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| Christian Secor |
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| IVC alum Christian Secor in V.P. Pence's chair |
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times,
it was the age of wisdom,
it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief,
it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of light,
it was the season of darkness, it was the spring of hope,
it was the winter of despair.”
― Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities
Hey there. Rebel Girl apologizes for her long absence. It's been one thing after another this last, uh, YEAR. Mostly another. She will spare you. But she's been haunted these past few weeks as it became known to her that there were two IVC alums at the U.S. Capitol on January 6th: one breeching the capitol with the would-be insurrectionists and one working as staff for a Democratic congresswoman.
Imagine that.
Rebel Girl can't stop imagining this scenario.
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Somewhere in the rotunda, on January 6, Christian Secor marches with his candidate's flag. Somewhere else, a congressional aide takes cover. |
Go Lasers.
Rebel Girl learned about Secor when the rest of the country did: upon his arrest at his mother's Costa Mesa home on February 16. News outlets identified him as the UCLA student he currently is but there was something vaguely familiar about him. Denizens of the the LA Building quickly recognized him as a former IVC student, a history major, member of the the award-winning forensics team, competing and earning some accolades. (Curious note: Secor, an avowed rightist with documented anti-immigrant and racist sentiments, competed on the IVC team alongside the son of one of OC's most lauded writers and professor, UCI's Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o, an immigrant from Kenya.)
Since then much more has been written about Secor who remains in custody despite his attorney's recent attempts to get him out in order to complete his finals. You can read the 23-page complaint "The United States of America v. Christian Secor" (complete with lots of photos) here. Or you can listen to and/or read today's NPR story here: UCLA Student Charged in Capitol Riot Took Inspiration From Online Extremist.
It hard to choose from the many disturbing details, but one that has special resonance for students and educators is that "Secor took on the handle 'Scuffed Elliot Rodger' — an apparent reference to the misogynist gunman [a UCSB student] who killed six people in Isla Vista, Calif. [on and off UCSB campus], in 2014."
So when Rebel Girl learned that there was another IVC alum in the Capitol, this one a congressional aide, she was struck by the coincidence. Shaken, really, to imagine it. She spoke to the aide's mother who is — get this — an IVC student herself now. An older woman, returning student, an immigrant. She is proud of her daughter — of course! — but confessed that January 6 was a scary day. Of course.
What to make of this?
Rebel Girl doesn't really know. Something about California's public education system? Something about democracy? Something about chance? Our small world?
Something.
UCLA student arrested for alleged participation in US Capitol riots (Daily Bruin; 2-17)
Before far-right UCLA student stormed Capitol, he faced furor over incendiary tweets (LA Times, 2-21)
18 comments:
I am very worried about how this “current” IVC student will be treated by the Democrat professors and administrators after you published this article.
This says a lot about Orange County.
Check up on any from Saddleback.
I think there's only been 3-4 OC residents arrested for January 6 activity.
Uh, he's probably in jail, so he won't be taking any classes.
Also, the word is "Democratic" in this instance, not "Democrat."
Shakespearean!
Bless you my lad or laddes for the observation.
12:54 pm, this article states “She spoke to the aide's mother who is - get this - and IVC student herself now. An older woman, returning student, an immigrant.”
These professors are more worried about the US Capitol than thousands of unaccompanied minors crossing the borders who are victimized by cartels and coyotes.
We just hope you’ll just focused on us students—-when are you taking us back ??? You have more time for politics than our future. You are a bunch of HYPOCRITES !!! If you’re not afraid to travel this spring break, you shouldn’t be afraid of opening the schools for us !!! Shameful
It's fascinating when national stories have local roots. Interesting to think of two alums there on the same day, each with very different views but sharing a similar education path.
He’s out on bail.
https://www.npr.org/2021/03/24/980454602/judge-releases-ucla-student-charged-in-capitol-riot-despite-new-evidence
"In a search of his mother's home, where he was living, "law enforcement found three knives and a baton in the defendant's vehicle, mace and body armor plates in the defendant's bedroom, and a privately manufactured 'ghost gun' in a gun safe in the house," federal prosecutors said in a court filing. "Ghost gun" is a term for a firearm that is privately made - sometimes by hobbyists at home - and has no serial number, making it untraceable. California law requires that owners of such guns obtain a serial number for it from the state government, and restricts their sales. None of the charges against Secor relate to the gun.
Secor's defense attorney, Brandi Harden, told the court the "ghost gun" did not belong to Secor, and pointed out that it was not found in Secor's bedroom, but in a safe elsewhere in the home. "He did not know it was there," said Harden. The government stated that Secor's mother said she also was not aware of the gun. So in court on Wednesday, the circumstances of how that gun was obtained, made, and by whom remained unclear.
Federal agents also allegedly recovered footage from a GoPro camera in Secor's possession, which "shows the defendant in possession of an AR-style rifle, pointing the weapon inside his residence while wearing a tactical helmet." Federal prosecutors say they did not locate the gun featured in the video. A timestamp on the video indicates that it was recorded in 2018, a fact highlighted by Secor's defense attorney. Other financial records obtained by the government also showed that Secor spent more than $3,300 on purchases from "firearms and military tactical gear retailers," according to federal prosecutors."
6:47 your professors need to take care of those children and women who were sexually abused by the cartels. These migrants need to be educated first, so wait for your turn, okay?
6:47 — WTF?
5:46 — WTF?
Your enrollment will be lower in fall 9:22PM because of inane professors like you--you really don't care about us, don't you?
5:13 — illiterate troll
Yeah, because we have illiterate professors !! You delete our posts when they don't fit your narratives !#@
Christian Secor pled guilty this week:
https://www.cbsnews.com/losangeles/news/costa-mesa-resident-christian-secor-pleads-guilty-to-felony-charge-for-involvement-in-jan-6-u-s-capitol-breach/
"At the time Secor was a UCLA student, who founded "America First Bruins," a Republican organization that supported the capitol riot.
Social media posts over the years have revealed has self-identified himself as a "fascist" and that he believes America should be a "whites-only nation."
The FBI further detailed that Secor often goes by the nickname "Scuffed Elliot Roger," which they believe to be "a reference to the 2014 Isla Vista mass murderer and (UC Santa Barbara) student who fatally stabbed his three roommates."
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