A year later, the NFAC returned to Louisville and listened to Grandmaster Jay speak about self-defense, Black nation-building and Black empowerment. The militia’s numbers had decreased dramatically, however.
The reason for the marked change was that after a second rally, Grandmaster Jay had been charged with impeding, assaulting or resisting officers while in possession of a firearm.
Federal prosecutors claim that he pointed a rifle at a group of officers performing rooftop surveillance. He now faces three to 27 years in prison if he is convicted.
While he waits for his trial, he has been ordered not to possess a firearm nor use social media.
Grandmaster Jay has said that he is merely another Black leader that earned the ire of the federal government.
“You put me back in the cave,” he said. “It was a methodology used to silence a very powerful voice in the world.”
His argument is based on empirical fact. White militia groups regularly assert their dominance in public spaces without the interference of law enforcement. This was most notably witnessed
during the Capitol Riot.Further, the number of law enforcement officials whose double life involves their membership in white militias is noteworthy.
Grandmaster Jay has said that the NFAC was birthed out of the increased racial aggression of the Trump administration and focused on self-defense. The ultimate goal is for Black people to have their own government.
Extremism experts agree, however, that NFAC has not risen to the level of far-right extremist groups such as the Oath Keepers.
Until his day in court, Grandmaster Jay had just one warning for the government.
“It would be intelligent for them not to ignore me.”