Jessica Reavis: My Story

Editor’s Note: I’ve been to many events with Jessica Reavis when we were both League of the South activists. I can also attest from bitter personal experience about how this goes at volatile public events in cities where the rule of law and equal protection under the law has become a joke. This is one of the reasons why I have devoted more time to building up this website since 2018.

By Jessica Reavis

I do not have a criminal record of any kind and I have been a business owner for many years. I’m somewhat of a historian given that my ancestors fought for America’s freedom in the revolutionary war and again against a northern invader in the war of northern aggression. It gives me a certain pride that is exclusive to the southern people whose blood is in the soil of the southland beneath the tyrant’s feet.

Virginia and North Carolina have many confederate veterans monuments and they actually have a protection law that is supposed to keep them from being vandalized, altered, or moved. As we have seen time and time again, only citizens are subject to laws, while city council, board of commissioners, and government etc are allowed to stand above these laws. Many of these beautiful veterans memorials are being removed at an alarming rate. Some of them are removed by criminals who also have a certain immunity to the law and others by overzealous local governments in the dark of night without honor.

The part I fail to understand is how do these beloved memorials that give honor to our dead are now considered as racist and also signify police brutality. Another part of this scenario I also fail to understand is the attack on innocent people and possessions that somehow also represents police brutality. When these attacks seem to take place it’s usually by a leftist Antifa or BLM activists. The leftist media and even our government then deem everything to be “white supremacy.” Most businesses and property owners never recover from these criminal acts and then everything is lost.

Post Charlottesville/Unite the Right, 2017, there had been an all out attack on any right leaning conservative to more of the harder leaning right. The leftist are convinced that any right leaning people are considered as “white supremacist” and do not deserve to have the means to survive or feed their families. Many of our people are being doxxed and losing their jobs. Some are even being attacked because their identities are being broadcasted all over social media platforms. Many of our people give way too much information about ourselves and don’t even realize this till it’s too late. The left had even been known to deliver hate mail to physical addresses and stalk us at our homes.

I knew many of the monuments were coming down and I tried to make it a point to see one with a Confederate battle flag, to take pictures of the monuments while I still could. Usually the sad reality is, when they come down you never see them again. When I researched my family tree, I realized that many of my ancestors came from North Carolina as well as Virginia. The monuments that were around towns like Raleigh, Kingston, Asheville, Greensboro, Rockingham, Asheboro, Chatham and many more were dedicated to my ancestors who fought with valor and for the many who never returned home. Many of these men were left on the battlefield and some were thrown down wells and ditches. Some were buried in mass graves and remained nameless as their lifeless bodies were piled on top of each other. These brave men were sons, fathers, and husbands.

I was contacted by a friend that previously allowed me to tag along with her on many “tours” seeing and flagging the memorials for photos. There were many that I had not seen yet and the Chatham County monument was one. It was a unique one, where the soldier stood proud at parade rest with his rifle and adorned with a slouch hat. Many of the soldiers wore slouch hats because the kepi that we issued, would not give full protection from the sun as a full brim slouch hat. I was told in late August or early September that the monument was slated for removal by the overzealous board of commissioners because after standing for over 112 years, it became a “sudden” fall hazard after failed attempts to remove it because of the state protection law.

I then made plans to take a two-hour trip to Chatham County to see it before they took it down. A few friends decided they would also go with me so they could see it for the last time since they were also two hours away. I remember arriving to see my friends surrounded by people yelling at them and had them backed into a corner. There were others with them but they were the locals. When the people that were attacking my friends realized I was coming into the parking lot they decided to attempt to block my path. I soon realized they were affiliated with or were Antifa and BLM. One woman in particular focused on me and proceeded to take pictures of me and my vehicle along with the license plate. I was made aware that she had posted this information on social media to confirm my identity. I am convinced that she had connections to the police given she was able to identify me with my tag number right away. Of course this made me a target. I quickly went from being a tourist to a target by the police.

Many of the locals were physically attacked that day and the police continued to stand silent and rarely intervened. They made a few arrests that day including the victims that were attacked showing they had a certain favoritism toward the leftist. I later learned that the University of North Carolina had a stronghold on the town and was able to have a major influence on the town’s decision making process, especially in the judicial system. Given all the violent leftist that were present that day, including a convicted murderer and several others who had assaulted individuals in the past having what seemed immunity to prosecutions by the judicial system in many prior instances, I did not feel safe to journey away from my group. I did not get to see the monument that day.

I decided I would stay home another week given that I work out of state and I stay gone for weeks and sometimes months at a time just to see the monument before I left. On October the 4th, I contacted two friends to go with me to provide some security just in case I was confronted by any of the leftist agitators from the Saturday before. They agreed they would because they had Saturday off work. I arrived in Chatham County on October 5, 2019, at approximately 10am. I was the only person in the parking lot so I sat in my truck waiting. Shortly afterwards, a couple cars arrived in the parking lot and I recognized them from the Saturday before. I went over to them to get the “skinny” on the monument and when they were going to take it down and what they were gonna do with it. While we were talking in the parking lot, a few others had shown up. I helped one put up a flagpole on his truck and then finally my other two friends arrived. One went ahead to the restaurant to grab us breakfast and the other got their camera ready. I had decided that I would tie my confederate battle flag on the barricades instead of standing in the roadway since the barricades extended out past the curb into the road in a roundabout around the old historical courthouse. Meanwhile several leftist began showing up and yelling from across the road. I then separated from everyone and went to my truck. I then holstered my weapon and grabbed my coffee and started a trek straight to the monument. I had to cross the street where the leftist were standing because the sidewalks were blocked by barricades also. I decided to walk down past them and cross the road hoping they would not mess with me.

I was wearing a serpa 2 duty holster that was weaved into my belt. It has a retention mechanism built in so that if I’m in a fight, I will be able to retain my weapon. I did not holster it till I was going to cross the street for self protection purposes, as I have a permit to carry a concealed weapon that I have had for over 21 years.

I made a beeline straight to the curb. I did not talk to anyone, I did not stand around to be a spectator, nor did I ever unfurl my flag on the way to the curb to cross the road. My flag stayed limp across my left arm and my coffee in my right hand. When I reached the curb, I heard someone say “ma’am….ma’am….” so I turned around to acknowledge them. There were approximately five deputies from the Chatham County Sheriff’s Department. They requested me to follow them into the parking lot and I complied. I was very friendly and professional with them. They then told me since I was “at a protest with a firearm” then I was breaking the law and I was under arrest. They told me that carrying a firearm was a privilege.

I was then stripped of my possessions and carded off to jail for six hours. While there, another leftist that was there the Saturday before was brought in and searched by the guard. The guard found a knife on her neck. This is considered as a felony when bringing a weapon into jail. After seeing the magistrate, I was escorted into the lobby where several Antifa members were sitting. They were waiting for the other Antifa member with the knife, who was in jail also. I was released into the street without my possessions and no way to contact anyone even with the Antifa members present. I did not know where I was or even how to get back to my vehicle. It was 6 to 7 miles away. After walking about 3 miles, someone picked me up and took me back to my truck. The police had no regard for my well being whatsoever.

After my arrest, Antifa has been arrested for several other things including assault on a police officer. The faculty staff at the University of North Carolina wrote to the police and the judicial system in Chatham County and demanded that they drop all the charges against their students. All the charges were dropped except two of them. The district attorney admitted on video that he handpicked two from both sides that would take the fall for the group’s as a whole. It looks like I was one of the lottery winners. This makes the facts of the case null and void and it is unconstitutional.

I was given a public defender that seemed to be well vested in the court. She was allowed to do many things. The court was oblivious about anything she participated in. I went to district court in January 2020. The judge admitted that the law was poorly written and that I was not a bad person. He handed down a prayer for judgement, fines, and probation along with not returning my possessions. Meanwhile, he also gave the other Antifa member that brought the knife to jail the same sentence. It was as though I had just robbed a bank or killed someone. I lost my possessions and now will lose my permit to carry a firearm. Somehow my entire police body cam footage was leaked to the SPLC. I had not even seen the entire video myself at this point and this turned my case into “high profile” according to the public defender’s office. While having a hearing on motions via webex, my public defender actually came into the hearing wearing a “black lives matter” t-shirt.

I had been involved in defending our monuments and our people for many years. I took part in Unite the Right 2017, White Lives Matter, and various other events. I was attacked by Antifa in my hometown while the police watched in 2016. This attack was unprovoked. I was put on a hit list by antifa along with several other patriots and media. I was sent hate mail at my address and they stalk me wherever they see me. All my personal information including full name, address, occupation, license plates, and every car I drive has been posted all over social media. Do I deserve to be hunted down for having different ideals than Antifa. I have old traditional beliefs and do not adhere to the degeneracy of the earth. I refuse to conform.

I appealed my case to the superior Court of Chatham County, NC. I was denied a change of venue, although the local newspaper featured me on the front page as a “white supremacist” and mentioned my court trial. I had a jury trial and it seemed that all of the jury was hand picked to ensure that I would be convicted. It was pretty evident that I was on the losing end of this case.

The district attorney was allowed to leave the courtroom in the middle of a trial unsupervised. It just so happened that the jury was in the same location he had excused himself to and he was gone for approximately 6 to 7 minutes. I truly think he talked with the jury. When he returned he had nothing to report on. Also the district attorney was allowed to amend the citation on the second day of the trial and right before the jury was to decide my fate. The main part of the citation that made it “illegal” but without defining the words of the law was “on a public place owned or in control by the state or it’s political subdivisions.” The attorney asked the court to prove who actually owned the PROPERTY that I was arrested on but failed to do so. The judge still allowed testimony to stand as the district attorney and police said “I am under the impression that it belongs to the city.”

All the police officers that testified that I had returned to my truck to retrieve something but they didn’t see what it was. All of them also said they never saw a gun but only what appeared to be a gun printing under my shirt. I had a witness that testified that I had an empty holster when I helped him install his flagpole on his truck. This is a very solid testimony. The district attorney brought attention to the jury that I was a League of the South member and that I was carrying a confederate flag just to inflame the jury. He kept repeating it over and over and also made a big thing about me carrying a bullet in the chamber of my firearm. This comes with training. He then rested on the idea that a concealed carry permit was only “common sense gun control.”

The jury only deliberated for approximately 15 minutes before handing down their guilty verdict. Not much thought was given into the facts of my case. While sentencing was carried out, all the members of the jury sat there to watch me be punished for simply practicing my second amendment right. The law was too vague to understand what was legal or illegal. After the sentencing was over, three members of the jury went to a local restaurant and were asked by a friend why they found me guilty. They replied that they were having trouble understanding what demonstration meant in the law. My friend replied to them “this is what is called a shadow of doubt and I hope you know you just railroaded an innocent person….good day to you!!”

When others practice their first amendment right, then that makes others second amendment void and puts them subject to arrest. I have been convicted solely based on my ideology and my affiliations. They must make an example out of me at all costs. I refuse to give up this fight. I have now appealed my case to the NC court of appeals hoping to overturn it on the void for vagueness doctrine. I have an attorney but he wants $10,000.

Anyone wanting to donate to my case, go to southernmartyr.org. There you can find more information on my case. I also have a contact me section if you are interested in learning more.