An Enigmatic Activist: NFAC's John "Grandmaster Jay" Johnson

"We have a country where if someone wants to protest at the Statehouse, they can carry assault rifles, if their skin is white." (Sean Walton, attorney for the family of Casey Goodson, Jr., 23, a legal gun owner, shot by a U.S. Deputy Marshal for reportedly waving a gun around. KNPR, December 10, 2020)

John "Grandmaster Jay" Johnson, 57, outspoken leader of black militia/activist group, Not Fucking Around Coalition (NFAC), faces up to 20 years in federal prison for allegedly aiming an AR platform style rifle at federally deputized Task Force officers (FBI, Secret Service, and Louisville Metro Police Department) stationed on a rooftop during a September 4 demonstration in Louisville, Kentucky, where protesters were demanding justice in the shooting of 26-year-old Breonna Taylor.

(Taylor, an EMT, whose death led to nationwide protests, was killed on March 13, 2020, when shots were fired into her apartment by plainclothes officers, Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly, Detective Myles Cosgrove, and now-former Detective Brett Hankinson, during a botched warrant search.)

On December 4, Revolt reported,“…the FBI filed a criminal complaint claiming (Johnson) “forcibly assaulted, resisted, opposed, impeded, intimidated and interfered with federally deputized task force officers…”

The NFAC first caught my attention last July when approximately 400 members—dressed black paramilitary-style, faces covered by masks, and holding assault rifles—showed up in Stone Mountain, GA, demanding the removal of a nine-story high sculpture, the length of a football field, engraved with likenesses of Confederate heroes: Jefferson Davis (president of the southern Confederacy), Robert E. Lee (a commander in the Confederate Army), and General Stonewall Jackson.

At that time, I wondered, “Who is this guy who resembles a young Malcolm X in his fiery rhetoric and “fuck y’all” stance?” Is he a headline--grabbing poseur? What is NFAC’s mission? Does he really seek armed confrontations with white militia groups?

A Ubiquitous Presence

Johnson’s ubiquitous presence on YouTube and “Facz Ova Feelinz” on Instagram Live reveals his long-standing involvement in two arenas: entertainment and political activism.

On YouTube, as Grandmaster Jay, he performs, does live hip-hop events, and demonstrates beats on a turntable-like “toy” from the defunct BeamzDJ company.

On “Facz Ova Feelinz,” Johnson holds forth on topics like the racial superiority of blacks, the biblical roots of tithing, police brutality, nutrition, police violence, gun laws in Georgia, and the importance of well-organized NFAC demonstrations.

In a 2015 YouTube interview Johnson, conservatively attired in a black suit, white shirt, and black tie, announced his 2016 candidacy for President (as John Fitzgerald Johnson), running as an Independent (according to the Federal Election Commission’s website). His words are measured and thoughtful.

 “I’ve worn several hats in my life. I am ex-military (as Sgt. Johnson); I’m also an ordained minister, so that would be Pastor Johnson or Minister Jay, or you know me in the entertainment field as Grandmaster Jay…You may know me for all of the activism I’ve being doing for almost the last seven months…in the Black Lives Matter (BLM) Movement…”

On July 4, 2020 in Stone Mountain, Georgia, however, his bombastic rhetoric signaled a reversal in his relationship with BLM: “Fuck Black Lives Matter! We don’t fuck with them. We don’t talk. We don’t sing. We ain’t trying to overcome. We ain’t tryin’ to hold hands with you no mo. We don’t give a fuck about yo’ “rainbow.” (NFAC) is for black people. We can never have nothin’ to our damn selves. So we gonna have this to our damn selves.”

Unpopular

NFAC’s public stance is reminiscent of the Black Panthers for Self-Defense, so it is no surprise that the fledgling organization (founded in 2017), is viewed with suspicion and anger by government officials, white supremist groups (i.e., The Proud Boys) and some factions of law enforcement.

During the sixties, the Black Panthers, garbed in black with their signature black berets evoked outrage (and fear) among white Americans, law enforcement, and politicians. The Panthers (like other black activist organizations at the time) became targets of the FBI’s Counterintelligence Program (COINTELPRO) surveillance. Despite the Panther’s community activism through its free breakfast and lunch programs for children and community health classes, government agencies considered them dangers to the state, now known as “domestic terrorists.”

To ensure that NFAC demonstrations remain peaceful, and to control any non-NFAC demonstrators who might show up seeking confrontation or disruption, Johnson always confers with local police departments.

In the wake of the August 21 shooting death of 31-year-old Trayford Pellerin by Lafayette police officers, NFAC met with public officials.

On September 30, Lafayette Mayor-President Josh Guillory told the Lafayette Daily Advertiser "There has been strong coordination and strong communications between law enforcement agencies," Guillory said. "(NFAC) requested (the permit), and there's no reason to deny it, and they were issued it."

Likewise, the Lafayette Daily Advertiser reported that “…Johnson said on a Facebook live forum Monday night that members will not initiate violence or break laws…(and) he had met with Sheriff Mark Garber and city police officials.”

2nd Amendment, Right?

The National Rifle Association (NRA), white militia groups, and Stand Your Ground advocates quote the 2nd Amendment of the Constitution when challenged about the necessity of gun ownership, even in the wake of mass shootings that have killed thousands of Americans and the deaths of African Americans at the hands of white vigilantes or homeowners.

Yet, the idea of black men and women arming themselves under the 2nd Amendment or concealed carry laws is unpalatable to many Americans. Like most things related to black oppression/resistance, the remedies for social and racial injustice are complex, wide-ranging, and sometimes, contradictory.

Most African American seek change through social activism, legal remedies, or institutional reforms, yet on a visceral level, many are frustrated by the slow pace of change in addressing racism and inequality in all their forms.

I remain ambivalent about Johnson and the NFAC; the rational side of me recognizes that his incendiary words can polarize, but the emotional side of me hails his outspokenness.

African Americans are tired of fucking around. We are tired of DAs not prosecuting police officers for killing unarmed black Americans, we are tired being denied access to affordable housing, quality medical care, racial justice, and economic incentives (i.e. business capital or mortgage loans).

Men like Johnson speak to that anger and impatience.

Most of the black people that I have spoken to believe the charges against Johnson are a set-up to destabilize NFAC, promote the idea that its members are domestic terrorists, and to de-legitimize their actions.

As history has shown, this is what governments do when groups such as NFAC say in public, what many African Americans think in private.

 © 2021 wistajohnson.com (Reprint by permission only.)

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