Brien James: The Guy Who Can’t Keep a Group Together (And Now He’s Faking Ours)

Let me lay this out about Brien James in more detail. The guy’s been jumping from group to group for decades, always angling for control, and almost every outfit he’s been part of has either fallen apart, gotten absorbed, or faded out after he moved on. I didn’t fully clock how consistent the pattern was until I started looking back at his whole history, but once I did, it all lined up. And then that recent Facebook post of his sealed it for me.

He posted a photo of a big group of guys wearing black and yellow shirts, crammed into the Mall of America, holding beers, throwing up thumbs and looking ready to roll out. The caption says they’re hanging out there before heading downtown to Minneapolis for “some fun” that night. He tagged it with the Proud Boys name like it’s an official thing. Problem is, he dropped this in the middle of winter, deep freeze Minnesota weather. Not one person in the shot has a coat, a jacket, a hoodie, or even long sleeves. Everybody’s dressed for a warm day. It’s clearly not from that time of year; it’s either an old picture he recycled or something staged. Either way, he’s using it to make it look like a real Proud Boys crew is mobilizing in Minneapolis. That’s not how we do things, and it’s straight-up dangerous. Broadcasting that kind of thing draws eyes, hostile ones, and puts people in the frame at risk, plus it drags our legitimate Minnesota members into the mix by association, even though they have zero connection to him or whatever he’s running now.

I first crossed paths with Brien when he was still heading up the American Guard. That was his attempt at a “patriotic” group after he’d left behind some of his earlier stuff. He shut the American Guard down not long after and joined the Proud Boys. He climbed fast, ended up as president of the Indiana chapter quicker than seemed normal. It always felt off, like he’d maneuvered his way in too smoothly, but we gave him the benefit of the doubt and let him roll with it.

One of the first real warning signs came during the End Domestic Terrorism rally in Portland back in 2019. We were set to march, solid plan, good turnout expected, everything lined up to keep it controlled and safe. Brien had said he’d be there with us. He talked it up ahead of time, made it sound like he was all in. He did show up for the event, but when it came time to actually go into the city and march with the group, he refused. He backed out of that part completely. For an event where the risk was low and the setup was tight, he still wouldn’t fully commit. That stuck with me. If you’re going to talk big about standing with brothers, you show up when it counts, all the way. He didn’t go the full distance.

The situation really came to a head on December 12, 2020, during the Million MAGA March in Washington, D.C. The streets were packed with Trump supporters, tens of thousands of people out there pushing back against what a lot of us saw as a stolen election. Antifa was around too, looking for any chance to start something. As chairman of the Proud Boys at the time, my responsibility was straightforward: keep our guys safe, make sure we got our message out, and don’t turn the day into chaos for no reason. We’re a brotherhood first, a drinking club with guys who look out for each other. We fight when we have to, but we don’t throw people into pointless danger.

That day we stayed sharp. We moved as a unit, kept eyes on the crowd, stepped in to shield Trump supporters from getting jumped where we could, and avoided getting sucked into every little scuffle that popped up. We de-escalated when possible, made sure nobody got separated or outnumbered. It wasn’t about backing down; it was about being smart so everybody walked away in one piece. We did what we set out to do, protected people, delivered the point, and got out clean.

Brien saw it differently. He was vocal about it, kept saying I was holding everybody back, that we should’ve pushed harder, gone straight into the roughest areas for a bigger confrontation. To him, it seemed like our guys were just tools to throw at whatever fight he wanted. That’s not how I run things. Our members aren’t disposable. Charging headfirst into a bad spot would’ve meant arrests, injuries, or worse, all for what? Ego? A bigger scene? I wasn’t about to risk brothers just to prove a point. My focus was on keeping Trump supporters from getting hurt and making sure our own people didn’t end up in handcuffs or hospitals over something avoidable.

That clash in approach showed me exactly who he was. He wasn’t there for the brotherhood; he was there to steer the club his way, push his agenda, take charge. It felt like the same power grab he’d pulled in every other group. I wasn’t having it. I pushed to have him removed from the organization entirely. We disavowed him, cut ties completely, made it public. Gavin backed the move in 2022 when he stepped in to sort out the internal splits that happened after January 6. He made it clear: anybody keeping Brien or his close associates around would get the same treatment. Chapters were warned. He was gone for good.

But Brien didn’t walk away quietly. Instead of accepting it, he started his own version, kept the colors, kept using the name, tried to build off the reputation and work we’d put in over the years. That Mall of America post is a perfect example of what he’s doing now. He’s not organizing real events with real brothers; he’s posting recycled or fake-looking shots to make it seem like he’s got an active crew ready to roll into Minneapolis for trouble. In a city like that, where tensions run high and people are watching, that kind of post isn’t just sloppy, it’s irresponsible. It could get whoever’s actually in the picture targeted, doxxed, harassed, or worse. And it pulls our actual Minnesota guys into the spotlight by mistake, even though they’re not part of his setup. They don’t deserve that heat.

We’ve always been deliberate about how and where we show up. Safety isn’t optional; it’s the baseline. We pick our spots carefully, plan ahead, make sure the numbers and setup make sense. We don’t just throw on colors and charge in looking for attention. Brotherhood means you don’t put your guys, or anybody else, at unnecessary risk. If Brien wants to do his own thing, that’s on him. He can start a new group, pick his own symbols, run it his way. But he doesn’t get to keep using the Proud Boys name and patch after we kicked him out. Those belong to the real club, the one that’s been through the fire, the arrests, the trials, the everything since January 6 and before. We’re still standing because we stick to what works: look out for each other, stay smart, don’t make dumb moves just because.

His history backs this up every step. He started in the Klan as a young guy, moved to the Outlaw Hammerskins, clashed with the bigger Hammerskin group, left to start the Hoosier State Skinheads, rolled that into the Vinlanders Social Club in 2003. The Vinlanders had serious issues, linked to multiple killings, including one by his co-founder who’s serving life. Brien ran events, started fights, but couldn’t hold it together long-term. He left around 2008, tried to reframe himself as something else, started the American Guard later on. Same cycle: join or build, push for control, things crack or he bails, move to the next one. Every time, the group either shrinks, merges, or fades after he’s gone.

That’s why the fake post bothers me so much. It’s not just about him pretending; it’s about the recklessness. Posting that you’re sending a “Proud Boys” group downtown for “fun” in a place like Minneapolis is begging for problems, cops, opponents, media, you name it. Real members know better. We don’t do stunts like that because we know the consequences. We protect our own, we protect the people we’re out there for, and we don’t play games with safety.

Straight up, with every real Proud Boy standing behind this: Brien James is not part of the Proud Boys. He was removed, disavowed, and told to stay out. He will never be back. If anybody’s following his lead or rolling with his version, they’re not with us. He needs to drop the colors and the name. You don’t get to borrow what we built after you tried to take it over and got shown the door.

We’ve taken hits nobody else in this space has taken, legal battles, prison time, constant pressure, and we’re still here because we do it right. We look out for brothers, we stay loyal, we stay smart. Brien’s track record shows he doesn’t operate that way. He’s a serial jumper who leaves messes behind. The Proud Boys are bigger than that. We’re the real deal. He’s not. We’re not mercenaries for hire. We’re the motherfucking Proud Boys.

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