Forrest Clark Rankin (29) of Lorenzo, Texas is a member of the neo-Nazi organization Patriot Front, where he served as the photo coordinator for their Colorado & Southern Wyoming chapter. Forrest lived in Wheat Ridge, CO when he was arrested trying to disrupt a Coeur d’Alene, Idaho Pride event and has engaged in regular Patriot Front organizing, including flying to Washington D.C. for a failed white supremacist march.
Rankin has worked as an engineer, but his current employment is unknown.
There is a high probability that Forrest Rankin was also a member of Front Range Active Club.
For an overview of Patriot Front in Colorado, see our summary post.
We have identified Forrest Clark Rankin of Lorenzo, TX as the Patriot Front member who uses the alias “Jesse CO” within the racist organization. Patriot Front is a white supremacist hate group that broke off from Vanguard America after James Alex Fields drove his car through a crowd of anti-fascist protesters countering the 2017 “Unite The Right” Nazi rally in Charlottesville, VA. Patriot Front’s goal is to make America a fascist white ethnostate.
Patriot Front’s activism is mostly based around creating social media content and making news headlines. Members are expected to regularly place and photograph Patriot Front stickers that are purchased from the organization’s leader, Thomas Rousseau, and then posted on the group’s social media accounts.
Patriot Front members also regularly vandalize City and State property. Leaked internal Patriot Front video, published by Unicorn Riot, shows Forrest Rankin and Patryck Scott Durham putting up Patriot Front propaganda on utility boxes in Aurora.
Thanks to leaked internal chats published by Unicorn Riot, we can see Forrest’s messages within the organization. Note that much of the Colorado & southern Wyoming chapter’s coordination was done over Telegram; those communications are not included in the leaks.
As Network 3 Photo Coordinator, Rankin is responsible for photographing and editing the organization’s propaganda photos and videos, as well as training other members on how to do the same. Rankin is also involved in growing the organization and regularly attends vetting meetups for prospective members.
Failed DC Trip
Rankin as a medic and photographer in Patriot Front’s disastrous 2021 march in Washington D.C. that left several Colorado members stranded on the east coast.
Leftist Surveillance
On November 19, 2021, Forrest Rankin (Jesse CO), Dillon Oakes (John CO), Patryck Scott Durham (Kevin CO), and potentially other Colorado Patriot Front members surveilled a protest in Denver, Colorado against the Kyle Rittenhouse verdict, in an attempt to gather intelligence on left-wing organizers.
Similarly, white men in balaclavas photographed an anti-fascist demonstration in Boulder, Colorado on June 4th, 2022. Coincidence?
Men with balaclavas have been shadowing the pro-LGBT march & taking pictures. Live now: https://t.co/UD7W2KKeXG pic.twitter.com/Ax1XiRbPx7
— UNICORN RIOT 🦄 linktr.ee/unicornriot (@UR_Ninja) June 4, 2022
Arrest at Coeur d’Alene Pride
Forrest Rankin was one of 31 Patriot Front members arrested on Conspiracy to Riot charges at the Coeur d’Alene, Idaho Pride event on June 11th, 2022.
Knowing Patriot Front’s history and emphasis on activism for their cameras alone, as well as various law enforcement agencies’ recent history of labeling protestors’ defensive tools as evidence of riotous intent, we are very skeptical of the charges laid upon Patriot Front members. However, regardless of whether or not Patriot Front wanted to incite a riot, they intended to disrupt and intimidate attendees of the Coeur d’Alene Pride event. While PF was unsuccessful due to overzealous police, other fascists, some open-carrying long guns, were only prevented from disrupting Pride by brave and organized anti-fascist resistance.
We atr in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho for a Pride Fest threatened by theblocal fash. This is a Christian group that for a bit chose to sing hyms and argue with folks. pic.twitter.com/iQ2o56YmfC
— Idavox (@IdavoxOPP) June 11, 2022
Rankin was fired from his engineering job shortly after news of his arrest broke. Within days, Rankin formed Red Sash Bunch, LLC to his Wheat Ridge address. It is unclear what Rankin is using this LLC for. If you have any tips, send them securely and anonymously here.
At some point in his Nazi activist career, Rankin setup a decoy personal website, using an AI generated headshot and a fake resume in a failed attempt to protect himself from identification. All of the information on Rankin.Site is false.
Action Items
1) Solicit and Submit Tips About Forrest Rankin
We are particularly interested in Forrest’s current employment, but any information is appreciated. You can contact us securely and anonymously here.