American Legion Removes Post Commander from National Leadership Role over Proud Boys Affiliation – By Andrew Dyer (The San Diego Union-Tribune) / January 5 2021
ESCONDIDO, Calif. — An American Legion post commander in Escondido has been removed by the veterans service organization from two national leadership roles after he bragged on social media about participating in a street brawl and joining the Proud Boys, the California state commander said.
Photos shared on two social media accounts show J.B. Clark Post 149 Cmdr. Michael Sobczak, 56, wearing a Proud Boys jacket and marching along with other Proud Boys during a Dec. 12 pro-Trump rally in Washington, D.C., that turned violent.
In a video shared on a personal Facebook account under the name “Mick Florio,” Sobczak describes a beating he says he gave an anti-Trump activist in self-defense during an earlier protest in Yorba Linda, California.
The Southern Poverty Law Center classifies the Proud Boys as a hate group, and the Anti-Defamation League describes the organization as a gang.
