Did a conservative creator hit a woman?
And what happens when video evidence makes us more confused?
Log off. Touch grass. Throw hands?
To the satisfaction of some and dismay of others, the situation in Minneapolis has not devolved into city-block-decimating riots like it did in 2020. That’s in spite of federal agents ratcheting up their number of apprehensions and level of aggression.
But that hasn’t stopped on-the-ground content creating forces from trying to get their money’s worth. An out-of-state pair of right-wing creators (who live to be messy) — Cam Higby and Nick Sortor — directly clashed with an in-state leftist livestreamer — Andrew Mercado — outside the Whipple Federal Building.
By clash, I mean calling each other “bitch” I’d say about 100 times over the course of a couple hours, an almost rhythmic call and response only interrupted by vague threats, tear gas, two slap fights, and other various moments of drama.
We’ll review accounts of the fracas from both sides below, and you’ll notice the strange blend of intensity and triviality. And yet, it rose to the distinction of Important Enough For Me to Force Upon You for two reasons:
Further proof of the increasingly relaxed set of requirements needed to call yourself a “journalist”
Another indication of my developing theory that more video might actually cause us more problems
Our three main characters all rep variations of the title. Higby — “independent journalist” and “Frontlines Reporter for TPUSA.” Sortor — “conservative influencer” and “investigative journalist.” Mercado — “editor-in-chief” and “citizen journalist.”
This is an intentional exercise in trust creation with their audiences, hoping to figuratively cloak themselves in the veil of authority — or literally in Higby’s case, wearing his combat helmet that says PRESS in all caps, bold font. He posted in response to the slap-fight: “Our job is to film.” Then I believe that makes you a cinematographer.
Since (pretty much) always, journalists have been defined by a specific set of actions they carry out, not what they wear, who they work for, or where they travel to. You can call it journalism, but if it lacks any of the defining features of the profession — you know, interviews, analysis, explanation, fact-checking, historical context, effort — does it really deliver on the fundamental promise to capture our life and times for your audience?
To quote one of the great minds of the early aughts, Dwight Eubanks: “Who was this wonderful person that was giving a fashion show with no fashions? How dreadful.” Protest coverage with no interviews or insight, dreadful indeed. Here’s what the dueling creators spent their time on instead.
HIT OR MISS
My friends had a phase when they could not stop saying “I did not hit her!” in the linguistic style of Tommy Wiseau as seen in the iconic and endlessly parodied 2003 film “The Room.” What a phenomenon it is that someone can watch it and say it’s the worst movie ever made, while their buddy one seat over celebrates it as a cult classic.
Art: famously in the eye of the beholder — the flag bearer of subjectivity. A video of something that happened, to real people, in real life … didn’t used to fall under the same banner. This dust-up in Minneapolis is a testament to just how up for interpretation these events have become. Here’s how Nick Sortor and Cam Higby framed the events of the night, followed by how Andrew Mercado did. Their words, not mine:
Right lane:
🚨🚨 Nick Sortor was just ATTACKED by a violent mob outside of the Bishop Henry Whipple building in Minneapolis1
NICK SORTOR WAS JUST ATTACKED AGAIN: During the attack, federal agents deployed a massive amount of tear gas and pepper balls
This is the video features the much debated fight with a woman who most people didn’t realize was featured in a video earlier that day
🚨 This is the moment Nick was forced to drive away as a mob SURROUNDED his vehicle, smashed the windows, and spray painted the car … The rioters repeatedly threatened to kill us.2
They should be arrested for attempted fcking murder.
🚨 THIS is one of the weapons of choice leftist rioters tried to kiII Cam and me with tonight. Frozen water bottles. Classic Antifa.
Just to he [sic] extremely clear about the altercation between Nick Sortor and the woman, he didn’t hit her. His camera had a wrist strap and was attached to his arm. She tried to take it so his arm flies around.
This video shows rioters pull their car in front of Nick and I, as we tell them repeatedly to get out of the way. We yell and use hand motions to signal to move away from the front of the vehicle. They refuse and tell us we can’t leave.
Left lane:
NICK SORTOR HITS A FEMALE - she was seen blocking him from filming her friend with a plastic shield, Sortor then knocks it to the ground, blocks her from retrieving it
NICK SORTOR DRIVES THROUGH PROTESTERS. Protesters called police after Sortor hit a female protester. They tried to block him from leaving until police arrived, but Sortor drove through them.
From livestream: He fucking hit a woman, I’ll get the whole fucking state down here … you can come out and get some too Cam … you two should just get the fuck out of here … yeah he hit a woman! That’s what they do bro.
I was offering Nick a real fight because he seemingly shows up to protests and only fights women. He declined my invitation.
I should not have lost my cool tonight no matter how tough it gets … MAGA agitators are best dealt with by ignoring them. It’s difficult for me as a man to watch the same few agitators go from city to city hitting women and instigating fights.3
There was nobody behind them and they could’ve left at any time tonight before Nick Sortor decided to fight a woman. The protestors had called the police and were preventing them from fleeing the scene.
When the crowd was accusing Nick and Cam of having guns in the car I am on stream vocally telling everyone they do not … Don’t fight women in my home and agitate people on camera.
“And if you’re, like, conservative and you wanna do independent journalism and you’re out there just doing it, nobody will fuck with you at all … if you’re out there doing bootlicking MAGA dumb fuck shit, they’re gonna find out and they’re gonna have a problem with you, and your own actions, because of the choices you made with your own media.”
ANGLES OF ATTACK
Those are accounts of the same event, from two different vantage points — narrating in real time, pretending they’re projecting anything but visceral fear and frustration. Each creator stands firm in their version of events, other creators on the scene did too. The real story is hard to discern from home, even with the personal equivalent of the surveillance system Lucius Fox built for Batman in our hands.
I really would’ve bet the whole farm on the introduction of multi-cam, all-angle video footage helping us discern truth faster and easier than ever. I would’ve thought it would help ease the burden on police, the criminal justice system, and the public in determining what actually happened in an event.
But in the week that’s gone by since ICE agent Jonathan Ross killed Renee Good, video footage has only driven a bigger wedge between two warring parties, each unshakable in their belief that their side shelters the victim and the other protects the attacker. The second camera angle of the shooting only muddied the waters more. Voices on both sides continue to beg for release of a third. Can you even fathom how much harder this will be when AI is involved?
LOOSE ENDS
📝 Word I learned today: stanching
1 : to check or stop the flowing of — “Privately, Ms. Weiss has been deeply frustrated by the negative reaction to her decisions, and has blamed some subordinates for not stanching the criticism…” (via Michael Grynbaum + Benjamin Mullin, NYT)
📰 Something you should read today: We’re all just content for ICE — Ryan Broderick, Garbage Day
🥹 Something to make you smile today: All-time comfort dinner happened Sunday night to enjoy with the Globes. Via Carota salad dressing. Ina Garten’s take on a chicken pot pie, obv. And skillet cookie with Haagen Dazs vanilla bean, if you know what’s good for you.
This was what that attack looked like
Context here: Mercado is referring to a warrant out for Sortor’s arrest for attacking a woman who rejected his advances
They sound like children fighting in the playground.