This was originally posted on my facebook page, and can still be found there, the parties mentioned within tagged.

I will begin this post by saying that I am not someone who runs away from the facts. I may not always agree with the truth, I may not always like what I find, but I do not run from the truth. I am no “delicate snowflake” as the Right always likes to call Liberals and Democrats, and anyone who actually holds the truth and verifiable facts in high esteem. I do not subscribe to the notion of “alternative facts”. The only thing an “alternative fact” is, is a lie gussied up for prom in the dress of someone’s opinion that has been bought and sold like a pig at the county fair.

Now, to get onto what this post is about. Earlier today, I reposted a video from “Occupy Democrats” entitled “White vs. Black Open Carry”. The video is short, but highlights the differences between how a white man is treated when exorcising his right to open carry with an AR-15 versus how a man of color is treated when doing the same. The video, I will admit, is polarizing, but highlights a greater problem facing our nation.

Shortly after posting this video, with my leading tagline calling out that things like this were why people are protesting – such demonstrations as Black Lives Matter, March for Our Lives, and the like – I got into a debate with Dominic.

Do not take my words for what they aren’t. There is no tone here, no anger or upset that it happened. In fact, while I may not agree with his views on some (possibly more than a few) things, I can say with much surprise and delight, that he is the first person that I’ve had a debate with (from the other side of the fence) in a long time who has not only been thoughtful, well spoken, and cordial, but in all the back and forth we did, he never once resorted to the nastiness and hostility that I’ve seen from so many others.

And, before I go any further, Dominic, I’d like to say thank you for that. I honestly didn’t know that there were people still out there like you who could have an open debate in such a manner. No, we didn’t agree with each other on certain things, and that’s fine. If we did, it wouldn’t have been a debate.

Dominic, you challenged me, and I appreciate that, because in answering your challenge, I dug as deeply as I could for the truth. No matter what it comes down to – I want the truth, even if I don’t agree with it. I want facts that I can verify, sources I can prove or disprove. And so I went searching for the truth, and here it is.

In the case of the video on Occupy Democrats.

From what I can find, they shared the video, and while it has their mark in the corner of it on their Facebook page, it does not appear that they were the original authors of that video, as it does not appear on their YouTube page. For those who are unsure what we are talking about, here is the link to the video in question:

Occupy Democrats: Open Gun Carry: White vs Black

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E6jzzh-FZgs

The first video that I came across in my research was a review done by The Young Turks. If you haven’t watched any of their videos or debates, I encourage you to do so.

TYT: Open Carry Experiment Exposes Racist Cops [VIDEO]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=StrqQLQr8BA

Now, getting back to the digging and research. The video posted/shared by Occupy Democrats has been cut together to show the contrast in the treatment between a white man and a person of color, and while some may call this inflammatory, we must never forget the racially charged climate of this country. There are those who would try to argue that there is no racism in America, and to those, I call BS.

Through my digging, I found that this one simple video is a mashup of not simply two different videos, but they spanned different dates and different locations – which, yes, Dominic, was one of the things you challenged.

The first video of the white man – men, I should say, as there are three – was recorded and produced by Warren and is on his page “Markedguardian”. It turns out that he made several such videos throughout Oregon, but the one featured in the mashup took place in Albany, OR and was published by Markedguardian on 9 August, 2012.

Albany Oregon Police, Open Carry AR-15 with Individual Libertarians

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rih1ogXCxAs

Now, Markedguardian has several videos on his page regarding open carry, AR-15s, having weapons on his person and fully loaded. I may not agree with his views, but in this instance, my opinion does not matter. This is a fact finding mission and not an op-ed piece. However, from the tone of his videos, the annotations put on his videos, and the comments in the descriptions of his videos, he sounds as though he would be open to having discussions with like-minded individuals, or even people who simply have questions and are open to listening and even debating without bringing judgement. And, if you are the curious sort, I invite you to reach out to him and talk.

The second video, was of Gabriel Nobles, and Markedguardian actually made a video in response to what happened to Gabriel, not only from the video shown in Spark, NV, but also to subsequent experiences that Gabriel recorded and shared. He – Markedguardian – also discusses the gun rights in the state of Nevada as well as the stop & seizure rights/laws. Markedguardian stands up for Gabriel, and I’m proud of him for it because there are those I know who wouldn’t.

Gabriel Nobles, exercising his Right to bear arms in Nevada

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UhLBslR5efU

This video took place in Spark, NV and was published on  24 August 2013. In all honesty, Gabriel was damn lucky that he wasn’t shot on sight from the reaction the officers had on each of these occasions.

Sparks Nevada Police, Ar 15 open Carry

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cWdf32OPIwo

He made a second video in Washoe County and was published on 27 August, 2013

Washoe County Sheriff’s, Ar 15 Open Carry 1 of 2

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DU2RV0NgnZc

Washoe County Sheriff’s, Ar 15 Open Carry 2 of 2

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4n8LcX4KvRc

And there you have it. As I said, this post was a fact finding mission, and not only did I find the answers and the truth behind the short video, but now all of you have it as well.