Jeremy Ryan
Jeremy Ryan | |
---|---|
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Born | 29 August 1988 |
Nationality | American |
Other names | Joseph, Segway Boy |
Jeremy Ryan known as “Segway Jeremy”, is an American protester. He has been called the face of the Wisconsin Capitol Protests in 2011 against Scott Walkers’s Act 10, which included the Capitol Occupation, the movement that some claim inspired the Occupy movement. [1][2] Jeremy became prominent in his own mind, from his frequent capitol protests in Madison, Wisconsin. In reality he seemed to be an attention seeker that glommed on to the protest movement to draw attention to his stunts. His frequent use of a segway vehicle around the capitol earned him the name “Segway Jeremy”.[3][4] Jeremy established and is the director of Defending Wisconsin Political Action Committee, a committee that took part in the attempt to recall Governor Scott Walker in 2011/2012.[5][6] Segway Jeremy is most known for his continuous protests against Wisconsin Department of Administration’s rules which prohibited holding of signs in the rotunda which was later revoked and his supposed Cannabis activism.[5][7] Jeremy Ryan is also a current battler of brain cancer. [8] [9] in October 2018, Ryan was arrested for attempting to buy radioactive material allegedly to be used to poison an unnamed target.[10]
Personal life
Jeremy was born in Belleville, Wisconsin[11] and moved to Madison, Wisconsin, at age of 17 after he graduated from high school.[12] He is from Madison and also lives in Madison, Wisconsin.[13] He is a non-practicing catholic, self describing on Facebook as a "recovering Catholic".[11]
Jeremy was arrested several times and charged with disorderly conduct for various protests that he claims to have organized and led.[14][8]
In 2011, he claims to have organized and led some of the first political mass civil disobedience protests since the Vietnam War days against Governor Scott Walker’s collective bargaining reforms legislation, although in reality the unions organized these protests. [3][15]
Six of the arrested protesters; Jeremy Ryan, Jenna Pope, Valerie Walasek, Lauri Harty, Anne Hoppe and Kathlee Hoppe filed a lawsuit against the state’s Department of Administration claiming that they were wrongfully arrested and should be paid for damages considering the “emotional distress, loss of liberty and damage to reputation” the arrest caused them. In 2015, they were collectively awarded $45,000 in damages by a Dane County judge Frank Remington who seemed to have agreed with their argument.[8][15]
In 2012, he was charged for disorderly conduct outside of the Capitol Press room now known as the Dick Wheeler press room. Jeremy on many occasions taunted Gwen Guenther after the death of Dick Wheeler her father, after she took over “The Wheeler Report”.[1][3]
In 2014, he was again charged with domestic abuse and stalking of his girlfriend who he lived with then.[1][16] After the stalking charge was dismissed he was only convicted of disorderly conduct removing the word abusive and only being convicted of “boistrous, unreasonably loud, or otherwise disorderly conduct” in that case.[17]
In 2015, Jeremy became an active supporter of the movement “Black Lives Matter” over the shooting of a black teenager by a white police officer.[15]
In November, 2016, Jeremy was again arrested, “on three felony counts of manufacturing and delivering marijuana and one felony count of maintaining a drug operation.”[1][18]
On October 25th, 2018, Jeremy was arrested for, "charges for attempting to possess radioactive material with intent to cause death". "Court documents alleged that in March and October, Ryan attempted to purchase a lethal dose of a radioactive substance via the internet to kill an unnamed individual." [19] His attorneys argued that, after learning his cancer was in remission, he was attempting to purchase the substance in order to commit suicide should his cancer return. [20]
Education
Jeremy attended the Liberal Arts, Madison Area Technical College and Herzing University, 2009.[11]
Election
2012 Election
In 2012 election, Jeremy Ryan ran for Wisconsin State Assembly District 76 under the “Individual Party”.[5][7]
2014 Election
Despite his several protests against both the GOP policies and elected officials of the party, he ran in the Republican primary against Paul Ryan in the Wisconsin 1st Congressional District House of Representatives election in which Paul Ryan defeated him.[2][7]
According to Jeremy Ryan, he chose to run against Paul Ryan because they shared the same last name. He also declared his intention in taking the party back to its root.[21]
Before the 2014 election was conducted, the State Republican party officials asked for the disqualification of Jeremy Ryan from contesting in the primary. They argues that he misled prospective voters into signing his nomination papers thinking they were signing to legalize marijuana.[22][23]
The accountability board later approved him stating that the complaint lacked sufficient evidence to kick him off the ballot.[23]
2018 Election
Jeremy Ryan has declared to run for 2018 Wisconsin’s 1st Congressional District Republican Primary to replace Paul Ryan in the United States House of Representatives.[24][25] In this race he describes himself as a Progressive Republican. His largest issue is legalization of Cannabis which he can be seen smoking in his campaign videos some in which he also appears drunk. [26]
See also
2018 Arrest
In October 2018, Ryan was arrested in Black Earth, Wisconsin, for allegedly attempting to possess radioactive material with the intent to cause death or serious bodily injury.[27] In email messages with a potential seller, who was actually a cover employee of the FBI, Ryan described a target who was 6-foot-tall, male, and weighing 200 pounds. In the emails, Ryan allegedly asked how long it would take the material to kill someone after ingested.
“I’m looking for something that’s very rare/difficult to get a hold of. Also that doesn’t show symptoms immediately but kills them fairly soon after,” the message said. He also said he wanted the material to be “extremely difficult” to get so people would automatically suspect the government.
On Oct. 15, Ryan was given a package tracking number, and on Wednesday, FBI surveillance personnel saw him go into the UPS store to pick up the package.
At Ryan’s initial appearance in federal court October 25, U.S. Magistrate Judge Stephen Crocker ordered Ryan to remain in jail until a detention and probable cause hearing on Monday. On October 29, federal public defender Joseph Bugni state his client intended to use it to kill himself because he has cancer. It was ruled that Ryan would remain jailed because he was a flight risk and a risk to the community.[28]
References
- ^ a b c d "Five Years After the Recalls, Whatever Happened to...Jeremy Ryan? - Media Trackers". Media Trackers. 2017-06-02. Retrieved 2018-07-25.
- ^ a b "Professional Protester Turned Congressional Candidate – Segway Jeremy Ryan's Greatest Hits | MacIver Institute". www.maciverinstitute.com. Retrieved 2018-07-25.
- ^ a b c Journal, Karen Rivedal | Wisconsin State. "Who is Jeremy Ryan? The record is mixed". madison.com. Retrieved 2018-07-25.
- ^ Kittle, M.D. "Capitol protester Jeremy 'Segway Jeremy' Ryan arrested on drug trafficking charges". Watchdog.org. Retrieved 2018-07-25.
- ^ a b c "Segway Jeremy Ryan Announces Candidacy for Assembly District 76". Wisconsin Citizens Media Cooperative. 2012-04-30. Retrieved 2018-07-25.
- ^ "Candidate Hopefuls Collect Signatures for Marijuana, Nomination - Racine County Eye". Racine County Eye. 2014-05-16. Retrieved 2018-07-25.
- ^ a b c "Meet The Segway-Riding Activist Who Hopes To Confuse GOP Voters In Paul Ryan Primary". Talking Points Memo. Retrieved 2018-07-25.
- ^ a b c "Segway Jeremy Ryan, Others Awarded $45,000 in Damages Over Act 10 Protests | MacIver Institute". www.maciverinstitute.com. Retrieved 2018-07-25.
- ^ "Two left-out candidates debate in 1st District | Janesville Gazette Extra". www.gazetteextra.com. Retrieved 2018-07-26.
- ^ Journal, Bill Novak | Wisconsin State. "Frequent protester known as 'Segway Jeremy' faces life in prison for alleged radioactivity plot". madison.com. Retrieved 2018-10-26.
- ^ a b c "The Voter's Self Defense System". Vote Smart. Retrieved 2018-07-25.
- ^ "The strange ballad of Segway Jeremy". The Badger Herald. Retrieved 2018-07-25.
- ^ "Hulsey, protester allowed on Wisconsin ballot". Press Gazette Media. Retrieved 2018-07-25.
- ^ Journal, Karen Rivedal | Wisconsin State. "Madison police 'safety alert' delays medical aid to man on 911 call". madison.com. Retrieved 2018-07-25.
- ^ a b c Kittle, M.D. "M.D. Kittle -". Townhall. Retrieved 2018-07-25.
- ^ ""Segway Boy" Jeremy Ryan Charged with Domestic Abuse". Media Trackers. 2014-10-07. Retrieved 2018-07-25.
- ^ "Wisconsin Circuit Court Access". wcca.wicourts.gov. Retrieved 2018-07-25.
- ^ "'Segway Boy' faces felony drug trafficking charges". WISC. 2016-11-04. Retrieved 2018-07-25.
- ^ https://www.channel3000.com/news/dane-county-man-arrested-for-attempting-to-possess-radioactive-material-with-intent-to-cause-death/822921610.
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(help) - ^ https://madison.com/wsj/news/local/courts/lawyer-man-who-tried-to-buy-radioactive-poison-intended-it/article_2d7a098b-6eb6-592b-9b5f-aecfbbe48f92.html.
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(help) - ^ Gazette, Wisconsin. "GOP files complaint over challenge to Paul Ryan". Wisconsin Gazette. Retrieved 2018-07-25.
- ^ "Wisconsin GOP Files Complaint Against Pro-Pot Congressional Challenger". The Daily Chronic. 2014-06-06. Retrieved 2018-07-25.
- ^ a b "Protester challenging Paul Ryan allowed on ballot". WISN. 2014-06-10. Retrieved 2018-07-25.
- ^ "Former Paul Ryan aide running for open Congressional seat". CBS58. Retrieved 2018-07-25.
- ^ fschultz@gazettextra.com, Frank Schultz. "Many candidates seek to replace Rep. Paul Ryan". GazetteXtra. Retrieved 2018-07-25.
- ^ "Wisconsin congressional candidate releases new campaign video while intoxicated". CBS58. Retrieved 2018-07-28.
- ^ https://madison.com/wsj/news/local/courts/frequent-protester-known-as-segway-jeremy-faces-life-in-prison/article_a1bfdd33-4079-55cc-866c-461c3277847b.html
- ^ https://wkow.com/news/2018/10/29/man-accused-of-trying-to-buy-radioactive-material-will-stay-in-jail/