CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - 48-year-old Jason Brown was arrested Tuesday for violating state law when he hung banners with Nazi messaging off an I-4 overpass. As of Wednesday afternoon he remains in custody for displaying messaging without obtaining permission first.
Demonstrators in recent Orlando-area Nazi gatherings have waved flags with swastikas, hate speech against Jews and other racial and ethnic minorities, and political messaging in support of ex-President Donald Trump and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. Brown's own demonstration contained messaging endorsing DeSantis' 2024 presidential bid. Ironically, it was a law signed by DeSantis which puts Brown behind bars.
Brown has been linked to a group known as the Order of the Black Sun. According to the Anti-Defamation League, this group is Florida-based and focuses on distributing literature and demonstrations promoting hateful ideology.
Volusia County has itself become home to multiple Nazi-themed demonstrations in recent years, sparking a widely-publicized feud with Sheriff Mike Chitwood. Several individuals have been arrested out-of-state for online threats made against Chitwood as a result of his anti-hate rhetoric.
Prior to being arrested for this infraction, Brown's previous charges include domestic battery by strangulation, contempt of court, and tampering in a felony proceeding. He's also been accused of stealing and destroying a Jewish man's phone during another demonstration.
He was arrested at his Cape Canaveral address, the first of four warrants to be served in connection to this year's I-4 Nazi demonstrations.
