Jared Michael Boyce was one of 31 people police described as Patriot Front members arrested on allegations of attempting to start a riot at an LGBTQ+ pride event in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. Boyce is gaining attention after his mom, Karen Amsden, spoke out to media hoping he would leave the extremist group.
The incident report, which you can read in full here, lists the 31 people and the phone call from a concerned citizen that prompted the arrest. Police also said the group had “operations plan” documents.
Boyce, 27, of Springville, Utah, was released on bail after anonymous donors posted the bond needed to free the men.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. The Patriot Front Members Were Arrested After a Concerned Citizen Saw the Group Loading Into a U-Haul
A concerned citizen called police reporting that a group of people wearing masks and holding shields entered the back of a U-Haul van, prompting police to open their investigation and arrest 31 people, according to an incident report obtained by Heavy.
Authorities said they received the phone call while several groups were “condemning” the Coeur d’Alene Pride fest on social media. Police said they believe the 31 arrested people were planning to start physical confrontations and spark disorder. All 31 people were charged with criminal conspiracy to commit riot, a misdemeanor, the incident report says.
Police wrote in the case summary:
Officers received information of a large group of similarly dressed masked individuals armed with shields entering the back of a U-haul van heading toward downtown Coeur d’Alene. The concerned citizen reported this activity while a “pride event was taking place downtown which led several nationally known groups condemning the event on various online social media platforms. Officers believed it likely the intent of these individuals was to incite physical confrontation and cause disorder. The U-Haul van wag located and an investigative stop was conducted. A total of 31 subjects wore contacted inside of the van. Based on the totality of the investigation, it was determined the subjects were part of the ‘Patriot Front! and conspired to use violence and/or the threat of the violence to disturb the public peace. ALL 31 were arrested for conspiracy to riot.
2. Amsden Said Her Son Joined the Patriot Front After His Dad Came Out as Gay & Left the Family
Amsden told the Daily Beast her son’s alleged turn toward extremism stemmed from a family issue. She said Boyce joined the Neo-Nazi group after his father came out as gay and left the family.
That happened years ago, she told the outlet, but said it left “a void” in her son’s life. Amsden is a licensed social worker, and she told the outlet she decided to speak out about her son in hopes that he will leave the group.
“I would love to do whatever I can to out him so that he can’t be a part of it,” Amsden said of her son’s alleged involvement with the extremist group. “And that they don’t want him to be a part of their group because his mom has loose lips and a big mouth and he’s never going to get away with anything.”
Twitter account @AntifaGarfield introduced Boyce in a post March 16, 2020, sharing a picture of a man they identified as Boyce shirtless and waving Neo-Nazi flags.
3. Boyce Is a Father & Was Divorced
Boyce has children and is divorced, Amsden told the Daily Beast. She said her son and his ex-wife share custody of the children.
Her grandchildren are “really the only reason” she has stayed in touch with her son, she told the outlet. She called her grandchildren “the light of my life.”
A screenshot of a 2018 Facebook post from Twitter account “Garfield but Anti-Fascist” includes a post they say was a birthday message from his ex, who was his wife at the time.
“Happy birthday to the man who means the most to me,” the post says, with hearts. “24 looks good on you. I hope you have the best birthday you can have. You deserve it. I love you.”
4. Boyce Was Suspended on Twitter & Social Media Accounts Tied to Him Make Racist, Homophobic & Threatening Statements
Boyce was suspended on Twitter for violating Twitter rules, his page says. The Daily Beast reported his account was @PedosnJooshang, a variation on “Pedos and Jews Hang.”
His Twitter bio said he was an “Alpha Chad,” a “professional Antifa teabagger,” and a “Patriot through and f****** through,” according to screenshots.
His Facebook page, Brohumrie Matey, his YouTube account using the same name, and his TikTok account, @brotonikmatey, were no longer active June 14, 2022.
Twitter account “Garfield but Anti-Fascist” wrote about Boyce March 16, 2020, sharing screenshots of racist and homophobic comments. The account wrote a lengthy thread, which said:
Hello!! As promised I’d like to introduce you to Jared Boyce aka “Brohumrie Matey” from Springville, Utah! Jared here is a big fan of Patriot Prayer, and he is also a blatant anti-semite, racist, and homophobe. While living in Utah in early August, 2018, Jared trekked all the way to Portland, Oregon to attend a Patriot Prayer rally. Patriot Prayer is known for its xenophobia, islamophobia, and antagonistic rallies across the Pacific Northwest. When not in Portland waving his “Liberty or Death” and alt-right Kekistan flags, Jared loves to post bigoted things behind an online pseudonym. His Twitter is full of antisemitic and racist content and he went as far as to repost a statement condoning the Christchurch Massacre. His Tiktok, which can be found on his Youtube, also threatens violence against LGBTQ+ people in a series of posts he calls “Anti-Alphabet”. He calls on right wingers, gamers, and christians to launch a “crusade against the alphabet people” (read LGBTQ+ people). To top it all off, Jared can be found posting blatant white supremacy on the white supremacist 4Chan board /pol/. Notice his support for anti-semite Patrick Little. Oh, and he also wants to start a far right militia called Lady Liberty’s Minutemen (pick a better name Jared). In one racist Twitter post, he slips up and shows in a screenshot his now deleted personal Facebook page under the name Jared Boyce. This name was confirmed by his wife’s birthday post to him on Facebook, which uses a picture of him from the Patriot Prayer rally. Overall, Jared is not a major player in extreme right scene. He went to one rally as far as I can tell and has a relatively small social media following. However, Jared is clearly connected and feels at home with groups who claim they aren’t racist and are just nationalists. Jared is just another base level player in the far right, but this goes to show that hate at any level has consequences. For action items, it is unclear if Jared is employed but the best action you can take is to spread this and help deplatform his social media accounts!!!
5. Anonymous Donors Posted Bail on Behalf of All 31 Patriot Front Members
Boyce was released on bail after anonymous donors posted the bond needed to free the men arrested as members of the Patriot Front, according to the Daily Beast.
Fox 13 Now reported the bail for each of the men was $300.
Amsden told the Daily Beast she learned from her son’s ex-wife that he joined the Patriot Front after finding the group online, filling out an application and sending them money. He joined the Patriot Front in 2018, she said.
“But he totally changed when he found this group,” Amsden told the Daily Beast. “I first understood how far he’d gone when he was denying the Holocaust—and one of my personal heroes is Anne Frank. And when he told me that, I thought he was kidding. Like, how can you? I just didn’t even know what to say.”
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