Blaze News original: How about a huge, slow clap for brave citizens who stood up to leftist threats, violence, and nonsense

It might seem as though leftists have had their way without any problem at all since Joe Biden got elected president in 2020. Seems as though the federal government, the legacy media, lawmakers, and Democrats have simply looked the other way while the lawless left took over on the streets and made many people's lives a living hell.

But there have been some brights spots, some glimmers of light and hope while trouble pressed in like a starless night.

'You're being condescending, and if you want to continue, I'll have Port Authority escort you out of the building if you want to play that game with me. Would you like to continue three days before Christmas? I really don't mind.'

The fact is that a number of individuals have courageously taken it upon themselves to stand up to leftist threats, violence, and nonsense in general — and when it seemed that the cards were stacked against them.

How about a lone, white-haired elderly man who got so fed up with unpredictable Black Lives Matter protesters that he emerged from a restaurant in Louisville and pointed a gun at them? Kinda changed the tone of the entire incident. Or how about Trump supporters who ended up singing the national anthem after leftists attacked them following the 2020 election? Or a gutsy woman who dared an armed punk to shoot her during a broad-daylight robbery in Washington, D.C.? Or a lone Guardian Angel refusing to back down as BLM protesters tried to intimidate him?

America is full of stories like this: regular people who have had enough of the left's violence, chaos, and lawlessness. Everyday folks who decided to stand up and say "enough!" It's high time we take back normalcy — and these folks gave us part of the road map.

Let's give them a rousing slow clap:

Gun-toting elderly man puts scare into Black Lives Matter protesters freaking out in front of restaurant

Video shows a Louisville restaurant patron putting a bit of a scare into Black Lives Matter marchers on the evening of May 1, 2021, as he pointed a handgun at the protesters who were freaking out around sidewalk tables in front of La Chasse. The Courier-Journal reported that the protesters' demonstration coincided with the 147th Kentucky Derby and was in memory of Breonna Taylor, who was fatally shot by police the previous year.

Just after 8:30 p.m., the protesters stopped outside the restaurant, and a man watching from the restaurant's patio pulled a gun and pointed it at the marchers amid a confrontation, the paper said.

It's not clear what led to the scary scene, but there are numerous examples of leftist protesters caught on video harassing and terrorizing restaurant patrons at their tables in the name of their causes — such as one infamous clip of a cowardly mob surrounding and chanting at a lone individual in Washington, D.C., in August 2020.

But the armed restaurant patron in Louisville wasn't about to let anything like that happen to him. The white-haired gentleman simply pointed his small handgun at the protesters, who hollered and made gestures — but dared not get anywhere near him.

One of the protesters was heard hollering at the man, "You're not the only one with a gun!" Indeed, a pair of men armed with rifles and handguns who appeared to be acting as security for the protesters were seen facing down the white-haired patron and arguing with him.

The paper said other protesters told the group to keep moving, and a few minutes later several Louisville police cruisers pulled up in front of the restaurant. The Courier-Journal didn't indicate if any arrests were made. The video ends with the white-haired man and another man being led inside the restaurant as the more heavily armed men watch them leave the scene.

Antifa militants gang up on Trump fans, pummel women to ground — but pro-Trump group responds by singing national anthem

On the Saturday after numerous media outlets declared Joe Biden the winner of the 2020 election, a large group of Donald Trump supporters faced off against Antifa militants in Olympia, Washington.

Trump backers lined streets and even gathered on the steps of the state Capitol to wave American and pro-Trump flags and chant "back the blue!" — a pro-police rallying cry. And while chants of "USA! USA! USA!" rang out, black-clad Antifa militants managed several cries of "f*** the USA!" and "f*** America" and stomped on Old Glory. The pro-Trump crowd also told them off with chants of "get a job!" and "f*** Antifa!"

Soon the verbal war of words turned violent, as a brawl ensued between the groups and police responded with a flash-bang and what appeared to be rounds of non-lethal munitions. One witness mentioned that Antifa militants were "attacking two women," and then a man bleeding from his eyebrow — presumably a Trump supporter — confirmed that Antifa attacked him as well. In another clip, two pro-Trump women described the Antifa attack. One said she was punched from behind as a leftist militant tried to steal her pro-Trump flag, and the second woman said a gang of Antifa thugs jumped her.

But soon a distinct sound was heard in the background. It was singing. A bit off-key, a tad ragged — but singing nonetheless. It was the national anthem. That's right. The pro-Trump crowd answered the cowardice and destruction that have become Antifa's trademark with a statement of hard-won freedom and liberty — even for the likes of those who would rather stomp all over it.

'Shoot me!' Woman gets in face of armed punk who demands her keys, tells him 'No!' and actually dares him to pull the trigger

A Washington, D.C., woman was caught on surveillance video standing up to an armed would-be robber who demanded her keys Aug. 23, 2022, flatly telling him "No!" and daring him to pull the trigger.

"Shoot me!" she commanded the masked gunman.

He eventually left the scene without firing a shot, and Iris Bond Gill told WTTG-TV all about her harrowing ordeal.

She parked her vehicle just after 3:20 p.m. and was standing on 10th Street NE looking through her purse when the hooded suspect approached her. Clearly startled, Bond Gill screamed at the sight of the armed male, throwing her dark bag and dropping her red purse on the street before putting her hands up. But an instant later, Bond Gill got downright confrontational, hollering "What the f***!" and walking toward the gunman.

She told WTTG the would-be crook called her an expletive, ordered her to turn over her keys, and insisted, "I’ll shoot you." But Bond Gill is heard on the clip defiantly telling the crook, "No!" and adding a challenge while staring him down in the street: "Shoot me!"

Soon the suspect backs up and begins to move away as Bond Gill claps her hands and appears to holler at the gunman. He then moves toward Bond Gill again, points at her, and even raises his gun at her, apparently pretending to shoot as she flinches. But Bond Gill won the standoff, and the crook took off for good.

You can view a video report here about the incident.

"I’ve seen the video, and to be honest, I saw a young man in front of me [like] a lot of young people I’ve worked with over the years," Bond Gill explained to the station, noting she's worked in the education field for a long time. "And in some way, I think I went into almost a chastising mode with him as well."

She added to WTTG that she's not encouraging others to react the way she did, only emphasizing that it was her gut reaction, and she believes in trusting your gut: "You know, it’s really complicated to think about now. I don’t exactly remember, but I know — I knew I was in danger. And so I just threw off my bag and just prepared to be confrontational."

When WTTG asked Bond Gill what she hopes people will take away from her scary encounter, she replied, "We need stronger communities. You see the suspect back away when a car comes, but no one stopped to help or was really able to intervene."

"I think there’s power in community in many ways, and I think one, you know, we can advocate for more lights and more cameras and certainly community policing is a part of that and boots on the ground. But it was actually a camera in someone’s house. And it was a car that drove by, that was not driven by anyone official — but just an individual that sort of scared him off," she explained to the station. "Gone are the days of having older neighbors that sat on the porch all day and watched and waved to you when you got home from work. I think in some ways, trying to think about how to preserve this intergenerational neighborhood is so valuable. We’ve lost so much of that in the city with massive displacement. So I think just having more people around that know each other and that support each other would be really helpful."

Bond Gill also told WTTG she hopes others remember the importance of situational awareness, adding that she was distracted while rummaging through her purse when the suspect approached. D.C. police told the station no arrests have been made.

Delta Airlines employee stands up to transgender bully causing scene at airport gate over pronouns: 'I'll have Port Authority escort you out of the building if you want to play that game with me'

A Delta Airlines employee went viral over the 2023 Christmas holiday for standing up to a transgender activist who was causing a scene for allegedly having been "misgendered."

The video shows transgender actor Tommy Dorfman — a biological man who identifies as a woman — confronting Delta Air Lines gate agents at LaGuardia Airport in New York on Dec. 23. The video doesn't show what happened prior to the confrontation, but the Delta employees are clearly upset that they can't help other customers because Dorfman is causing a scene. Dorfman's grievance was that employees "intentionally" misgendered him by not using female pronouns to refer to him, a charge one of the employees denied.

When Dorfman reiterated his accusation, the primary gate agent stood his ground: "You're being condescending, and if you want to continue, I'll have Port Authority escort you out of the building if you want to play that game with me. Would you like to continue three days before Christmas? I really don't mind."

"I'm good," Dorfman conceded.

The video originally was uploaded to Dorfman's TikTok account but has since been taken down. In his description of the incident, Dorfman accused the Delta employee of a "human rights violation." He said, according to the Washington Examiner:

When you try to advocate for yourself at @delta and are met with even more transphobia and threats of being arrested at LaGuardia. Tristan, the employee, said he was fine with me posting this. Didn't realize it was condescending to flag a human rights violation after another employee misgendered me incessantly.

The Examiner said Dorfman confirmed on TikTok that Port Authority was dispatched over the incident: "The man actually called Port Authority. Two police officers actually showed up ~10 min later and spoke to me and my partner about the incident."

Lone Guardian Angel refuses to back down as Black Lives Matter protesters try to scare him

A lone Guardian Angel was seen on video standing up to multiple Black Lives Matter demonstrators who tried to bully him during BLM's September 2021 protest of Carmine's restaurant in New York City. At least one protester also yelled multiple anti-gay slurs, but the Guardian Angel wasn't about to let that slide, either.

Video caught the moment when a BLM demonstrator wearing a black ski mask accosted the lone Guardian Angel, yelling "suck d**k!" in his ear.

"You don't like gay people?" the Guardian Angel replied to the BLM protester. Fox News said the Guardian Angel was identified as Joshua Penner.

The BLM protester replied, "I love gay people," and said that his brother is gay — but the protester's homophobic language continued: "Suck d**k, bitch!"

Soon others in the crowd begin to move toward Penner and holler at him, but the Guardian Angel kept his cool — and didn't move an inch. In fact, at one point the BLM protesters — one of them on a bullhorn — ordered him to leave, but Penner refused and told the crowd, "I live here."

Amazingly, the BLM protesters backed down and decided to be the ones to clear the area instead. You can view video here of the incident.

"He withstood a lot of verbal abuse and physical threatening," Guardian Angels leader Curtis Sliwa said, according to Fox News, which cited WABC-AM. "He stood there and didn't get sucked into the cursing, finger-pointing, and harassment. All they do is sell wolf tickets in order to fall into their trap." Sliwa added that "they were there to cause trouble — that's all they ever do is cause trouble."

Portland man hospitalized after militant leftists who took over streets ganged up on and severely injured him: 'I stood my ground, and I would do it all over again'

Blaze News readers may recall a terrifying 2021 incident in Portland during which heavily armed leftists surrounded and threatened a lone motorist who soon got fed up and pointed his own gun at them. The following is the rest of the story.

Joseph Hall — a 53-year-old handyman — said he was simply trying to get home after his May 6 workday. However, he was soon involved in an armed standoff with militant leftists who had closed off roads as part of their protests against police brutality. Hall ended up in the hospital with several broken bones and other serious injuries after the black-clad militants beat him up.

A moped allegedly cut off Hall's red pickup truck, and a male with a handheld radio ordered Hall to stop. Hall said another vehicle blocked his path, "and all of a sudden I have three or four people around me." Some members of the group pointed their rifles at Hall.

Hall told the Oregonian how the situation escalated:

Hall said he grabbed hold of a non-lethal handgun that can shoot hard pellets to try to get the people to clear the way and hadn't realized there was a march until people circled his truck. He said he heard a woman outside on a megaphone yelling at the crowd to let him go, but the people continued to block his truck and call him a "Nazi."

"They're screaming and yelling at me, claiming I was out there trying to run people over. That's when I discovered a march was going on," he said. "I was trapped. A vehicle in front of me trapped me in. I couldn't go forward or around."

Hall is seen on video standing outside the driver's seat of his red pickup, his door open, holding the firearm, while a man standing in the street points a rifle at him at North Alberta Street and Michigan Avenue. Hall can be heard yelling: "You have about five seconds to lower that weapon," as others respond that his truck is a weapon.

Hall said he stepped out of his pickup and someone snatched the keys from the truck. When he went around to the back of the truck, he said several people in the crowd remained hostile and pointed handguns and rifles at him. He said he then pulled his .38-caliber pistol from his pants and headed into the fray.

"I'm trained in the military to walk towards the threat and fight your way through the threat," said Hall. He said he served in the U.S. Marines and U.S. Army and has a concealed weapons permit out of Columbia County.

Video shows one of the protesters shoving Hall and another tackling him from behind. Other militants punched, kicked, and held Hall on the ground. Hall's .38-caliber gun popped out of his hand and was stolen, and he added that other firearms and tools were stolen from his truck during the attack.

Hall was taken to a hospital for a partially collapsed left lung, two fractured vertebrae, a broken collarbone, five broken ribs, and head trauma. Despite his injuries, Hall told KPTV-TV, "I stood my ground, and I would do it all over again."

Hall filed a police report for assault and said he would be pursuing bias crime charges based on what the mob was shouting at him.

'Don't you dare start this s**t!' Furious man puts himself in front of left-wing militant mob gathered in front of police during violent protest

A furious lone man was caught on video confronting a large group of left-wing militants gathered in front of police on the night of April 14, 2021, in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, where protests and riots had ensued following the police-involved fatal shooting of Daunte Wright.

Independent journalist Brendan Gutenschwager posted video showing the confrontation, noting that the man "briefly tried taming the line of umbrellas" and stood "between them and police" and was "discouraging agitation" of officers.

It isn't clear who the man is, but it's most definitely clear that leftist protesters toting their umbrellas to hide their identities have inflicted violence upon others in the streets and damaged and destroyed property.

"Don't you dare start this s**t!" he yelled at the group, grabbing one of the umbrellas and pointing his finger through the opening. "Not here tonight! Not here tonight!"

At one point the man's body shook as he clenched his fists and jumped in place while screaming at the mob. One of the militants hollered back at the man that "they're the ones that are starting that s**t!" presumably in reference to police. Another militant who sounded like a female yelled at the man, "Yo! Get the f*** outta here!"

Another militant questioned why the group should be "peaceful" and then screamed at police, "There's no such thing as f***ing peaceful! You f***ing killed from the beginning, bro! F*** you!" The man began trying to engage the latter militant when the clip ended.

Small Texas police department is not about to cave to woke mob complaining about deputy's selfie with Kyle Rittenhouse

A small-town police department in Texas stood its ground amid a social media firestorm that resulted from a selfie one of its deputies took with Kyle Rittenhouse.

On Aug. 11, 2022, the Facebook account of the Thrall Police Department in Williamson County posted a photo of an unidentified deputy with Rittenhouse, who was acquitted of all charges in the shooting deaths of Joseph Rosenbaum and Anthony Huber and the shooting of Gaige Grosskreutz during the 2020 Kenosha riots.

The initial post using a photo of Rittenhouse with the officer read: "Make those stops, you never know who you might meet. Today it was Kyle Rittenhouse, welcome to Texas."

As you might guess, a swarm of critical comments ensued. But instead of backing down, the department doubled down and added the following message to the original post: "I must have missed something, I believed that this young man was arrested, charged, indicted, and then found not guilty by a jury of his peers. Is this not how our country works anymore? The hate in these comments is terrible; if you have information that is contrary to that I would honestly love to hear it." It's unclear how the unnamed deputy and Rittenhouse met.

New York restauranteur stands up to Democrat politicians over vaccine mandate — then dares Gov. Kathy Hochul to arrest him

Stratis Morfogen, owner of several popular New York City restaurants, refused to comply with the city's COVID-19 vaccine mandates in January 2022 — and even challenged Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) to arrest him over his resistance.

Speaking with Tucker Carlson on Fox News, Morfogen said he wouldn't fire any employees over politician-enacted vaccine mandates: "I'm not doing the mandate, and I told Gov. Hochul to come and arrest me."

He added, "I'm not doing it because, first of all, the employees we have, these were our heroes. In the early part of COVID, we fed 8,400 health care workers. I'm not firing these people for a jab, for a job."

Morfogen also said "none of this makes sense" and that a fully vaccinated person who possesses a legitimate COVID-19 vaccination card is a "superspreader ... because I can have a vax card, I can be asymptomatic-positive, and I can walk into my crowded restaurant ... and I can spread it to everyone!"

You can view a video here of the interview.

BONUS: Nevada women's volleyball captain doubles down on team's refusal to play transgender opponent: 'The vast majority of us decided that this isn't right ... we need to protect women's sports'

The captain of the University of Nevada women's volleyball team told Blaze News in an October exclusive interview that she's disappointed her school decided not to support the team's decision to forfeit a game against a squad with a transgender player.

"Unfortunately our university decided not to back us, and they decided they're going to have the match as scheduled," Nevada Wolf Pack captain Sia Liilii said.

As Blaze News previously reported, the women's volleyball team at San Jose State University features 6'1" male athlete Blaire Fleming, born Brayden. Fleming's presence on the SJSU squad has been the unofficial reason behind a number of opponent forfeitures, including by teams at Boise State, Southern Utah, Utah State, and Wyoming. Even Fleming's own teammate has spoken out about the unfair advantage the male athlete has over female players.

Nevada was next in line to withdraw from a match against SJSU after the Wolf Pack players released a statement announcing their refusal to participate in a match that would jeopardize their safety. However, school officials decided to override the will of the players and declare that the match against SJSU would proceed as scheduled. The University of Nevada claimed the players made their decision and statement "independently" and "without consultation with the University or the athletic department."

However, Liilii said she and her teammates tried to go through the proper channels and inform school administrators how they felt, but the university still decided to push forward with the scheduled match: "The vast majority of us decided that this isn't right, [that] we need to protect women's sports, and we're going to forfeit."

She added, "To know that the university didn't acknowledge the fact that we're the team that is going to play against [Fleming] was really frustrating, and the way they went about it was not OK."

Liilii said administrators later scheduled a meeting with the team to apologize and let players know the school would not be punishing them if they choose to sit out against SJSU — and she believed the school was finding a way to distance itself from the players' stance while still following state and NCAA rules surrounding gender diversity.

Soon after Liilii spoke to Blaze News, the San Jose State-Nevada women's volleyball game scheduled for Oct. 26 was moved to California "in the best interest of both programs and the well-being of the student-athletes, coaches, athletic staff and spectators," the University of Nevada said.

Then just one day before the game, Nevada officials finally announced a forfeit "due to not having enough players to compete," the school reportedly said.

"This is what bravery looks like, this is what leadership looks like," women's sports advocate Riley Gaines stated in a news conference coinciding with the game's scheduled start. "Certainly more bravery and leadership than the people who are supposed to be protecting them have shown."

Gaines then introduced Liilii, who received a standing ovation upon taking the podium and was brought to tears as she prepared to deliver her remarks: "I never expected to be blindsided ... having to compete against a male athlete. When the news broke, I was stunned, as many of my teammates were. This is not what we signed up for."

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