KPBS Midday Edition

American Legion Removes Escondido Post Commander From National Leadership Over Proud Boys Affiliation

By Jade Hindmon / KPBS Midday Edition Co-Host, Pat Finn / Producer

Published January 5, 2021 at 12:38 PM PST

This story was published more than 3 years ago.

Demonstrators wearing clothes linked to the far-right extremist group Proud Boys attend a pro-Trump rally in Washington last month.

American Legion Removes Escondido Post Commander From National Leadership Over Proud Boys Affiliation

Boasting on social media about joining the racist group The Proud Boys and his involvement in injuring a anti-Trump protester in Yorba Linda prompted the American Legion to remove Michael Sobczak from national leadership positions.

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Michael Sobczak, American Legion Commander of J. B. Clark Post 149 in Escondido, has been removed from positions in the national leadership of the fraternal organization, according to Ed Grimsley, commander of the California American Legion.

Sobczak was removed when he posted photos of himself on Parler wearing a Proud Boys jacket at a Dec. 12 Trump rally and a video to his Facebook account describing injuring an anti-Trump activist in Yorba Linda.

The Proud Boys are classified as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center.

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In addition to leading the Escondido Post, Sobczak was dean of the American Legion College and had a seat on the national board of the American Legion Riders, the group's motorcycle club. The national group does not have the authority to remove him from his Escondido leadership positions.

Andrew Dyer, reporter for The San Diego Union-Tribune, joined KPBS Midday Edition Tuesday to talk about Sobczek, who is also affiliated with the group Defend East County.

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Jade Hindmon

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Jade Hindmon is the host of KPBS Midday Edition. She connects San Diego through fearless conversations that inform, inspire and make you think. Prior to Midday Edition Jade was a reporter and fill-in anchor in the KPBS newsroom covering everything from politics to policing and the economy. Her award winning work spans network affiliates across the southeast and midwest. As a very proud Rattler, Jade studied broadcast journalism and political science at Florida A&M University. She takes a special interest in topics about democracy, accountability, racial justice, science and wellness.

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Pat Finn

Pat Finn previously served as a producer for KPBS Midday Edition and KPBS Evening Edition. Finn began her career in broadcasting at KTLA and KCET in Los Angeles. In 1979 she became KPBS’ Public Information Director, then Director of Advertising and Promotion, Program Director, and Director of Broadcasting. She oversaw the station’s local and national productions, including the one-hour documentary Los Romeros: The Royal Family of the Guitar, and Child Protective Services, a one-hour look inside the San Diego County agency responsible for the welfare of at risk children. Both programs also aired on public television stations nationwide. Finn has earned honors from the Society of Professional Journalists and the Pacific Southwest Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.

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