Part 56: Why I am Staying on Substack to Fight Nazis – Corruption Lessons
Published December 23, 2023. Updated December 30, 2024.
Photo of the Malibu Pier at night by author (GoPro Hero 11 Black).
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By Zachary Ellison, Independent Journalist
The cool night air of Southern California requires only a light jacket for much of the year. Beneath mine is a side pack with a bottle of Jose Cuervo illegally obtained from a liquor store. The part I’ve gone to in Arcadia at Peck Road Park next to the golf course is well enough hidden away. I park my 1993 Honda Accord LX, bought from an old lady in Palos Verdes, in the lot and make my way down to the reservoir shoreline with my friends. Then I see them, Nazis, their skinned heads standing out like the most proverbial Nazi Bar.
I’m like, why am I here before the word starts to spread? The police are in the parking lot of the golf course, and we make our way toward the exit before being apprehended. The police take my tequila, but soon after calling our parents, their attention turns elsewhere. The kids from Sierra Madre, not like me from East Pasadena, one of the young men who I didn’t know, an African American, has snatched a purse from one of the kids and taken off into the channel. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department helicopter comes overhead.
The Arcadia Police take quick statements from the Sierra Madre kids, laugh at us one more time as they lecture me over the tequila bottle, and me and two compatriots remain will the kids are let go for the night. Others remain in the park hidden overnight as the police search to end the illicit party. Now not all skinheads are Nazis, just the other night in Hollywood late I spotted a man in a jacket, the lettering unmistakable, I knew what it meant immediately.
S.H.A.R.P. Skinheads Against Racial Prejudice. The sweatshirt with its large patch is brown instead of black. I chalk it up to the industrial punk show scene I’m at even as I know, I don’t really even like to get that close to the idea of the Nazis. Now don’t get me wrong, when I was at Reed College in Portland, Oregon, I had my Doc Martens 1914 and stalked the pool with my awkward overhanded shot and indulged in all the greatness the most free at the time college in the country had to offer. Hollywood 2023 isn’t Olde Reed, and Substack has declined to ban the 16 Nazi accounts identified by Substackers Against Nazis.
People on Threads are saying this is a Nazi Bar. The founders of Substack have explicitly declined to add Nazi content to their Terms of Service even as they prohibit threats of violence and pornographic content. If you ask me Substack needs to ban the Nazis, but I’m going to stay and fight. I didn’t leave the punk show in Hollywood because someone still resembles the Nazis. What happened with Arcadia Police and the LASD that night was pretty messed up, I still went and broke the rules of being grounded the first chance that I got when I was 17.
Chris Best, Jairaj Sethi and Hamish McKenzie issued their statement, and I will link to it below along with the competing statements issued by the ostensibly “free speech” camp and the elite Substackers Against Nazis with whom I have aligned as current faction. “Given that, we don't think that censorship (including through demonetizing publications) makes the problem go away—in fact, it makes it worse,” the Substack Founders justify their decision to allow the 16 accounts identified by Jonathan Katz in his reporting in the Atlantic.
Would you believe not everyone loves the Atlantic? I was shocked too, but while I loathe Nazis, more on that in a moment, I’m not ceding the field of battle even as I plan to expand my operations. Hello Medium? More now than ever with allegations of political corruption floating around Los Angeles Police Department Chief Michel Moore in the worst type of way, you couldn’t help but think maybe he was on to something in condemning outright Nazi figure Jamie McBride, the outspoken leader of the Los Angeles Police Protective League.
As reported on December 8 in the Los Angeles Times Libor Jany, the baldheaded McBride for writing in a column criticizing perceived low standards in the LAPD that “Coolio-style hair” was prevalent among African-American officers. “I would ask that Jamie reflect upon the evolution of our societal standards and that he evolve as well,” Moore said in an interview with Jany, only to be cast weeks later in a major story by Jany, Richard Winton and Matt Hamilton as engaging in political corruption in the interest of billionaire former mayoral candidate Rick Caruso.
So if we’re looking for Nazis, and I do think the 16 meet the mark, please could we also start checking in the Los Angeles Police Department and other law enforcement agencies? There’s nothing worse than a Nazi loving cop. Now McBride has defended himself after the Jany article on his column, writing in a follow-up post on the LAPPL website criticizing Jany: “But the race-baiting Time's article focused on male black officers who have skin conditions that make it difficult to shave.” Considering some of the past statements of McBride, it’s hard to take him seriously when even Moore thinks that Jamie McBride is a clown.
As Moore observed in the December 8 article, McBride is heavily tattooed on his arms in the sleeve-style and sports a goatee sometimes. So for McBride to criticize the grooming standards of others is hysterical. Now I admit, I could request comment from the LAPPL about this story, but frankly what’s been said has been said, and I don’t believe McBride’s half-hearted denial defending his writings on departmental grooming standards. Jany didn’t make it a race-thing!
So when Jamie McBride accuses the LA Times of race-baiting even as they are getting ready to report that same day on Moore of being biased, I just don’t believe him. McBride gives some long story about a past case in the LAPD from a “1999 LA Times article” on a similar lawsuit to show his apparent concern for African-American police officers before leaking a snippet of text message from his ambush of Jany after the article was published. Wait for it? McBride uses Bernard Parks, former LAPD Chief and City Councilmember as his example of who Jany should talk to for reporting wisdom.
Readers may recall that while McBride led the LAPPL he directed them to spend millions of dollars in advertising attacking current Mayor of Los Angeles Karen Bass for having accepted a scholarship for her Masters of Social Work degree from USC. McBride is undoubtedly for Rick Caruso, but Bernard Parks hates Caruso’s guts. He even wrote a 12 page letter before the November 2022 elections in April denouncing Caruso for having forced him out of his position as Chief of LAPD writing “Another thing I learned about Caruso is that, if given a choice, I probably wouldn’t take him to a gunfight” before referencing the time Caruso allegedly called Congresswoman Maxine Waters a foul name.
I’m not afraid of Jamie McBride, I’m not buying his baloney, and even as I disagree with Substack management’s decision to allow the aforementioned Nazis to remain. In regards to the recent reporting on political corruption by Chief Moore from the Times trio that two Internal Affairs Detectives made complaints against Moore for ordering them to stop an investigation into corrupt retired LAPD captain Cory Palka over his ties to USC, I’m inclined to think that two IA detectives aren’t pulling tricks for the LAPPL.
When they reported that Moore attempted to intervene through a subordinate in Internal Affairs to end their investigation into Palka and to instead investigate the Mayor, well I believe those two whistleblowers. They’ve lawyered up, and it remains to be seen when the Times trio, or Jany alone, will continue this path of destruction through the LAPD hierarchy, but I’m absolutely loving it and it’s not just because the LAPD scandals have been picking up lately. Apple Air Tags for stalking women and gang detail officers who stop cars to steal from the public. All normal, and exceptionally well-funded by the taxpayers!
What Substack’s management could do with the cool $400 million the LAPD just got for raises! One thing I’ll say before one final story about USC is that Hamish McKenzie never replied to my email about how to start a Substack whistleblower program, but then again perhaps I’m just really here to hunt Nazis! So absent additional content moderation, in the interest of my subscribers, and the greater Substack audience I’m taking the nom de guerre of “Chief Nazi Hunter of Substack” - a much needed public service! I’m starting my Nazi reduction quest with the LAPD, but please send me other targets. This battle will continue until all Nazism in America has been ended.
In all fairness to Chief Moore, he did deny the LA Times report of the two IA detectives allegations against him rapidly with a classic Moore statement saying they were “patently false” in a press release entitled “Department Statement on False Media Report” (NR23794km). According to Moore, there never was the Caruso fantasized investigation into Mayor Bass’s scholarship from the USC School of Social Work made in the same behind Closed Doors fashion critics allege as Mark Ridley-Thomas who was convicted of Federal corruption charges and is free on bail pending appeal.
It's important to note that the LA Fed Tapes scandal which has embroiled Los Angeles is not mentioned at all in the LA Times reporting on Moore’s alleged political corruption on Caruso’s behalf involving USC, Cory Palka, and the requested Bass investigation. Compared to my coverage per say on the arrest of activist Edin Alex Enamorado the LA Times also apparently did not locate critical video evidence that I reported on in good faith. I tend to think that there are mistakes, and then there are coincidences, and while mistakes happen, I don’t believe that coincidences all the time are meaningless.
Everything happens for reason. I also don’t tend to believe that the IA investigation was just totally centered around Cory Palka using his Les Moonves CBS connections to get his daughter an internship. Palka who was exposed by a New York Attorney General investigation into insider trading following his betrayal of sexual assault victim Phyllis Golden-Gottlieb is the canary in the coal mine of the Caruso world. The odds that Caruso doesn’t known Palka, and that Caruso’s close advisor Sam Garrison don’t known Palka is extremely low. It’s the same fishbowl!
The Los Angeles Times hasn’t responded to Moore’s denial of the allegations. LAPD hasn’t disciplined Palka. Substack’s management has at least responded to our Nazi concerns even as they waffle on if they really want to be the Nazi Bar. If you ask me, they simply haven’t felt sufficient pressure. In any investigation with the passage of time opportunities both fade and emerge. As Substacker Ken White wrote yesterday in a popular column: “Substack Has A Nazi Opportunity” it’s a simple matter of environment, “Substack has Nazis, because of course it does.” How obvious, I love surprises!
Moore said something about Karen Bass, that’s for sure. As all of Carusoville licked its wounds following their flop in November 2022 despite outspending her 10-1 the idea that Michel Moore holds no political beliefs and doesn’t ever express them seems unlikely. That’s a whole lot of smoke for there not to be a fire. So back to the story I began with, the police never apprehended the purse thief, it wasn’t for lack of trying. They weren’t covering anything up that night, no even as they failed to appear with the Nazis who had been at the party hiding in the mud. No dirty magic this time!
Whether it’s the lapses of the Substack or the lapses of the Los Angeles Police Department, there’s one simple solution, keep your head low, keep investigating, and when it’s time to fight, move slow but with purpose. As the Popehat Report writes about Substack management: “McKenzie is begging the question — assuming his premise that support of freedom of expression requires Substack to accept Nazis, not just for the government to refrain from suppressing Nazis.” Well I’m here to suppress some Nazis, and oppress the LAPD for a change along with the Los Angeles Times of course, and treasonous right-wing conspiracies. Funny how that works.
Links:
‘Coolio-style hair’: LAPD union official’s column sparks backlash and debate - December 8, by Libor Jany in the Los Angeles Times.
Detectives claim LAPD chief sought investigation of Mayor Bass over USC scholarship - December 19, by Libor Jany and Richard Winton in the Los Angeles Times.
The Tabloid Times by Jamie McBride, December 19, Los Angeles Police Protective League.
Substack Has a Nazi Opportunity, December 23, by Ken White, The Popehat Report
Please support my work with your subscription, or for direct support, use Venmo, CashApp, PayPal, or Zelle using zachary.b.ellison@gmail.com
Zachary Ellison is an Independent Journalist and Whistleblower in the Los Angeles area. Zach was most recently employed by the University of Southern California, Office of the Provost, from October 2015 to August 2022 as an Executive Secretary and Administrative Assistant, supporting the Vice Provost for Academic Operations and the Vice Provost and Senior Advisor to the Provost, among others. Zach holds a Master’s in Public Administration and a Graduate Certificate in Sustainable Policy and Planning from the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy. While a student at USC, he worked for the USC Good Neighbors Campaign, including on their university-wide newsletter. Zach completed his B.A. in History at Reed College in Portland, Oregon, and was a writer, editor, and photographer for the Pasadena High School Chronicle. He was Barack Obama’s one-millionth online campaign contributor in 2008. Zach is a former AmeriCorps intern for Hawaii State Parks and worked for the City of Manhattan Beach Parks and Recreation. He is a trained civil process server and enjoys weekends in the outdoors. Zach is a member of the Los Angeles Press Club.
Why not just block them and write about things more interesting? I don't get the point. These are fools writing about something, there's no real world consequences.
Sounds like a worthwhile project.
For some time now, deeply resented the Atlantic. Then I will be googling something to find something out and stumble across the most fantastic and fascinating articles in The Atlantic. For a while, I said to myself ‘clearly this RAG is only putting out these good articles to soften us up for that BS propaganda and lies.’ But I think this was something oversimplistic. Maybe we could just think about the Atlantic as kind of like substack, with editors? I don’t know. I do resent publications that publish BS lies and amplify lying right wing narratives intensely. They tag team with other outlets without the slightest concern for 1) the truth of their arguments 2) the effect of their arguments and 3) they conceal the political source of their arguments in the public relations machine of the right wing. They intentionally choose narratives about specific targeted minority groups and they also clutter up the information space with pointless hysteria about made-up shit.
Sorry just needed to get that rant in there. That said, here’s ANOTHER major problem I see, which is they conceal, either intentionally for from pure laziness, the rise of the far right and the stuff they do. For example, I saw many times on Twitter during the BLM protests actually filmed footage of white supremacist groups committing crimes right in the open in the hopes of destroying support for the protests. Then, I went and looked at the newspapers of the cities where these things happened. And yes, they arrested white supremacists in these cities like Charlottesville and Minneapolis and Richmond and so forth. And to their credit, the police said that white supremacists had done these things and were a threat to the cities. In fact, I know an ex-cop who said they are actually the only group he was afraid would kill him when he was an officer. (He was white, and also ex--military so maybe looks like a white supremacist but is deeply opposed to racism, homophobia, transphobia, Islamophobia, etc. He was constantly talking about what a threat these people are to America and public safety way before 1/6.) You would think there would be many news stories! But there ALMOST NEVER ARE. Not good ones. In addition, when the anti-shutdown and anti-mask protests happened where I live the citizen journalists spotted all the usual harmful people...the ones who come out in scary ways to disrupt pride parades. And they commented on this. But did we read about this in the newspaper, that these protesters were scary Nazi types? No, of course not.
This imbalance pisses me off a lot. But it’s also exhausting. I’m just some boring old middle aged person. I am not a radical. I don’t want to read the newspapers I have relied on over the course of my life and become some crank calling bullshit on everything, becoming bitter and distrustful. But what do you do when there is so much BULLSHIT?
I am unsure.