John Jay Fitzgerald Johnson, known as Grand Master Jay, claims leadership of the group and has stated that it is composed of "ex military shooters." Johnson, who was an independent candidate for U.S. president in 2016, stated, "We are a Black militia. We aren't protesters, we aren't demonstrators. We don't come to sing, we don't come to chant. That's not what we do." Furthermore, in the same interview, Johnson expressed Black Nationalist views, putting forth the view that the United States should either hand the state of Texas over to African-Americans so that they may form an independent country, or allow African-Americans to depart the United States to another country that would provide land upon which to form an independent nation.
Activities
The first reported appearance of NFAC members was a May 12, 2020 protest near Brunswick, Georgia over the February killing of Ahmaud Arbery, though they were identified by local media as "Black Panthers". Johnson states that NFAC provided armed security for the sister of Rayshard Brooks at her request. NFAC escorted her to a rally in downtown Atlanta in late June. On the Fourth of July 2020, about 100 or 200 mostly armed NFAC members marched through Stone Mountain Park near Atlanta, Georgia, calling for the removal of the Confederate monument. The Stone Mountain Memorial Association, which operates the park, stated that the protesters were peaceful and orderly. Johnson stated of the site, which is important to the Ku Klux Klan: "Our initial goal was to have a formation of our militia in Stone Mountain to send a message that as long as you're abolishing all these statues across the country, what about this one?" A NFAC member at the protest said, "I want the heart of the Ku Klux Klan to hear me no matter where the fuck you are. I'm in your house. Where you at? You made a threat. We don't threaten." On July 25, about 200 NFAC members gathered in Louisville, Kentucky to protest the lack of action against the officers responsible for the March shooting of Breonna Taylor. On July 20, Kentucky Attorney GeneralDaniel Cameron and Louisville Metro Council PresidentDavid James had a phone conversation with Johnson, which the AG's office described as "productive". In response to the announced NFAC presence, about 50 armed Three Percenters counter-protested. Louisville police in riot gear separated the two groups. Three NFAC members were wounded during a negligent weapon discharge.
