A Black militia that marched in Louisville after the shooting of Breonna Taylor is led by a man with connections to the Cincinnati area who documents say was discharged from the Army "under other than honorable conditions,” ran for president in 2016 and claimed to be a notable rapper and DJ.
The group is called the “Not F---ing Around Coaliton” (NFAC). According to court documents, one of its goals is to create a Black “ethnostate.” Members carry assault-style rifles during marches.
Its leader is 57-year-old John Fitzgerald Johnson, who calls himself “Grandmaster Jay” and says he had a career as a rapper, DJ and producer. The online trail for Grandmaster Jay includes a handful of biographies that appear to be self-submitted, a Wikipedia page that was deleted and numerous message board and social media posts accusing him of being a fraud.
Johnson was charged in early December in connection with alleged actions Sept. 4 in Louisville. Officials say he pointed an AR-15-style rifle at officers who were on the rooftop of a building, watching over a park where protesters had gathered. There are two cases pending against him: One in federal court in Louisville, the other in state court.
The Enquirer reached out to Johnson through two email addresses associated with him. A woman who identified herself as "Debbie James, Esq." and said she is a member of NFAC, declined to comment on Johnson’s behalf.
In a Dec. 11 interview posted on YouTube, Johnson said he is fighting both cases.
“You all know they’re doing this to break me financially, because they’re going to drag it out,” he said in the interview. “They’re going to throw everything they have at me, because we know this whole thing is bull----.”
Johnson was living in a townhouse apartment in West Chester when he was arrested. Five years ago, when he filed with the Federal Election Commission to run for president as an independent, he listed an address in Reading.
Johnson’s West Chester home was searched on Dec. 3, court documents say, and agents seized six assault-style rifles, ammunition, rifle magazines and body armor. Investigators were looking for the rifle Johnson allegedly used in Louisville.
In an application for a search warrant, an FBI agent said the NFAC eventually wants to form a new country “owned and created by Black people.”
The group went to Louisville in July and September. It also has organized armed marches in two towns in Georgia, Washington, D.C. and Lafayette, Louisiana, the documents say.
Johnson described the group’s long-term goals in an interview with media during the September protests in Louisville. He talked about acquiring land from various African leaders and eventually being part of the United Nations.
“We need our own home. We need our own culture. We need our own money,” he said. “We need our own military. We need to be able to determine our own destiny. So when you kill one of us, you got to deal with our grief.”
Johnson is not being detained as he awaits trial. According to a motion filed Dec. 18 in federal court by his public defender, Johnson has been producing two shows on Instagram, “Factz over Feelingz” and “Morning Mental.” His "livelihood depends in part on these productions," the motion says.
The FBI became aware of Johnson after an anonymous tip in May 2020. There were videos on YouTube in which Johnson responded to the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, documents say.
According to the application for the search warrant, in a video posted June 5, Johnson “stated that the only way to stop police violence is to identify and locate the homes of police, burn the houses to the ground, kill the officers, their family members and associates.”
Military background
The documents also outline Johnson’s military history. He served in the Virginia National Guard before enlisting in the Army, where he served from 1990 until 1997, when he was honorably discharged.
Johnson re-enlisted in 1998, the documents say, but went through a court-martial trial and was discharged under “other than honorable conditions.”
Despite that, Johnson was able to re-enlist in December 2003 in an administrative role. Documents say the FBI is investigating whether Johnson committed fraud in order to re-enlist. According to the documents, by 2005, he was placed on AWOL status and classified as a “Deserter/Absentee.”
In 2006, he was again formally discharged "under other than honorable conditions,” the documents say.
Grandmaster Jay
There was also widespread online criticism of Grandmaster Jay, after he appeared as “The Legendary Grandmaster Jay” in a 2013 online ad for a DJ product. Many said they’d never heard of him. And the music performed in the ad was apparently taken from a famous performer, DJ Jazzy Jeff, who said in an Instagram post that the music was from one of his live performances.
“I don't care if you are the worst DJ in the world...I'll give you credit,” the post said. “JUST DONT FAKE IT.”
A website for the "Original Grandmaster Jay" includes a page with a photo of Johnson holding a rifle and wearing a sweatshirt that has "The Legendary Grandmaster Jay" on the front. The website says he "was a veteran of the Hip Hop game since Day 1" and that he "made a name for himself in the Hip Hop World as a rapper, deejay, and producer."
Grandmaster Flash, an acclaimed DJ whose rap group is in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, weighed in on Facebook in 2013: "who is Grandmaster Jay? he said he came up with me as a pioneer Dj – i dont recall you sir."
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