Culture
The Alt-Knight: Based Stick Man Assaulted and Arrested Again in Berkeley
Kyle Chapman, better known as “Based Stick Man,” was arrested at Saturday’s showdown between pro-Donald Trump free speech activists and the violent anarchists on the left, hours after he was assaulted and pepper sprayed.
Chapman, 41, rose to prominence following a pro-Trump march in Berkeley last month, where he was arrested after hitting a black-clad anarchist with a stick.
THANK YOU BASED STICK MAN!!! #basedstickman #SHADILAY #praisekek pic.twitter.com/ggBq8kkGA4
— Kek High Priest (@KekHighPriest) March 5, 2017
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A fund for his legal defense quickly surpassed $80,000 on the crowdfunding platform WeSearchr.
Now, Chapman has found himself in trouble once again, after speaking at the “Patriot’s Day” rally, which has been a day of violent clashes between the two groups. During his speech, he was assaulted and pepper sprayed by those who oppose the freedom to hold differing ideas.
“Guys, breaking news, Based Stick Man has just been arrested. The cops were not here when we were getting boulders thrown at us, when we were getting flash bombs thrown at us, but now they’re coming to arrest Trump supporters,” Tim Treadstone, better known as Baked Alaska, said in his livestream following the incident.
https://twitter.com/bakedalaska/status/853341696779730944
The event was meant to be a positive celebration of free speech, featuring speakers such as Lauren Southern, Chapman, Treadstone and many others.
Unfortunately, anti-free speech activists had other plans.
Well. So much for peace and order. #Trump supporters and #protestors duking it out in #Berkeley right now. pic.twitter.com/wEbJ9umSE9
— Oakland Photo Vault (@BlackKangoPhoto) April 15, 2017
Skirmishes between alt-right and antifa continue at Berkeley. pic.twitter.com/m5oVB87zQB
— Shane Bauer (@shane_bauer) April 15, 2017
Shortly after his speech, Chapman was arrested, though the reason why remains unclear at this time.
“He was walking down the street, doing nothing, and they grabbed him and threw him in a van,” Treadstone told Big League Politics.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YsHfzRSForA&feature=youtu.be
This is Chapman’s second arrest in less than a week. He was also taken into custody on Monday, after getting into a fight with a skate boarder who had struck him, as well as a man who had brandished a large knife.
“Officers responded and found Chapman had gotten into an altercation with an unidentified man who struck him with a skateboard, and another male … who allegedly brandished him with a large knife,” BPD Sgt. Andrew Frankel told BerkeleySide.
Chapman and the man who allegedly had the knife, 33-year-old Emmanuel Hall of Berkeley, were booked, cited, and released shortly after.
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