14 DAY TRIAL // In a recent turn of events, Common Grounds co-founder, Brandon Michael Darby, has come forward and announced that he has been working with the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) for the past couple of years, although many details are still left out from his open letter. He publicly admitted being responsible for the arrest of two CG activists in Austin, Texas this past summer, who allegedly were planning on using Molotov cocktails during their protests at the Republican National Convention.
Activists within Common Grounds say that Darby actively encouraged and supported David McKay and Bradley Crowder, the two men arrested for manufacturing the Molotov cocktails, to engage in illegal actions. At that time, he hadn't even met the two, but was still telling them to take extremist actions.
In his statement, he argues that he didn't become an informant because of financial reasons, or to escape legal problems himself, but because he strongly believed that it was the right thing to do. “Though I've made and will no doubt continue to make many mistakes in efforts to better our world, I am satisfied with the efforts in which I have participated. Like many of you, I do my best to act in good conscience and to do what I believe to be most helpful to the world,” Darby says in the letter.
“Though my views on how to give of myself have changed substantially over the years, ultimately the motivations behind my choices remain the same. I strongly stand behind my choices in this matter. I strongly believe that people innocent of an act should stand up for themselves and that those who choose to engage in an act should accept responsibility and explain the reasoning for their choices. It is very dangerous when a few individuals engage in or act on a belief system in which they feel they know the real truth and that all others are ignorant and therefore have no right to meet and express their political views,” he concludes.
Although some of his fellow activists defended him before the allegations became public, most of the other CG members felt betrayed, especially since the action came from a man for whom they had a lot of respect, because of the large number of protests in which Darby was involved.