brandon darby will debate david mckay at tonight’s screening of a new documentary

by Tim Phillips

Shortly after former Black Panther Malik Rahim co-founded Common Ground Relief in the fall of 2005, to assist Gulf Coast storm survivors following Hurricane Katrina, Brandon Darby began working with the organization. Darby remained an active member until sometime in 2008. He later testified that he became an FBI informant in November 2007.

In 2008, Darby traveled to the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minnesota, with Bradley Crowder and David McKay, among other protesters. Darby, who Crowder and McKay looked up to, persuaded the two men to make Molotov cocktails for the purpose of firebombing empty squad cars. The Molotov cocktails were never used, but Crowder and McKay faced federal criminal charges for making and possessing them.

Crowder pled guilty and was sentenced to two years in prison, but McKay took his case to trial and argued that Darby entrapped him. The jury was unable to reach a verdict. McKay subsequently pled guilty and was sentenced to four years.

Tonight Darby will debate McKay after a free screening of Informant, a new documentary about Darby, in New York City.