In interviews with USA Today’s Will Carless, three men with ties to the Wisconsin chapter of the far-right Proud Boys confessed that they expected something more along the lines of a drinking club when they joined up — only to find the organization riddled with racism, homophobia and some members glorifying murder and rape.
According to 40-year-old Army veteran Daniel Berry, a friend at a Wisconsin VFW recommended the Proud Boys to him by pointing out, “The group was vocal in its support for then-President Donald Trump, whom Berry had voted for. They called themselves ‘Western chauvinists’ and said they welcomed true men. That sounded about right for Berry, who considers himself a dyed-in-the-wool patriot,” so he checked them out and sent them an email.
What he found later — after being invited into a private chatroom — disgusted him. Continue reading.