by Jasmine Taylor | Aug 31, 2023 | Elections, Militia and Hate Groups
Last night the Great Falls Election Deniers hosted a large event with “Dr. Frank.” Frank is a well-known election denier who, along with his bff Mike Lindel (the My Pillow guy) is being sued for fraud. Frank continues to push the conspiracy theory that Trump won the 2020 election, a lie that has been disproven again and again in numerous court cases. Most recently, Rudy Giuliani lost two defamation cases for pushing lies about voter fraud.
Before Frank’s presentation, Sandra Merchant, Julie Bass, Jan WeNaas, Richard Wolke, and Mike Sheer met to discuss their plans for voting in Cascade County. They parroted Dr. Frank’s lies and expressed their intent to move to “Amish voting” which requires all paper ballots, no machinery whatsoever, and hand counting of said ballots within twenty-four hours. The idea that this group of conspiracy theorists could accurately tally tens of thousands of votes in a mere twenty-four hours would be laughable if the intent wasn’t so nefarious.
The event itself featured a “presentation” from Dr. Frank which was not only filled with falsehoods, but also encouraged violence. Throughout the presentation, Frank painted himself and the election deniers as righteous figures, using a “David and Goliath” analogy. Ironically, the Goliath they hope to overthrow is our Democracy. Amid calling for election deniers to “rise up” Frank gave a direct call to violence. One slide read “What to do when antifa comes top your town” and the next slide showed a semi-automatic weapon. Frank went on to urge attendants not to call 911 or the sheriff’s office, but rather to grab their guns when confronted by peaceful protestors.
As an organizer of peaceful demonstrations outside of the elections office, I have serious concerns about the Clerk and Recorder and her staff promoting an extremist who literally suggests that they shoot us. This is overt voter intimidation with a clear intent to infringe upon our First Amendment rights to peaceful assembly. Sandra Merchant, Dev Biddick, and Julie Bass were all in attendance at this meeting, and not a single one spoke against Frank’s call to shoot voters who oppose them.
Sandra Merchant and her followers, many of whom are members of the Republican Pachyderm club, are but one group of extremists that are making Great Falls less safe for all of us. As I wrote about last week, the NeoNazi group White Lives Matter has blanketed our downtown with nazi propaganda. They, too, encourage violence against anyone who opposes them. So, while many of us are locating and removing nazi stickers, our very own Clerk and Recorder is hosting gatherings calling for the murder of political opponents.
In a recent interview, Great Falls Senator Steve Fitzpatrick suggested that Democrats in Great Falls are simply too extreme. And yet it seems our Republican officials are the ones embracing violence.
So, tell me, voters, is this what you were hoping for when you elected Sandra Merchant?
If so, it’s time to update our welcome signs.
Welcome to Great Falls, where the Clerk and Recorder just might shoot you for trying to vote.
Around 100 people gathered to listen to election conspiracy lies.
Read about Giuliani’s recent loss here: https://www.npr.org/2023/08/30/1196875212/judge-finds-rudy-giuliani-liable-for-defamation-of-two-georgia-election-workers
Read a comprehensive overview of Frank’s presentation here: https://dailymontanan.com/2023/08/30/election-denier-douglas-frank-presents-conspiracies-in-great-falls-meets-with-elections-officer/
Read about the nazi vandalism here: https://wtf406.com/2023/08/neonazis-vandalize-downtown-great-falls/
by Jasmine Taylor | Aug 24, 2023 | Militia and Hate Groups
Mere days after celebrating beautiful new murals in downtown Great Falls, residents and business owners awoke to find a very different addition to the scenery. Over the weekend, White Lives Matter plastered an estimated 200 stickers throughout town. Stop signs, traffic lights, and even art installments were vandalized with racist propaganda.
What is White Lives Matter?
White Lives Matter (WLM) is a neo-nazi organization of insecure, unsuccessful white men who hate anyone different than them. In typical nazi style, you’ll hear them denying the Holocaust, advocating for the eradication of Jewish and LGBTQ+ people, and claiming their skin color makes them superior to all other races. In reality, you’ll find these are mostly men who have prior domestic violence charges that have never gotten around to accomplishing anything positive in their lives. Instead, they spend their Saturday nights covering their faces and riding around on bicycles, defacing public property in an attempt to recruit other desperate losers.
We at WTF, along with many friends in the community, have spent the week locating and removing these stickers. However, White Lives Matter activity has only increased in the past few years, and it’s very likely that you, dear reader, will come across this sad propaganda as well. So today we bring you:
The WHAT THE FUNK Guide to Removing Nazi Propaganda
Step 1: Gather your supplies.
You’ll need: A Paint Scraper, Gloves, Goof Off Graffiti (available at Aces Hardware), A Step Stool, and a Trash Bag
Step 2: Grab a friend and go for a walk!
Nazis tend to post their stickers on locations like art installments, utility boxes, and the backs of street signs. Take a stroll through the neighborhood. Turn it into a game. Whoever finds the most propaganda gets a prize. Remember, it’s safest to do this during the day, and with a friend if possible. Nazis typically only come out at night- probably because they knew they’ll get their asses kicked otherwise.
Step 3: Document and Remove
When you find a sticker, note the location. Take a picture or throw the cross streets into your notes app. Then, spray that sad bullshit with the Goof Off Graffiti. Wait a few seconds, then presto-chango, you and that scraper just restored a Stop sign to its former non-racist glory. Here’s where your trash bag comes in. After you scrape off the sticker, throw it away. We don’t want to litter while fighting white supremacy. If you choose to post pictures of the stickers, be sure to obscure the QR code and the contact information for their message boards. They use these stickers to recruit new members. We don’t want to give them any more reach by sharing that info.
Step 4: Report that shit
The State of Montana chooses not to track these kinds of incidents. (Crazy, right?) But there is an organization that does! The Montana Human Rights Network has a report form. The link to that form is at the bottom of this article. While you’re there, check out their rapid response guide for great info on how we fight assholes like White Lives Matter.
And that’s it! You’ve cleaned up your neighborhood and you’ve helped stop the spread of nazi ideology. Congratulations- you’re antifa now!
https://mhrn.org/reportingform/
https://www.mhrn.org/publications/fact%20sheets%20and%20adivsories/HateIncidentRapid-ResponseGuide.pdf
by Jasmine Taylor | Jul 18, 2023 | LGBTQ+ Issues, Militia and Hate Groups
Pride month has come and gone, but the consequences for a local bigot are just beginning. The Great Falls LGBTQ+ Center hosted its first annual Pride Fest on June 24, 2023. The event featured performers, a slam poetry contest, food vendors, and numerous local artists and businesses. Focused on family fun and inclusion, hundreds of community members joined in the fun.
The only blight on an otherwise lovely day was a single angry man. Holding a sign that read, “F*gs Deserve Oppression” the lone “protestor” walked the perimeter of the Festival. He alternated between blowing a whistle and screaming slurs at passersby. A Festival volunteer followed a few paces behind the man in an attempt to prevent any violence. But violence was clearly what this man was after.
After sharing photos and videos on social media, numerous citizens wrote in identifying the man as William Ross. Research shows that Ross is a Great Falls local and a
“Master Mason” at the Euclid Lodge No. 58 AF & AM. The Lodge’s facebook page shows Ross on the right in their cover photo.
The universe loves irony, and Ross was previously quoted in an article about the Masonic temple. Ross states, “Yeah, that we’re [Masons] a bunch of devil worshippers, child sacrifice, goat ridden’ degenerates. That is the farthest from the truth in every way possible.”
The Freemasons themselves seem to preach a different ideology than the hate displayed by Ross. Euclid 58’s website describes the Freemasons, writing, “ Masons represent virtually every occupation and profession, yet within Freemasonry, they all meet as equals. Masons come from diverse political ideologies, yet meet as friends. Masons come from varied religious beliefs, yet all believe in one God, in religious tolerance, and in individual freedom of thought and conscience.”
You can read about the lodge (and even CONTACT THEM) by accessing their website here: https://euclidlodge58.com/aboutMasons.html
As Pridefest went on, Ross’s behavior escalated. Eventually Ross yelled at citizens crossing the street and engaged in a physical altercation with a man leaving the event. Despite his bravado, Ross immediately began screaming “I’m being assaulted.” Dear readers, Ross was in no way being assaulted. Rather, I put myself in front of Mr. Ross while a volunteer pulled the other man away. After this incident, Ross told Pridefest volunteers that he had a weapon and was willing to use it if he felt “threatened.” Ross was calling people “f*ggts” – it’s quite clear that he was not the one being threatened. One volunteer believed they saw Ross with a gun, at which point the police were called and a report made. Ross left shortly thereafter.
Although Ross openly marched with his sign and even interviewed with a local news station, he then requested his face be hidden for the interview. Most assuredly, Ross has the legal right to yell slurs at people he hates. However, freedom of speech is not freedom from consequences.
After Ross was identified, WTF406 reached out to his employer, Culligan Water. Culligan’s website lists the company’s “Commitments” with #4 reading “Increasing diversity, equity, and inclusion.” Read our correspondence with Culligan below:
[email protected]
Culligan Great Falls Telephone: (406) 761-5050
Good evening,
I write for What The Funk 406, a blog that covers local politics. I am also a member of the LGBTQ+ community, and on June 26, 2023, I attended Great Falls Pride Fest. During this event, a lone individual carried a sign reading “Fags Deserve Oppression.” The man yelled slurs and his behavior eventually escalated to the point that he had to be physically separated from event attendees.
I took the attached video and also shared pictures of the individual on social media. Multiple community members reached out and identified this man as William Ross. Some of the folks that contacted us recognized Ross as a Culligan employee. They also expressed concern about Ross delivering water to their businesses.
A quick look at the Culligan website shows the company has multiple “Commitments.” Commitment #4 reads, “Increasing diversity, equity, and inclusion.”
With this commitment in mind, we request your response to the following questions:
Is Culligan aware of Mr. Ross’s behavior on June 26, 2023?
Does Culligan share Mr. Ross’s view that “Fags deserve oppression?”
Further, should LGBTQ+ community members such as myself feel safe doing business with Culligan and allowing such employees into our offices and homes?
I appreciate your time and will happily answer any questions you may have about the attached photos and video.
Thank you,
WTF406 Staff”
As of this evening, WTF406 has received no response from Culligan.
The man identified as William Ross held this sign during Pridefest.
This video shows Ross screaming at Pridefest attendees
.
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by WTF 406 Staff | Jun 13, 2023 | Elections, Militia and Hate Groups
The library mil election is over and the library won. That’s a good thing. Now Merchant’s supporters and some in the media are saying that it shows she is getting better at running elections. Don’t buy it.
Truth is the supporters of the library went to court because of their concerns about errors Merchant made in the month before the election. Some of the errors in the May school election included:
-Absentee ballots not being sent to certain voters in the school election.
-Failing to verify signatures before separating secrecy envelopes and ballots
-Turning voters away because voting registers were not available
-Ballots were folded improperly and didn’t fit in return envelopes
-Voters receiving absentee ballots which were not sealed
The library levy supporters went to court arguing that a similar pattern was emerging in the library levy election and asked the court to appoint a monitor to assure the library election was run correctly. The district court judge agreed and appointed Lynn Deroche, a former election department supervisor, to monitor Merchant and her employees and make regular reports to the court. Merchant and Cascade County resisted the appointment and had outside counsel to represent them in the proceeding, Then the county’s lawyer objected to correspondence from the library’s lawyers requiring another hearing before the judge. The court denied the objection.
When election day came, we did not see the same screw ups that characterized the school election and the special district elections which are now heading into litigation. Truth is the library election would not have gone as smoothly as it did had the monitor not been in the clerk and recorder’s office every day to make sure the rules and the law were followed. Not exactly what we consider a smooth election.
by WTF 406 Staff | May 31, 2023 | Elections, Militia and Hate Groups
If you’ve been to any of the recent meetings about election problems in Sandra Merchant’s office, you may have noticed a tall woman with shoulder-length, blond hair domineering discussions, even interrupting Sandra Merchant to “help explain and clarify” the Clerk and Recorder’s responses to questions. At the April 25 test of the vote counting equipment, she was confronted by a person in the audience who asked, “Who are you?” She responded that she is an election judge. . .as though that makes her an expert on Montana election law.
Well, her name is Julie Bass. She is not a lawyer, though she appears to think she is. She has no direct experience administering elections in Montana, though that doesn’t stop her from telling you the rules. Her experience as an election judge does not qualify or differentiate her from the dozens of other election judges in the county. Her only expertise in elections, as far as we can tell, comes from her attendance at and participation in local election denier groups. And now, it seems, she thinks she is running the Clerk and Recorder’s office.
Bass was one of the lead organizers of the election denier group that spent a year harassing Rina Fontana Moore and her staff. Their unhinged behavior included following staff to their vehicles and taking pictures of them. However, when confronted with members of the public peacefully observing Merchant and her volunteers, Bass claims folks are being unkind.
At Merchant’s notoriously pedestrian public presentation, Bass defended Merchant and condemned local citizens demanding accountability. Bass and her ilk now claim the Election Protection Committee is engaging in the same type of intimidation tactics and election denial her group promoted in 2022.
Bass, Merchant, and County Commissioner Rae Grulkowski believed wholeheartedly in the claims that the 2020 Presidential election was stolen. They blindly accepted the Fox News lies about election security. Some of them attended training by election conspiracy ring-leader Mike Lindell.
And now the facts about the election deniers conspiracy theories are in. Fox News took a major hit when Dominion won their defamation lawsuit in court. Fox has since had to admit their election fraud claims were lies. They’re paying for those lies to the tune of $787.5 million. Unfortunately for Great Falls, none of that matters to Bass, Grukowlski, and the far-right Pachyderm Club. They continue promoting wacky conspiracy theories and probably will continue to do so until the day they die. They used these lies to elect Sandra Merchant, whose incompetence is already costing Cascade County.
Whereas Bass’s inane conspiracy theories have been proven to be based purely in fiction, the Election Protection Committee’s claims are supported by truth and fact.
Fact: Superintendent Tom Moore reported receiving two different totals for the May 2, 2023 school board election. The difference between the numbers provided by the Election Administrator and those provided by the County Attorney were 75 votes.
Fact: Voters reported receiving MULTIPLE ballots for the School Board Election. Two precincts with over 400 voters didn’t receive absentee ballots whatsoever. On election day, voters were turned away because Sandra Merchant opened the polls late.
Fact: Merchant’s glaring errors were significant enough to convince a judge to appoint an Election Monitor to protect the integrity of the library levy.
Fact: Voters in both the Fort Shaw Irrigation District and West Great Falls Flood and Drainage Control District have file a lawsuit due to Merchant’s errors. Their attorney described the election as “a complete failure.” Read excerpts from his scathing letter here:
https://theelectricgf.com/2023/05/18/local-attorney-asks-county-not-to-certify-results-of-may-2-special-district-elections/
So as Julie Bass continues to hold court at any meeting regarding elections, we wonder, is she also assuming responsibility for these numerous errors? Bass is neither a county employee nor an elected official, though she has certainly inserted herself as a public figure. Why, then, is she being allowed to speak on behalf of Merchant? Why are members of the public having their questions for Merchant intercepted by an election denier with no authorization to speak on behalf of the county? And at what point do Cascade County officials have an obligation to stop the takeover of the Elections office by a fringe group of conspiracy theorists?
by Jasmine Taylor | May 25, 2023 | Guest Articles, Militia and Hate Groups
Local news has been hard to come by since the Great Falls Tribune suffered a drastic reduction in force. So, we’ll be highlighting state and local journalists who are working hard to cover Montana happenings. Today’s selection is a piece from The Daily Montanan. The same White Christian Nationalism that dominated the 2023 Legislative Session has also shaped Great Falls’ politics for the past two election cycles. Read about this dangerous movement here:
White Christian Nationalism and the 2023 Montana Legislature
