In 2020, Rod Webber and his team of performance artists and filmmakers found themselves the target of what Webber described as an unfair FBI and Boston police investigation.
Documentary writer and director Webber 2020: Dump firesays investigators misused footage from movie trailer— Webber and his team burn the statue donald trumpand blows up a mannequin with the word “Truth” on it, which the agents mistook for the word Trump, as evidence of the assassination plot.
The FBI and BPD have visited Webber and his friends numerous times and provided grand jury subpoenas. Official investigation into the alleged …”. They weren’t formally charged, but investigators told Webber they were investigating a plot to assassinate Trump.
Webber’s wife, co-producer and activist Lauren Pespisa says the accusations and law enforcement attention are unjustified. “Conflict art”.
Their film is a chaotic showcase of Webber’s performance art. Campaign trajectoryHe shows up at events hosted by everyone Joe Biden To Andrew Yang To donald trumpIt’s a mash of serious interviews and Webber trolling, an attention-grabbing way to break down the election cycle and expose the hypocrisy of many candidates.
It culminates in a sketch featured in a trailer meant to draw attention to various sexual misconduct allegations against the recently elected president. ) attends a rally in downtown Boston and carries a large cutout of the president. Pespisa introduces herself in 2019 as journalist and author E. Jean Her Carol. Alleged Trump sexually assaulted her 1995.
“I am here to represent all women. [Trump’s] Dirty hands are groping to perform rituals,” Pespisa told the crowd. “To keep his filthy feet from touching our beautiful country any more.” put it on.
To understand how Webber and his friends got into this situation, we need to understand how they operate. For beginners, Webber’s world is not strange and difficult to understand. He claims to be an artist first and foremost. “My way of invoking authority is through art,” he explains in his interview with The Daily Beast. But this can cause problems. Since 2016, he has been arrested ten times.
Webber has been a prankster since high school. He recalls pranking the school courtyard by sticking a fork into the ground. As his graduation gift, he left a pine tree in the school steeple, but that tendency is always balanced by his desire to make serious art. Early in his career, it was making anti-folk music, I thought you finally lost it all When Northern Comfort, both starring Greta Gerwig.
His interest in the intersection of art and politics merges with documentary production, man among giantsThrough it, Webber tracked WWE wrestler Doug “Tiny the Terrible” Tunstall’s mayoral campaign in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. Webber, who remained politically active during this time and participated in protests and events, realized that the footage could be used for more documentaries.
Since then, he has become one of those figures who appear wherever something is going on in American politics, and has done much to provoke those in power through what he calls “ethical trolling.” of energy.
“That means we punch up,” he explains. During elections, this includes causing disturbances by participating in campaigns or protests, or trying to catch politicians in moments of embarrassment or hypocrisy.
This approach has resulted in surreal moments, including a clip in which Trump supporters chant “suck Trump’s cock” at the behest of Webber and his colleague Vermin Supreme. documentary flower of peace It has over a million views on YouTube and features a silly scene of loyal leftist Webber praying next to then-candidate Jeb Bush during a rally.
A painter and digital media artist himself, another natural setting for Webber’s trolling is the art world. Late 2019, Webber was arrested and made headlines To write “Epstien” [sic] Known for its $120,000 banana duct taped to the wall where Art Basel’s piece “The Comedian” showcased.
The typos are intentional. “That’s how shit goes viral,” laughs Webber.
“I’m like Don Quixote Tilt towards the windmill and then write about it.“
“I’m like Don Quixote,” he explains. “I lean towards the windmill and write about it.” You’ll only be stopped by the guards.
However, unlike the character, Webber gets nervous at times, which has lasting consequences.
Filming flower of peace In 2015, Webber confronted the Trump campaign at an event in Rochester, New Hampshire. interrupted trump’s speech As an opportunity to quote the Bible to him.
Trump listens as Webber rattles off a paraphrased version 3 of Timothy 1. This 1 Timothy 3 states that anyone who “aspires to a directorship” must be “beyond blame, cool-headed”, “non-fighting and not a money lover”. Webber said he suffered multiple injuries after being escorted from the building by the Trump campaign’s private security force.
He was later arrested at an event in Manchester, New Hampshire, when he tried to ask Trump why he was beaten in Rochester. .
Years later, in 2020, Weber and the Trump campaign settleWebber was awarded $20,000 in damages, and in another case, Webber and Manchester Police settled for $15,000 in damages.
For Webber, the FBI investigation is not legitimate, but it falls into a familiar pattern.He points to a terrorist lawsuit convicted in the Boston Marathon bombing that agent Kimball had to admit online evidence he tried to use It was memes and pop song lyrics that showed the radicalization.
“Fuck bombers, but that’s basically what they’re doing to us,” says Webber. “They took this trailer out of context and falsely accused us of an assassination plot.”
The FBI declined to comment, and BPD did not respond to a request for comment.
Weber often attempts provocation, but he claims his actions are protected by the law and are always victimless.
Of course, the line between art and vandalism is thin for Webber, and often crossed in terms of his targets. “On the afternoon of December 8, 2019, a visitor entered the gallery’s booth and used lipstick to smear a wall inside the Miami Beach Convention Center (MBCC),” said Art’s Basel representative. told the Daily Beast. “Trolling was a clear violation of the fair’s rules and regulations, and he was removed from the fair by the Miami Beach Police Department as a result.”
his price Fines in Soho and Basel have been dropped, except for a $60 fine for disorderly conduct in New York, which Webber only paid as he was dealing with the more stressful recent harassment by the FBI. I say that.
“Everything gets nulled,” Pespisa says of Webber’s arrest. “For a guy who gets arrested so many times, it’s amazing that the query check doesn’t come up with anything.”
He recalls that the lawsuit in Florida was dismissed almost immediately. “I was ready to defend myself, but as soon as my butt hit the seat, I was told everything was being dropped.” Webber says he was frustrated. “I wanted to be the grandstand”
Often convinced of his innocence, Webber chooses to defend himself in court and conduct his own legal investigation. He won a settlement from the Trump campaign without representation. “He put me to sleep with a law book that his grandfather gave me,” Pespisa laughs.
“It’s not all about unicorn costumes and political performances,” says Webber. “Like the ACLU, I choose litigation because setting a precedent is a way to curb legal power.”
For them, the means are justified. In the making and flinging of their films, they speak truth to power and often try to lighten dire situations.
“Protesting without joy becomes hard work,” he says. “As long as my team and I can put a smile on some people’s faces, we feel okay.”
Beneath the trolling is a legitimate desire to make a difference by documenting social justice movements like Black Lives Matter and Standing Rock. North Dakota War.
“Sometimes you have to forget your stupidity and act as a faithful chronicler of history,” explains Webber.
But Webber and Pespisa had to slow down in the face of federal investigations against them. Webber explains.
Although things have calmed down recently (the last visit by law enforcement is said to have been in February), Webber and Pespisa still don’t feel all right. When asked if he was worried about his next visit, Webber said: They always come after the article is published. “
“We talked about celebrating in 2020 when we thought it was all over,” he continues. “I will never have one of those again.”
“There’s no question they’re keeping our files open,” adds Pespisa. “How many other people and other artists are they doing this to?”
Despite this, Webber and Pespisa have never considered retirement. In early July 2022, Webber and Pespisa faced off against neo-Nazis his group, the Patriot Front, as they attempted to demonstrate in downtown Boston. Documenting the entire encounter, Pespia, Webber, and other activists drove the Patriot Front members out of the city.
Posted by Webber on Twitter Complain about law enforcement response or lack of response. “We’re not just clowns and harassing politicians,” says Webber. “We are working hard to research information that will allow us to be on the scene confronting the neo-Nazis in Boston, a feat that city officials have claimed was impossible.”
This latest encounter proves that no amount of stress or harassment can stop Webber and Pespisa. “What are we going to do, roll up and die?” Webber asks. “We will continue to call on our strength. It’s a constant struggle, but we’re looking forward to what’s next.”