Enrique Tarrio, leader of the right-wing Proud Boys group and a Trump supporter, attends a “Stop the Steal” rally outside the Georgia State Capitol to challenge the outcome of the U.S. presidential election in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S., Nov. 18, 2020.
Proud Boys USA leader and co-founder Henry [Enrique] Tarrio has been released from prison, but a judge ordered him not to stay in Washington, D.C., until his next court hearing.
Tarrio faces charges of destruction of property and two felony charges involving weapons, WTOP reported. Police say he was in possession of two high-capacity magazines when he was arrested Monday (Jan. 4).
Superior Court Magistrate Renee Raymond released Talio after he posted bail. But he was not allowed to remain in Washington until June.
Talio pleaded not guilty to the charges, and his attorney asked the judge to rescind the order to keep him away from Black Lives Matter Plaza and its surrounding area. However, the judge, citing Talio’s social media posts, asserted that Talio could have vandalized other Black Lives Matter-related signs.
The judge said, “In Washington, D.C., people have ‘Black Lives Matter’ banners, posters, placards, etc., hanging in front of their homes. So, I deny your request.”
On Monday, Talio was accused of burning a “Black Lives Matter” banner. The flag was said to have been taken down from the Asbury United Methodist Church in downtown Washington.
Pastor Ianther Mills said in an interview Monday that the church community “certainly felt some relief to some degree” after his arrest. But she said that despite that, “we are still concerned” about the large number of protesters expected in the area.
Mills said another “Black Lives Matter” sign was taken from the church during the Christmas holiday, prompting her to formally ask police to provide additional protection for the church during the planned Wednesday protest. She said local police have already begun extra patrols in the area.
“The Proud Boys’ website says the group is committed to protecting free speech and the Second Amendment. Their other core values, as stated on their website, are to fight drugs and racism and to support small government and strong borders.
For the past several months, members of the Proud Boys have been staying at the Hotel Harrington in Washington, DC. The hotel has announced that it will be closed in the coming days due to protests in the area.
In a statement on Facebook, the hotel said, “Washington, D.C. has been our home for 106 years, and we join all of our guests, visitors, staff and neighbors in caring and hoping for the health and safety of everyone.”
Talio took to Twitter (Twitter) to respond to the hotel management’s decision to close.
He wrote, “They’ve become victims of fake news. With @theproudboys, you can see in real time the dirty work the media machine is doing for the globalists. The media has become the enemy of the people.”
Ali Alexander, an organizer of the “Stop Vote Theft” campaign, tweeted that they should sue the hotel.
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