White man arrested, harassed, red-flagged, and charged with felony over swastika sticker found at Albany University

Albany, NY – A White man was arrested for allegedly putting up pro-White-themed stickers around Albany University. But due to a set of draconian anti-hate speech laws—bolstered under Democratic Governor of New York, Kathy Hochul—his firearms have been confiscated, and his life has been turned completely upside down.

Some of the stickers found on the Albany University campus, photo courtesy of Albany News 10

The incident first began when pro-White stickers were discovered in multiple public areas of the Dutch and Colonial Quads of Albany University back in October. The total amount of stickers found by University personnel amounted to less than a dozen.

But because one of the stickers found by a dormitory RA contained a swastika—a violation of New York State law that prohibits public display of nooses, swastikas, or the burning of a cross under threat of strict penalties—local law enforcement quickly launched a dragnet of epic proportions. Even the Governor herself took to Twitter to decry her “outrage” over the incident days before a tightening gubernatorial election.

NY Governor Hochul decries her “outrage” over the incident

Only after a heavy-handed investigation that involved multiple Police agencies—including the University Police Department, the Albany County Crime Analysis Center, and the New York State Police—did the system finally arrest and detain 23-year-old Alexander Wolcott for his alleged involvement. He’s since been charged with aggravated harassment in the first degree, a class E felony charge that could see him receive up to five years in prison, as well as being issued a New York State Extreme Risk Protection Order (ERPO).

In layman’s terms, he’s been “red-flagged.” Because of this, the state has effectively declared him mentally unwell, confiscating his firearms all because the system—after merely finding a swastika on public property—determined their suspect is somehow “likely to engage in conduct that would result in serious harm to self or others” as defined in State Mental Hygiene Law.

“The recent and disgusting rise in racist, homophobic, and hateful behavior will never be tolerated in New York…There is no reason for a symbol of hate to ever be on display…”

Democratic Governor of New York, Kathy Hochul

Since its inception in 2019, New York State’s dubious and often controversial red flag law has culminated in 1,900 firearm removal orders from American citizens and counting. It essentially allows laymen like judges or law enforcement personnel to diagnose mental health defects in everyday people, bypassing official exams from licensed healthcare professionals needed to reach such a conclusion. This loophole is so insidious that in late December of 2022, it was successfully challenged and deemed unconstitutional by a state Supreme Court decision.

While the parties that challenged the red flag law personally benefitted from the decision, the law itself remains in effect across the Empire State. Now, it’s currently being used to deny Alexander Wolcott access to his firearms solely for the content of his alleged political opinions.

“You have people who are essentially not medical professionals expressing medical opinions that result in the deprivation of rights…And you have a procedure that essentially allows somebody to lose those rights without ever having gone in front of a judge.”

Daniel Strollo, attorney

The Justice Report reached out to Alexander Wolcott, who agreed to speak with us in an exclusive one-on-one interview. While he remains stoic in the face of such outrageous charges, he hopes to shine a light on the draconian methods that he has been subjected to ever since the incident unfolded.

Alexander Wolcott Interview

When the Justice Report met with Alex, it was a particularly frigid night in upstate New York, a place known for its natural beauty coupled with vast swaths of civilizational flight. Many of the towns and hamlets in these far reaches of the Empire State used to serve a vital purpose in the Hudson River economy, only to dry up as industries, markets, and populations shifted in favor of a more globalized system.

With oppressive taxes and the inability to keep their prices competitive, it’s a region where mom-and-pop businesses struggle to survive while large corporations can run rampant, peddling their wares out of long, concrete strip malls that develop like a plague. It was only fitting, then, that our meeting took place at a restaurant that best embodied the corporate culture that many upstate New Yorkers are constantly exposed to. Applebees.

It didn’t take long for us to get seated, and after placing an order with an attractive townie waitress, we sat down to warm ourselves by the commercial HVAC and take in the sights and sounds of artificial holiday cheer festooned all around us.

“They arrested me for a broken tail light an hour and a half away from the campus in question,” said Alex, a man who had high spirits and a calm demeanor considering the injustice he now faces. “Two SUNY University Police in undercover vehicles and two New York State counter-terrorism investigative units.”

“I was arrested for aggravated harassment. They claimed I had photos on my phone of ‘a weapon,’ ‘holding weapon,’ ‘photos of Hitler and other anti-Semitic memes,’ ‘screenshots of meme,’ and ‘photos of Hitler and 420 relating to Hitler’s birthday.’ That was their probable cause for taking away the firearms. But there was never any target. No menacing whatsoever.”

Alexander Wolcott

“When they pulled me over, one of the first things they did was pull out a picture of someone that looks similar to me,” he explained. “They said it’s the same shoes and the same build. I was questioned on the side of the road for two whole hours in the cold before they brought me in, and they kept me locked up for hours after that. Then they finally brought me in for interrogation.”

SUNY Albany. Photo courtesy of albany.edu

“They asked me, ‘what do I know about the first amendment? I bet if I went to a school right now and asked a history teacher, even they wouldn’t be able to tell me what the first amendment is,” explained Alex, referring to the way Police attempted to gaslight him into misunderstanding his own constitutionally protected rights as an American citizen. When we asked Alex if he felt intimidated during the hours-long crucible orchestrated by New York State Police counter-terrorism investigators, he replied, “Yeah, in my opinion.”

“Etches, paints, draws upon or otherwise places a swastika, commonly exhibited as the emblem of Nazi Germany, on any building or other real property, public or private, owned by any person, firm or corporation or any public agency or instrumentality, without express permission of the owner or operator of such building or real property”

Aggravated Harassment in the First Degree – New York Penal Law Sec. 240.31

“I was arraigned and had my preliminary hearing two days after. A week or two after I was arrested, the local sheriff stopped by where I was staying at the time and knocked on the door really hard and said there’s a detective that needs to see you,” he continued. “They had me come to the station where they served me a ‘red flag law temporary extreme risk protection order.’ Because of that, they could now take away all my firearms.”

“My lawyer said he’s never seen anything like that. The only time he’s ever seen anything like that is when someone is hospitalized in an insane asylum against their will because they’re off their medication,” explained Alex. After that, however, the Police offered him a cruel ultimatum: give us the guns, or we’ll do whatever it takes to find them ourselves.

NY Governor Kathy Hochul investigating the results of a gun confiscation campaign. Photo courtesy of www.governor.ny.gov

“When they handed me the protection order, they said I had one of two options. One, I could either accept this paperwork, and it will be me, you, and another State Trooper will pick up your guns after you point them out to us in the home. Or two, me and fifteen State Troopers will knock down the house, and we’ll go through everything to find them.” In the end, Alex chose to cooperate and escort the Police to where his weapons were located, sparing him and his family the indignity of a whole-home search.

According to the ERPO issued to Wolcott, the petitioner listed is Investigator Brian Dengler of the New York State Police. This would make him the individual in charge of physically grabbing Wolcott’s guns. When asked if all of the Police Officers who performed the initial arrest, interrogation, property search, and gun confiscation were White men, Alex replied, “Yes. All of them.”

Page 1 of Alexander Wolcott’s Extreme Risk Protection Order, more commonly known as a “red flag.”

During the Justice Report’s own investigation of police reports and records surrounding the incident, we discovered that it was Investigator Chad J. Albanesi of the New York State Police who originally signed off on Wolcott’s red-flag ERPO. But while Albanesi may be eager to sign away the constitutionally protected rights of a fellow American citizen, he doesn’t seem to have any qualms with aiding and abetting foreign nationals allegedly fleeing the exact same kind of political persecution he himself imposes on his own countrymen.

Unidentified members of Schenectady, NY Police at an “Afghan Refugee” family event. Photo courtesy of Masjid As-Salam

According to the Masjid As-Salam, a self-proclaimed “non-profit, non-political, religious and educational institute” that operates under the North American Islamic Trust, Albanesi is personally named as a refugee support liaison for Muslim refugees seeking shelter from countries like Iraq and Afghanistan. The Masjid, which operates as a mosque that provides religious services to Empire State Muslims, also advances Islamic education and provides clothing and other social services to those fleeing “persecution and intolerance” in their home countries.

“We proudly work with refugees who have fled their homes due to persecution and intolerence, regularly navigating the refugee system has helped tens of thousands.”

Masjid As-Salam Website

The Justice Report reached out to Investigator Albanesi of the New York State Police for further clarification on the kinds of support he personally helps facilitate for foreign nationals but did not hear back for an immediate response.

While Alexander Wolcott awaits his day in court, the damage, he believes, has already been done. Thanks to a media machine that has committed to villainizing him online, in local newspapers, and elsewhere, he’s now missed out on once-assured job opportunities. According to him, even his younger siblings are now being harassed at school by spiteful left-leaning teachers.

“Someone was offering me a good job, but after the news of my arrest came out, the job was withheld. They said it wouldn’t create a ‘safe environment,’ even though I have no history of violence. I’ve never even been in a fight before,” Alex attested. “A family member of mine is being bullied by staff at school. From a teacher! My name is being dragged through the mud, and now they’re suffering because of my arrest.”

In the meantime, a GiveSendGo has been set up to assist Alex with funding his ongoing legal defense. He hopes his struggles with navigating the oppressive New York State legal system will help wake others up to a systemic effort by the government to eliminate free speech and use hate crime laws to oppress White citizens.

Governor Kathy Hochul at the Museum of Jewish Heritage after signing a bill promoting Holocaust education. Photo courtesy of Office of Governor Kathy Hochul
.

While the State of New York is spending millions of dollars in taxpayer money to prosecute White people over their political opinions, the system appears hesitant to do anything when confronted with actual hate crimes taking place in its capital city. In August of this year, an Albany man, Jon Romano, was brutally flayed and dismembered by a homeless Black man wielding two swords. According to Romano—who survived the attack but now faces life-altering consequences—the assailant hurled multiple anti-White racial epithets as he launched the melee. In the aftermath, mainstream media focused their attention instead on the victim’s troubled teenage past but remained eerily silent on the racial aspect of the attack. To this day, New York State has declined to pursue hate crimes charges against Jon Romano’s anti-White attacker.

The political oppression of Alexander Wolcott and the trampling of civil liberties in the State of New York is currently ongoing, but the Justice Report will continue its coverage as soon as updates become available.

Have a story? Please forward any tips or leads to the editors at [email protected]

Visit our news aggregator over at the justicereport.news


Search

© 2024 Torchlight Media, LLC