A CITIZEN JOURNALIST

As a San Diego Police O cer for over 24 years, I have frequently led the police response to mostly peaceful and some violent civil disturbances. I knew what would happen next.

e metal courthouse doors burst open with a loud clank as the federal o cers exited, rapidly ring low lethal munitions and deploying ash bangs to push back the overtly violent attackers.

mination to protect his fellow o cers. I could tell he did not want to shoot the man with the baseball bat, but as he yelled for him to back up, the man refused and pressed closer, raising the baseball bat above his head.

As a reporter, I did not want to be part of the story, but I also had to do something. I put down my phone and intervened. I grabbed the attacker by the collar of his shirt and pulled him back as he yelled at the o cer, “I’m ready to die tonight!”

I lied to the baseball bat-wielding criminal. I told him, “Not tonight; we need you back tomorrow!” e rioter continued screaming, and in the videos, you can see him brandishing the baseball bat and yelling at the o cers that they were “pigs and telling them to get back in their hole.” ey then detonated multiple small metal canisters containing CS chemical agents at our feet. Each canister rapidly pushed its chemical irritant into the cold and damp air with a sinister sounding hiss as the screams of rioters continually threatened the federal o cers.

As daylight lightened the darkened sky, things quieted. Walking back to my small hotel room, I re ected that both good and evil people must be exhausted.

I o en wonder if being at these riots is a good idea. I am north of sixty years old and travel alone as a fully credentialed independent journalist. Although many of the rioters are a third of my age and are yelling that they want America to start over, I know their moms and dads are likely still paying their cell phone bills.

I moved to the north side of the federal courthouse, slid my iPhone behind the metal perimeter fence, and pushed the slow-motion record icon. at’s when I saw the icker of a ame as a Molotov cocktail tumbled awkwardly over the metal fence. e glass bottle shattered as it struck the heavily scarred concrete sidewalk and exploded into a rising inferno of ames illuminating the federal o cers.

On this single evening, I saw countless attacks on federal o cers. In one instance, a rioter struck an o cer in the back with a baseball bat. e o cer to his le quickly raised up his short-stock MP-5 ri e and pointed it at the assailant.

I saw fear in the o cer’s youthful eyes and could tell he was about the same age as my sons. I also saw his deter-

A few hours later, I brought my recorded evidence to Portland’s downtown police station, which ironically is right next door to the Federal Courthouse. A er showing my retired SDPD Lieutenant’s badge and my press credentials to the front counter o cer, I asked him to look at my phone. When I began playing the video, He had a shocked look on his face and suddenly turned away and yelled, “I cannot look at that! I would have to make a dozen phone calls, and I still couldn’t look at it or help you!”

I was dumbfounded. I turned to the sheri ’s deputy, who was guarding the front door of the police station, and he also declined to help. e sheri ’s deputy added that they had been ordered by the Mayor of Portland and the Governor of the State of Oregon not to assist the Federal Government in any manner.

It explained why in the pitched battle a few hours earlier, I would see local and state police o cers drive quickly past the riot and pull into the safety of the underground parking lot of their police station. e federal o cers fought alone for their lives and to protect the courthouse. is new information added to my foul mood, and I took a deep breath and turned to walk out.

Before I got to the door, I stopped and turned around. Holding my phone in my right hand, I asked, “Gentlemen, am I still in America?” e Portland Police O cer said nothing and just stared at me. He could see I did not like him or the response he had given me. A er an extended pause, I looked at the Multnomah County Sheri Deputy to my right, who audibly exhaled, shook his head from side to side, and said, “I know, LT. It sucks.” at morning I forwarded the rebombing recording to our San Diego FBI O ce and the FBI O ce in Portland, Oregon. Still, neither of them was interested in investigating the re-bombing. I watched the Senate hearings in Washington in dismay when they said there were no re-bombings at the courthouse. I then posted the re-bombing video on Facebook. e very next day, Facebook disabled my account. ose experiences and many others over the last ve years as a part-time independent citizen journalist have changed my perspective on America and our news sources. I remain passionate about our rights as Americans to protest peacefully and the freedom of the press.

I have learned a lot in the last few years, and one is how to get my material published. I never charge news outlets for videos or still photographs. I just want the truth out. If you want to see videos of various protests and civil disturbances, you can see them at www.rayshay1097.com, or on Twitter @rayshay1097.

It took me almost a year, but evidently, my video of the assailant with the baseball bat striking the federal o cer nally landed on the right investigators desk. e man below was arrested and pled guilty in federal court to assaulting a federal o cer.

I rmly believe for our democracy to remain intact, people must know the truth about what is going on. Much of what I have seen on television does not accurately re ect what I witness in person.

I have seen law enforcement o cers and protestors do illegal or improper things. Observing much like an umpire at a sporting event, calling the balls and strikes at a civil disturbance increases my unique area of expertise. I was on the ground in many cities, including Seattle, Hong Kong, Paris, Los Angelos, and San Diego. I was also in Kenosha, Wisconsin, that fateeful night where I spoke brie y with Kyle Rittenhouse a few minutes before his high powered rounds exited the barrel of his AR-15 style assault ri e.

Last year at the request of the San Diego County District Attorney’s O ce, I provided an extensive report for opposing counsel and a local San Diego Federal Judge that explained why certain things occurred in a riot. My report detailed why the San Diego Sheri ’s Department Deputies had done the right things. It was personally rewarding because few people understand what happens in a riot and the tactics used by both sides. Having in a sense played for both teams, I have learned the rhythm of riots and where to be and not to be.

People sometimes ask how I can lead a successful real estate business and still go to breaking news events or civil disturbances worldwide. First of all, airfare has been cheap the last few years, and secondly, to my friend’s delight, I stopped gol ng. I also always answer my phone. More than once, I have stepped out of the fray in some strange city, removed my ballistic helmet, and pushed up my gas mask to respond to a text message or tell another REALTOR©, “Yes, our clients can do that deal.” ere are few jobs where you can occasionally sit in the front row of life and still make a living. I nd that by deploying alone to these riots or other breaking news stories, I can also assist the other news reporters in getting the truth out.

About two weeks ago, I traveled down the I-5 and arrived at our international border with Mexico on the day Title 42 expired. I arrived long before daybreak, and I was on my mountain bike.

I rode past six or seven satellite news trucks, reporters, and their support vehicles at what the Border Patrol said was a “Media Staging location.”

I then rode my bicycle up a steep hill to a spot no other reporters had found. It was a location where I could actually see another gate was open and where the US Border Patrol was conversing with thousands of immigrants. See below:

When I was younger and wore a gold badge, I would have called “ABLE” SDPD’s air unit to get a better look, and they would have responded immediately. In my news-reporting world I have to be more patient, I could only text a good friend at a local news station. Within about thirty minutes or so, I could hear the news helicopter approaching and had to smile because they began lming the second open gate, and I knew they had a part of the story they did not have previously.

I will continue to grow Shay Realtors and our dedicated team of REALTORS to continue to provide outstanding service to each of you. If I am on a day o in a strange city, don’t be surprised if I am sni ing when I answer your call. Sometimes those tiny chemical agent particles have a funny way of sneaking under my gas mask.

Have a great day and remember to seek the truth, and it really is OK to be skeptical of your news sources.

Cheers,