While the ‘Jurassic Park’ star has long faced questions about privately supporting conservative politics, his older brother has been promoting extremist Three Percenter imagery for years, a new report alleges.
Actor Chris Pratt accepts the Guy of the Year award onstage during Spike TV’s Guys Choice 2015 at Sony Pictures Studios on June 6, 2015 in Culver City, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for Spike TV)
Over the years, Chris Pratt has supported his brother, Daniel “Cully” Pratt, in his efforts to promote the Solano County Sheriff’s Office, charitable groups and a side business making and selling decorative wood carvings.
But did the “Jurassic Park” star pay close attention to the way that Cully Pratt, the department’s former public information officer, used his personal social media platform and wood-carving business to seemingly promote the right-wing group, the Three Percenters?
According to an investigation by the independent news website Open Vallejo, Cully Pratt for years has promoted extremist imagery connected to the right-wing group on social media and in his wood carving.
The Three Percenters are a loose-knit coalition that, with the Oath Keepers, are part of the antigovernment militia movement whose followers express anti-government views and a willingness to defy the federal government, according to the Southern Poverty Law Project. At least one person with ties to the Three Percenters was charged in the Jan. 6 siege on the U.S. Capitol, where five people died, including one police officer. Other people with ties to the Three Percenters have been connected to bombings and kidnapping plots.
Open Vallejo investigative reporter Scott Morris also found that at least two other members of the Solano County Sheriff’s Office posted Three Percenter imagery on their public social media pages.
“Their friends and followers include staff at the sheriff’s office,” Open Vallejo reported. “While not all interacted with the deputies’ Three Percenter posts, (the deputies’) identity and stated views were clear.”
An Instagram post by Cully Pratt, for example, shows him displaying one of his wood carvings with the hashtag “#3percent.” This carving apparently was made for his colleague, Sgt. Roy Stockton, who was elected to the Vacaville City Council in November. Open Vallejo also said Stockton, a 15-year law enforcement veteran, has a side business selling items referencing far-right imagery, including Gadsden flags with coiled rattlesnakes, and other coiled snake figures.
As the news site reported, Cully Pratt’s gift to Stockton resembles a California flag, but instead of a bear, it features hooks to hold an AR-15 rifle above the words, “WILL NOT COMPLY.” The piece also shows 13 shotgun shells, arranged like the stars of the Betsy Ross flag and forming a circle around the Roman numeral III.
For the last few weeks I’ve been looking into the social posts of Solano County Sheriff’s deputies.
Several of them have shown open support for the Three Percenter movement, a far-right militia whose members were involved in the attack on the Capitol. ????
Cully Pratt’s Instagram account, where he once boasted more than 29,000 followers. is no longer available. His #3percent reference stems from the dubious historical claim that only 3 percent of American colonists fought against the British during the War of Independence, the Southern Poverty Law Center said.
Open Vallejo said that Cully Pratt did not respond to a request for comment about his Three Percenter content. Solano County spokesperson Matthew Davis declined to comment on whether anyone in the county, including in the sheriff’s office, are active members of any anti-government militia.
When reached for a comment, Stockton told Open Vallejo that he “strongly condemned the violent and racist views of these extreme right, militia, and anti-government groups.”
He also said in an email: “I believe that law enforcement officers and other public officials cannot keep their oaths to uphold the Constitution if they are associated with any extremist or anti-government groups.”
For the last few weeks I’ve been looking into the social posts of Solano County Sheriff’s deputies.
Several of them have shown open support for the Three Percenter movement, a far-right militia whose members were involved in the attack on the Capitol. ????
The news about Cully Pratt’s apparent affinity for far-right ideology comes after his younger brother has long faced questions about whether he privately holds conservative political views, including whether he voted for Donald Trump.
Such questions have persisted because Chris Pratt won’t comment on his politics, even as his famously political in-laws, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver, and his wife, Katherine Schwarzenegger, expressed strong anti-Trump views.
Open Vallejo reported that the mega-movie star has promoted his older brother’s wood carving business to his 30 million Instagram followers and appears to share his brother’s fondness for patriotic imagery.
In 2017, Cully Pratt took a selfie with Chris, flashing one of the coiled snake figures sold by Stockton. Chris Pratt also appeared at a Solano County sheriff’s fundraiser — a screening of “Jurassic World” — wearing a hat with the 13 stars of the Betsy Ross flag.
In July 2019, the “Guardians of the Galaxy” star drew criticism when he was photographed, walking with his wife, wearing a “Don’t Tread on Me” shirt. People said he was showcasing an image associated with groups such as the Tea Party and Second Amendment advocates, which express concern about government overreach. Others were more harsh in their criticism, accusing Pratt of wearing “a white supremacist dog whistle,”
Chris Pratt’s suspected politics and conservative religious beliefs have made him the red-hot focus of recurring debate about which movie star named Chris is Hollywood’s “worst Chris.” The debate heated up around the Nov. 3 presidential election with some of Pratt’s Marvel Cinematic Universe co-stars, including Robert Downey Jr. and Mark Ruffalo, rushing to defend his reputation as a “good” person who tries to stay out of politics.
As Chris Pratt has been in the hot seat, his less famous brother and others in the Solano County Sheriff’s office have largely escaped consequences for openly expressing affinity for a far-right group, Open Vallejo reported.
Instead, “they have risen in the ranks of the sheriff’s office and have been trusted with high-profile public assignments,” Open Vallejo said.
In addition to serving as the department’s office public information officer up until recently, Cully Pratt has been lauded in Solano County for his support of philanthropic causes. A glowing 2018 CBN profile said Cully Pratt was Army veteran who shares his brother’s charisma and “incredible” artistic talent for woodworking. The profile also said he worked previously as a police officer in Pittsburg and Rio Vista.
With Stockton, Cully Pratt has run the nonprofit Solano Family First Responders. Pratt also has been known for getting Bay Area law enforcement luminaries and other high-profile figures, such as as his movie star brother, to attend gala fundraisers for his favorite organizations.
In September 2018, Chris Pratt served as the auctioneer at a gala in Napa Valley to raise awareness and money for The Leaven, a Fairfield faith-based nonprofit that Cully Pratt is involved with.
As it happens, Chris Pratt’s Napa Valley getaway that September was mostly notable because of photos posted on social media that showed Katherine Schwarzenegger, who was then his girlfriend, hanging out with Cully Pratt. Fans took the get-together as a sign that the actor and Schwarzenegger were getting serious.
Open Vallejo, by Scott Morris, February 4, 2021
Members of the III% militia wait for instructions while training in Jackson, Ga. on Oct. 29, 2016.
daniel “Cully” Pratt of the Solano County Sheriff’s Office has a side business making decorative wood carvings. Some feature characters from movies starring his brother Chris Pratt, like “Jurassic World” and “Guardians of the Galaxy.”
Others are more political, like the rifle display he made for Sgt. Roy Stockton, a Sheriff’s Office colleague and recently-elected member of the Vacaville City Council.
The piece resembles a California flag, but instead of a bear, it features hooks for Stockton’s AR-15 rifle above the words, “WILL NOT COMPLY.” Thirteen shotgun shells, arranged like the stars of the Betsy Ross flag, form a circle around the Roman numeral III. Cully Pratt grins from behind his creation in a 2018 Instagram post, which he labeled with the hashtag, “#3percenter.”
Solano County Sheriff’s Sgt. Cully Pratt poses with a rifle display rack he made for fellow sheriff’s Sgt. Roy Stockton. The handmade wood display features symbolism associated with the far-right Three Percenter movement, which has been linked to several terrorist plots around the country. Screenshot / Open Vallejo
Three Percenters are a loose-knit collection of far-right extremists characterized by anti-government, pro-gun views, and a willingness to violently defy the federal government. At least one person with Three Percenter ties has been charged in connection with the Jan. 6 storming of the Capitol in Washington, D.C., where five people died, including a police officer. Others have been connected to bombings and kidnapping plots.
Three Percenters are a loose-knit collection of far-right extremists characterized by anti-government, pro-gun views, and a willingness to violently defy the federal government. At least one person with Three Percenter ties has been charged in connection with the Jan. 6 storming of the Capitol in Washington, D.C., where five people died, including a police officer. Others have been connected to bombings and kidnapping plots.
The group appears to have ideological support within the Solano County Sheriff’s Office. Pratt, Stockton and at least one other current sheriff’s deputy have posted Three Percenter imagery on their public social media pages for years, an Open Vallejo investigation has found. Their friends and followers include staff at the sheriff’s office. While not all interacted with the deputies’ Three Percenter posts, their identity and stated views were clear. Rather than face repercussions for their support of a group linked to violence, the deputies have risen in the ranks of the sheriff’s office and have been trusted with high-profile public assignments.
Since the attack on the Capitol, long-simmering concerns about right wing violence have grown more pronounced, both locally and nationwide. The Department of Homeland Security warned last Wednesday of a heightened threat from anti-government extremists following President Joe Biden’s inauguration. Last week, federal prosecutors charged American Canyon resident Ian Rogers with possessing five pipe bombs following his arrest in nearby Napa on Jan. 15. Investigators seized 49 guns and noted that Rogers had a Three Percenter emblem on his vehicle, court records show.
Supporters of President Trump clash with police at the United States Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. A Three Percenter flag is visible in the lower left foreground of the frame. David Butow / Redux
Open Vallejo contacted each of the deputies who posted extremist content, most of whom did not respond. Solano County spokesperson Matthew Davis declined to comment on whether county officials are active members of any anti-government militia.
‘We are everywhere’
Unidentified members of III% affiliated groups take part in a close-quarters battle drill during a multi-state training exercise near Denver, Colo., on July 25, 2015. Alex Flynn / Redux
Three Percenters do not have a central organization but instead are largely autonomous groups with sympathetic ideology. Formed in 2008 following the election of President Barack Obama, the group derives its name from the erroneous belief that only 3 percent of American colonists fought in the revolution against Great Britain. But instead of fighting an overseas oppressor, Three Percenters view the United States government as a tyrannical threat, especially in the context of gun control.
A Three Percenter decal was found on American Canyon resident Ian Rogers’ vehicle when he was arrested in Napa earlier this month. Investigators seized five pipe bombs and dozens of guns, court records show. Federal Bureau of Investigation
Nationwide, Three Percenters have been accused by federal authorities of plotting violence in a number of recent incidents. Adam Fox, one of the men accused of plotting to kidnap the governor of Michigan last year, was the leader of a Three Percenter group, according to investigators. A man in Ohio inspired by the Three Percenter movement was arrested last May after he allegedly tried to recruit others to help kidnap or kill police officers. A former sheriff’s deputy who led an Illinois Three Percenter group was convicted in December of bombing a mosque. A man who told undercover FBI agents he had “III% ideology” was sentenced to 25 years in prison for the attempted bombing of a bank in Oklahoma City in 2017.
Presenting themselves as modern-day patriots, Three Percenters make frequent reference to symbols of the American Revolution. The militia’s logo consists of 13 stars, as in the Betsy Ross flag, arranged around the Roman numeral III. The group’s other visual references include the year 1776 and the Gadsden flag, which features a coiled rattlesnake above the words, “Don’t Tread on Me.”
In plain sight
Solano County Sheriff’s Sgt. Roy Stockton, right, at a fundraiser for Solano Family First Responders, the charity he runs with Pratt. Stockton was sworn in as a member of the Vacaville City Council earlier this month. Solano County Public Works employee Galen “Jamie” Estes, who has a large Three Percenter tattoo, is seen second from left. Solano Family First Responders
For years, Solano County Sheriff’s officials have done little to hide their affinity for Three Percenter iconography.
Like Pratt, Stockton also sells items referencing far-right imagery. He sold leather under the name High Brass Leather and metal under the name Live Free EDC. Products with the coiled snake of the Gadsden flag and the Three Percenters logo could be observed throughout his stores and their corresponding social media accounts, which have since been set to private.
Stockton also reposted numerous photos with Three Percenter iconography. Just prior to the 2016 election, he shared a photo of several guns with the caption, “getting ready for the election tomorrow.”
Stockton disavowed political violence when reached for comment.
“I strongly condemn the violent and racist views of these extreme right, militia, and anti-government groups,” Stockton said in an email. “I believe that law enforcement officers and other public officials cannot keep their oaths to uphold the Constitution if they are associated with any extremist or anti-government groups.”
In 2016, Stockton reposted this image from his company’s Instagram account. The caption reads, in part, “Getting ready for the election tomorrow.” Now a Vacaville city councilmember, Stockton says he “condemns” violence. Screenshot / Open Vallejo
Stockton did not respond to questions about why he displayed and sold Three Percenter paraphernalia, nor why Cully Pratt made him a Three Percenter display to hang his rifle. Stockton tagged the sheriff’s official Instagram page from his leatherworking page. Both of his pages included the sheriff’s office emblem.
Deputy Dale Matsuoka, the sheriff’s office homeless outreach coordinator, has also posted Three Percenter symbols on his public Facebook page under the name “Matt Daley”and other aliases. On July 16, Matsuoka changed his Facebook profile picture to the Three Percenter logo. It was accompanied by the slogan, “When tyranny becomes law, rebellion becomes duty.”
Other current and former law enforcement officers showed frequent support for Matsuoka’s posts. One person who frequently “loved” Matsuoka’s Three Percenter posts is Jeremie Patzer, a former Vallejo police officer who shot a man outside a bar while off duty in 2005 and killed a 21-year-old man with a Taser the following year. Despite Matsuoka’s open support for extremist views, like Pratt and Stockton, the Solano County Sheriff’s Office has highlighted him publicly for his work.
Recent images from Deputy Dale Matsuoka’s Facebook page. Screenshot / Open Vallejo
Others who express affinity with the Three Percenter movement have close ties with sheriff’s deputies. Pratt and Stockton run a nonprofit, Solano Family First Responders, for which they threw a fundraiser in October of 2019. Numerous law enforcement officials and local politicians attended, including Sheriff Tom Ferrara and Solano County Supervisors Erin Hannigan and Mitch Mashburn. A sheriff’s lieutenant and Vacaville City Councilmember at the time, Mashburn endorsed Stockton to take his seat on the city council.
During the barbeque, Stockton took a selfie with three men. They include Galen “Jamie” Estes, an employee with the county public works department, who wore a black hooded sweatshirt with a white Spartan helmet situated between two rifles over the Greek phrase, “molṑn labé.” The phrase, which means, “come and take them,” is a rallying cry of anti-gun control hardliners.
County public works employee Galen “Jamie” Estes has the Three Percenter logo tattooed on his arm. Estes is connected with several Solano County sheriff’s deputies, including members of the command staff. Screenshot / Open Vallejo
Estes also has a Three Percenter tattoo on his left arm, which appeared fresh when he showed it off in a 2017 Instagram post. He is friends with Stockton, Pratt and at least six other current members of the sheriff’s office on Facebook, where he shared numerous Three Percenter symbols.
Estes’ other Facebook friends include Sheriff’s Lt. Jonathan Mazer and his ex-wife Sgt. Toni Mazer, who recently changed her name to Taylor after she remarried. Taylor “loved” a Three Percenter logo posted to Estes’ Facebook page on Jan. 15. She did not respond to emailed questions about whether and to what extent she supports violent extremism.
As public information officer for the sheriff’s office, Pratt was tasked with promoting the agency on Facebook and other social media. His famous brother often helped him get a boost of publicity, such as when he attended Super Bowl LII wearing a Solano County Sheriff’s Office hat, which the agency noted on Facebook.
Stockton posted about Chris Pratt’s appearance at a 2018 sheriff’s fundraiser. Pratt has helped draw attention to his brother Cully Pratt’s wood carving business, has featured far-right iconography. Screenshot / Open Vallejo
Chris Pratt has also promoted Cully Pratt’s wood carving business to his own 30 million Instagram followers. He sees his brother frequently and has been photographed with Stockton as well. And Chris Pratt’s fondness for patriotic imagery has at times shown a reverence for the Revolutionary War. In 2017, Cully Pratt took a selfie with his brother flashing one of Stockton’s coiled snakes. Chris Pratt appeared at a sheriff’s fundraiser screening of “Jurassic World” in 2018 wearing a hat with the 13 stars of the Betsy Ross flag. Last year, he drew scrutiny when he was photographed wearing a “Don’t Tread on Me” shirt.
‘Strategic infiltration’
In this still image from a video posted to Reddit last June, an Orange County sheriff’s deputy is seen wearing a Three Percenter logo and other far-right imagery — but not his nametag — at a protest in Costa Mesa, Calif. He kept his job, according to news reports. Screenshot / Open Vallejo
Carolyn Gallaher, an American University professor who has studied far right movements, said she was not surprised that law enforcement officers support the Three Percenter movement. “Far right movements have tried to infiltrate the military and policing and police have not done a very good job of making sure these people don’t wear the badge,” she said.
Indeed, at least 31 police officers in 12 states are being investigated for their role in the riot at the Capitol, according to the Associated Press. The FBI has investigated far-right extremists’ strategic infiltration of local law enforcement for over a decade. Officers responding to police brutality protests over the summer displayed insignia of the Three Percenters and Oath Keepers, another extremist group. A 2019 investigation by Reveal found hundreds of law enforcement officials in extremist Facebook groups.
The true depth of law enforcement support for extremism is difficult to ascertain. Many of the law enforcement officials’ social media accounts reviewed by Open Vallejo used pseudonyms. One former California parole officer acknowledged using Parler, a social media company favored by far-right extremists that was shut down by its web hosting service because of its role in organizing the attack on the Capitol. The Oakland Police Department recently launched an internal investigation into an Instagram account spreading racist and sexist posts, but has been unable to identify the officer or officers who ran it.
There is also evidence Bay Area law enforcement support for violent extremism goes beyond Solano County. A former Oakland police officer who attended the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol had his social media posts “liked” by several current and former officers. A Pleasanton police officer is reportedly under investigation for his social media posts during the riot. In 2017, the Oath Keepers had a booth at Urban Shield, a police training convention hosted by the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office.
The official CHP Oakland account “liked” this Three Percenter patch on Instagram. A spokesperson insisted it was a mistake. Screenshot / Open Vallejo
The official Instagram account of the Oakland-area California Highway Patrol “liked” a post with a Three Percenter logo last year. CHP officials said that they have been unable to determine which employee “liked” the post or when but do not believe it is part of a pattern or suspect any officers of misconduct. Agency spokesperson Officer Sean Layton said that while officers should never take any political stance while acting as police, when they were off-duty they had the right to their own political opinion. He said the “like” was a mistake and took it down.
Gallaher called the idea that officers could affiliate with extremist groups like the Three Percenters in their spare time “nonsense.”
“If you are a policing agency … you do not want extremists working for you, you shouldn’t want that,” she said. “It suggests that the police are supporting these groups and an agenda that is not to protect and serve all.”
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