camp: Proud Boys members. I spoke to one, Pedro Barrios (in highlighter yellow). "They say we're white supremacists, but look at me, I'm a tan Latino, son of Cubans," he said, adding he migrated to the U.S. from Cuba at age 9. "We're just anti-Communist" pic.twitter.com/5i3MDxZMwz
— jimena m tavel (@taveljimena) November 7, 2020
Pedro Barrios
Pedro Barrios, a South Florida psychologist previously identified by the Miami Herald as a member of the Proud Boys, billed himself as "the most hard-line Republican in the race" in 2020 while running for a South Florida state house seat that covers the areas of Doral, Sweetwater, Naples, and a small portion of Miramar. "They say we're white supremacists, but look at me, I'm a tan Latino, son of Cubans," Barrios told Herald reporter Jimena Tavel during a pro-Trump rally outside the Cuban restaurant La Carreta in November 2020. "We're just anti-Communist[.]"
Barrios was eliminated in the August 2020 Republican primary.
TODAY Newly unsealed indictment charges alleged Hialeah, FL Proud Boys member Gilbert Fonticoba in Jan. 6 Capitol riot in case related to Nordean/Biggs/Rehl/Donohoe conspiracy and the Jackman/Rae Fla. group. pic.twitter.com/DwlZHWybLp
— Spencer Hsu (@hsu_spencer) October 26, 2021
Gilbert Fonticoba
Gilbert Fonticoba is one of many Proud Boys who were charged with obstructing justice after allegedly entering the Capitol building alongside other rioters on January 6, 2021. He's awaiting trial.
Fonticoba is a longtime Proud Boy and member of Miami-Dade's Vice City chapter, which was founded by former group chairman Enrique Tarrio and no longer recognized by Proud Boys national leadership after the group split in two over internal disputes last year. Fonticoba was previously spotlighted in a December 2018 New Times feature story that noted his conspiratorial beliefs about "QAnon — the bizarre theory that alleges a person named Q, who claims to be a government insider, is trying to expose efforts by the so-called deep state."
#BREAKING: Miami Proud Boys member and ex-GOP candidate Gabriel Garcia arrested for role in Capitol mob after he uploaded Facebook videos of himself storming the building #BecauseMiamihttps://t.co/a1vmtIc6b0
— Because Miami (@BecauseMiami) January 19, 2021
Gabriel Garcia
Gabriel Garcia, a former U.S. Army captain and onetime leader of the Vice City chapter of the Proud Boys, claims in the Times piece to have parted ways with the extremist group, although it's unclear when. Garcia was charged with a felony for interfering with law enforcement during the January 6 riotafter he filmed himself entering the Capitol while exclaiming "Nancy [Pelosi], come out and play!" and calling officers of the U.S. Capitol Police who tried to stop the rioters "fucking traitors."
Freed on bail, Garcia requested that his GPS ankle monitor be removed because he found the beeping noises "embarrassing." In January, he and dozens of others gathered outside Miami's Federal Detention Center to "commemorate" January 6, where Garcia compared the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol to the George Floyd protests in the summer of 2020. "[The former] led to $30 million in damages, the other $2 billion — but you don't see too many people from [the Floyd demonstrations] being held accountable,"
NEW — Miami GOP Republican Executive Committee member Nowell Salgueiro dressed in full Proud Boy gear at a Floridians First rally in Broward last year.
Second image of Nowell being served a restraining order outside the @MiamiDadeGOP REC meeting captured by @tomaskenn. pic.twitter.com/wxep0d7i3l
— Miami Against Fascism ☕️ (@MIAagainstFash) June 9, 2022
Nowell Salgueiro
Photos shared on Twitter by the group Miami Against Fascism purport to show Nowell Salgueiro in Proud Boys swag. He was also identified as a group member in the Times' investigation. According to public records, Salgueiro owned a Florida company called Deplorable Troll USA LLC until last year and currently owns two others: Strategem Kings Inc and "Cold Concepts Refrigeration & Air Conditioning Corp.
Court records show that Salgueiro was arrested for battery on an Orlando police officer in 2007, was arrested for trespassing after a warning in 2010, and has two restraining orders against him involving stalking and "dating violence" cases, the latest of which was served in late April. Salgueiro has not been charged with any crimes in connection with the January 6 attack, and there is no evidence that he was present at the Capitol that day.
click to enlarge A 2021-2022 Republican Executive Committee roster obtained by New Times includes the names of several current and former Proud Boys. obtained by New Times
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I wonder if anyone from the Republican party will denounce this ''merger''...
We know that little Marco didn't.
bible thumpers, white supremacists and domestic terrorists, such as the proud boys, make up the majority of the GOP base now.
Seems to be heading in that direction. I have another great article about Gen. Flynn and another Proud Boy that are trying the same thing in Sarasota, FL.
that traitor flynn needs to be called back to active duty for a court martial and then dishonorably discharged.
Looks like some of them will be serving time instead of constituents.
Hopefully a very long time.
I'd seen the headline, but I didn't read the article. I can only tolerate so much stupidity in my life and anything with "proud boys" in it always pegs my stupid meter.
Well certainly the Proud Boys are at the top of the ''stupid chain''.
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you're not welcome here...
And you think I care?
I always thought the proud boys were more the incel types...
No one said they were smart, Ender. This is Florida so it isn't surprising to see them in the mix.
they must be running short of stupid white people in florida due to the pandemic response by their inept governor.
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Then your thinking is way off. Not even [close.]
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DeathSantis - yup. Clueless ignorant moron who clueless ignorant morons are cheering to become 'president'!
LOL!
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OK everyone let's get back on track. The subject is Proud Boys and the republican party in Miami.
Absolutely, but I’m surprised that there is much of a Repub presence in Miami.
432,000 registered Republicans in Miami Dade.
Do you support the Proud Boys?
Not at all, I simply asked a question you can answer it or not.
No he cannot and he will not.
Since it's my article it's my rules.
" Proud Boys’ ideology" "is Anti-feminism, Anti-LGBT rights, Anti-semitism, Chauvinism, Islamophobia, Neo-fascism, and Trumpism. Their activities revolve around these ideologies."
" Proud Boys was founded in 2016 by Gavin McInnes who is a Canadian-British right-wing activist. It is an all-male neo-fascist unconventional group known for its anti-Muslim and misogynistic rhetoric."
" Proud Boys claimed to be western chauvinists who do not apologize for creating the modern world; they claim to be alt-lite."
" In Gavin McInnes’s words, Proud Boys is a “pro-western fraternity” of boys, which was essentially a club formed for male bonding, socializing, and celebrating western culture."
" Proud boys believe that white men and their western culture are endangered."
Proud Boys Mission Statement 2022 | Proud Boys Mission & Vision Analysis (mission-statement.com)
" The former top leader of the far-right Proud Boys extremist group and other members were charged with seditious conspiracy for what federal prosecutors say was a coordinated attack on the U.S. Capitol to stop Congress from certifying President Joe Biden’s 2020 electoral victory."
" the Proud Boys conspired to forcibly oppose the lawful transfer of presidential power."
" More than three dozen people charged in the Capitol siege have been identified by federal authorities as leaders, members or associates of the Proud Boys, whose members describe it as a politically incorrect men’s club for “Western chauvinists.”"
"the Proud Boys arranged for members to communicate using specific frequencies on Baofeng radios. The Chinese-made devices can be programmed for use on hundreds of frequencies, making it difficult for outsiders to eavesdrop.
Shortly before the riot, authorities say Tarrio posted on social media that the group planned to turn out in “record numbers” on Jan. 6, but would be “incognito” instead of donning their traditional clothing colors of black and yellow.
Around the same time, an unnamed person sent Tarrio a document that laid out plans for occupying a few “crucial buildings” in Washington on Jan. 6, including House and Senate office buildings around the Capitol, the indictment says. The nine-page document was entitled “1776 Returns” and called for having as “many people as possible” to “show our politicians We the People are in charge,” according to the indictment."
Proud Boys charged with seditious conspiracy in Capitol riot | AP News
That's what a Proud Boy is both according to themselves and their actions that have led to charges of seditious conspiracy.
In my mind they're just sniveling little piece of shit chauvinist bigots and likely incel's angry at the world for not celebrating their 'white maleness'.
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How many members of the executive committee AREN'T members of the Proud Boys?
I think that it's around 150, Revillug.
Are these elected or appointed positions?
(In the Democratic Party we have something called the County Committee. It's an elected position within the party for a very small district, like a few city blocks of apartment buildings. There are like 3000 members on the County Committee where I am from. I'm not sure whether the Democrats and Republicans have the same party structure.)
Doesn't really matter. They are American citizens and have a right to be on the committee as long as they got their according to the rules.
They can be either.
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Removed for context
It’s frightening that that is the takeaway. And just what or who is a ‘run of the mill’ racist and just how or why can that be so flippantly excused?
”It’s amazing that democrats elected a senile racist pedophile…”
"It’s frightening that that is the takeaway. And just what or who is a ‘run of the mill’ racist and just how or why can that be so flippantly excused?"
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Can you not see the hypocrisy there?
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Can you not see yours?
So you see the moderation as the problem here?
LOL
Run-of-the-mill: adjective - lacking unusual or special aspects; ordinary.
Run-of-the-mill synonym: commonplace, standard
As most Americans know racism is commonplace among many rightwing religious conservatives which may be why some of them 'flippantly excuse' them. Of course many internet rightwing conservatives try to claim the white supremacists, the Proud Boys whose core ideology is Anti-feminism, Anti-LGBT rights, Anti-Semitism, Chauvinism, Islamophobia and Neo-fascism are rare among them, but that's clearly not the case.
If rightwing conservative Republicans pretend the racists either don't exist or are such a small number they shouldn't be of any concern, they get to enjoy the millions of votes they get for giving these white nationalists and white supremacists cover. They get to share much of the same ideology, they share their hatred for liberals, progressives, lgtbq Americans, minorities, CRT and immigrants while claiming they're not racist at all and systemic racism doesn't exist and everyone should just shut the hell up about 'white club' because the only rule is you don't talk about 'white club'.
Say on. I was watching a news channel yesterday and watching a republican operative go on about abortion as policy (the usual blah-blah stuff) until he was asked about Hershey Walker's "baby momma" abortion revelation to which he said something to the effect that republicans/conservatives would accept anybody just left of Satan/demon as senator this November 2022 if it means they get control of the senate!
There it is. Power in and of itself. (Pro-life as a ploy for power too.)
They stand for nothing but power over the lives of the citizenry; which they intend to control and manipulate into postures of hating and criminalizing anybody who is not MAGA-ite.
It's disgusting.
So if liberals sit on their laurels and give away their power without a fight; it will be on them.
I ain't sayin' they are 'gold diggers,' but the proud boys ain't hangin with no 'woke' liberals! (Credit: Ye. Aka: Kanye West.)
"Somewhat quietly infil—" my foot! You can't slip a liberal past republicans/conservatives' 'gated' community of interests. These 'boys' are there by intent and design.
"Managed to secure—" really? This makes it sound like they slipped through an unguarded door somewhere and took seats on the dais before anyone caught 'wind' of their presence.
One more thing: 'Everybody' should know that republicans/conservatives are slick enough to leave standing orders to not let Proud Boys into the 'game' ahead of time and would have been on the lookout for any such moves by its membership. Also, once discovered, republicans would have bad-mouthed proud boys to high "h" and ran them out. Still could if they desire it—they don't wish to remove the Proud Boys!