J6ers Coming to Richmond

On November 6, 2020, two months before January 6, Joshua Macias and Antonio LaMotta were arrested after driving their Hummer with a Q Anon bumper sticker from their Virginia homes to the Philadelphia Convention Center as votes were being counting for the 2020 Election. They would be later convicted violating Pennsylvania firearm laws. Macias see himself and Lamotta as the first J6ers or people who were arrested for the attack on the Capitol in Washington DC on January 6, 2021.

Two months later, the two men would be out on bail while facing felony charges. They participated in the January 6 attack on the Capitol. LaMotta was arrested and senteced for his actions but Joshua Macias was never arrested for his actions on that day. Prosecutors in Philadelphia argued that Macias was a central figure in the January 6 insurrection. Macias had a direct connection to Stewart Rhodes and the Oathkeepers who would be convicted of seditious conspiracy.

This year, after President Donald Trump's electoral victory and inauguration on January 20th, all the federal charges, investigations, and convictions disappeared. Trump pardoned everyone convicted for their actions on January 6 and the remaining charges have been dropped. Macias is simply on probation for his firearm conviction.

In February, Macias made a video alongside Ray Chambers, another J6er. In this video, Macias says that "we are working with our battle buddies in our SafeHaven program to expand the scope of encouragement from our community who come out of the B.O.P. (Bureau of Prison) after being persecuted and prosecuted. This is specific to the J6 (January 6) community."

Ray Chambers was convicted for entering the Capitol and during his sentencing he sent a letter saying, "I am truly remorseful and now understand why many are sickened by the actions of the individuals who made what should have been a peaceful thing, into utter chaos."

But the behavior of Chambers since the Trump pardon has not reflected that letter he addressed to the judge about to sentence him. Chambers still posts on social media about a J6 conspiracy.

On March 16, that location that Macias and Chambers were referencing was revealed when Brian Mock posted a live video on his X account. (Back in my days we would say that he made a Periscope video on Twitter.) Last year, Mock was convicted for January 6 crimes including assaulting law enforcement and stealing a riot shield. Mock, like everyone else convicted on January 6, was pardoned by Trump and now leads the Civil Rights Division for Macias' On Your Six Foundation.

Mock showed that he was at the Legacy at the Imperial Villages which is located on Bellevue Avenue in the Northside neighborhood of Richmond. Mock was inviting more J6ers to move to Richmond.

More J6ers began showing up. On March 22, Chris Quaglin posted a photo of himself in Carytown with text that read "Downtown Richmond. Liberal heaven. they will [sic] were not happy." Quaglin was convicted of 6 assaults on officers and senteced to 12 years in prison but less than a year into his sentence, he was released after the pardon from Trump.

On March 26, Dominic Box posted a video of him arriving at a Richmond Amtrak station. In a follow-up post, Box thanked Josh Macias and Ray Chambers for making this happen. Box was fired from his job after live streaming himself on January 6. He had his January 6 charges dropped a few days after Trump's inauguration.

On March 29, Tommy Tatum posted a picture of the J6 media room in their building on Bellevue Avenue. Tatum was a witness at Mock's trial, charged for his participation in January 6, and alleged to harass Capitol Police officers who testified in another J6er case.

During an interview on Newsmax, Trump said that there is consideration for a "compensation fund" for the people that were pardoned for their actions on January 6. More J6ers may move to Richmond for a second chance now that the pardoned J6ers are released from prison. Due to the political nature of their actions, J6ers have been alienated from their family and former friends. Mock was arrested after his son was one of the people who reported him to the FBI. What remains to be seen, is what will happen with them all living in the same space.