It has recently been brought to our attention that Logan Michael Smith, previously of Stillwater, Oklahoma, completed his Ph.D. in clinical psychology and has been hired as an Assistant Professor at Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tennessee. Out of concern over him having access to impressionable students (and possibly patients), we have updated the original post to include his current location.
Logan Smith was actively posting hateful content to his ‘PNN’ account until his identification in 2023. The original thread identifying Logan can be found on Twitter.
Welcome to the sunlight, Dr. Logan Michael Smith of Clarksville, Tennessee (previously of Stillwater, Oklahoma and Westerville, Ohio). Or should we call you ‘Levi Smith’, Unite the Right attendee and operator of the racist ‘/pol/ News Network’ accounts?
Buckle up, it’s thread time! #LightGreenHatUTR #IgniteTheRight
Left: Logan Smith at Unite the Right. Right: Logan’s Twitter profile image.
Growing up, Logan was a devout Christian, ‘Chief Operations’ for Florida Federation of Teenage Republicans, and an ‘Intelligence Officer’ for an online survivalist group. In 2011, Logan tried to join the Air Force but was discharged due to health reasons.
Around this time, imageboard website 4chan created the board ‘/pol/‘ in an attempt to contain the far-right trolls that were overrunning the rest of the website. Instead, the board became a magnet for racists, misogynists, genocidal maniacs, and someone called ‘Levi Smith’.
Wikipedia’s article describing the /pol/ (Politically Incorrect) discussion imageboard on 4chan.
Title of an article about 4chan’s /pol/ board and how instead of quarantining the far right it creates a breeding ground for hate.
From an article examining how the “memeification” of fascism reinforces the ideologies of hate in /pol/’s online community.
4chan user ‘Levi Smith’ says he’s used 4chan since 2005, and /pol/ since its creation.
In 2014, Logan’s personal social media accounts seemed fairly normal at first glance. He posted photos of a ‘Kindness Bus’ to his Instagram, and talked about being kind to others. His public persona would be in stark contrast with his growing alter ego.
Photo posted to Logan Smith’s Instagram page of a bus painted with messages of kindness. “Don’t use words that hurt.”
Instagram: Logan Smith talking about the “kindness bus” and telling others to be kind.
Wikipedia article on “Ghost skins“
Logan ended up attending Florida State University where he graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology. While there he got married, and upon graduation they moved to Portsmouth, Virginia. In Virginia Logan worked as a research associate, helping research suicide screening in military populations.
Instagram photo: Logan Smith standing in front of a presentation of his thesis at Florida State University, March 2016.
Screenshot from Logan’s wife’s Facebook page, confirming the move with Logan to Portsmouth VA in June, 2016.
Bio from scholarship announcement on OSU website
Bio from scholarship announcement on Facebook
In August 2016, a ‘/pol/ News Network’ (PNN) page was created on Facebook. It shared the most toxic memes from /pol/, hoping to radicalize a wider audience. Around the same time, PNN started showing up on Twitter, Gab, and other platforms.
/pol/ News Forever on Twitter
While most are likely to be unfamiliar with the “/pol/ News Network” accounts, one recognizable meme may ring a few bells. In March 2017, PNN posted a meme vilifying Muslims, Drag Queens, and Liberals. It famously backfired and went viral, with liberals proclaiming ‘Yes, this is the future we want!’.
In April 2017, a user called ‘Levi Smith‘ joined Twitter and claimed responsibility for several PNN accounts, including those on Gab, Wrongthink, and Youtube. ‘Levi’ also left plenty of other clues confirming he was running the accounts.
Virginia location on the @LeviSmithUSA account
/pol/ News Network accounts confirming that ‘Levi’ is the operator
Additional confirmation of Levi running an account on another platform.
Another user confirming Levi as the operator of accounts through direct messages with Levi
In May 2017, ‘Levi Smith’, Milo Yiannopoulos, & Turning Point USA joined the ‘Safe Streets Project‘ hoping to ‘trigger libs’ in to defending themselves, while recording info to send to cops and make ‘antifa’ look like aggressors.
Hope Not Hate mentioning Levi Smith’s involvement in the Safe Streets Project
Safe Streets Project advertisement featuring Milo Yiannopoulos, calling on people to capture video of people on their smartphones.
“Ground Dominance Training” from the “Safe Streets Project”
‘Dark Triad Man’ Ivan Throne‘s article on how to profit from deadly political violence
Of course, being an amplifier of neo-Nazi content leads to frequently being suspended from websites. To avoid bans ‘Levi’ framed his PNN accounts as if they were run by multiple people, often calling other accounts ‘affiliates’. In July 2017, however, he did a 4chan FAQ thread where he removed any doubt about who ran them — and why.
‘Levi’ confirming his operation of the PNN accounts
‘Levi’ calling Black people a “separate species”
‘Levi’ clearly stating his goal to radicalize more people into far-right extremism
More questions answered by ‘Levi’
Although the accounts were operated under a pseudonym and the content primarily consisted of hate memes, that did not detract from their impact on social media. In August 2017, ‘Levi’ doubled the reach of the #UniteTheRight hashtag on Twitter.
At ~93k followers PNN was arguably the most influential account promoting the Unite the Right rally.
We took a closer look at the @polNewsForever Twitter account and noticed that it was created in 2014, years before PNN existed. By searching on Twitter, we were able to find that the account was previously named @EveryBitcoinKey — a crypto spam account — prior to being rebranded for PNN in May 2017. The PNN account gained almost 18 thousand followers in just 9 days.
Searching for the earliest replies to @polNewsForever on Twitter revealed that the handle had changed names.
But was there a crypto connection? By looking at his job history, we were able to confirm that Logan was a “crypto bro.” His LinkedIn account showed that he worked for Finman Technologies, which was owned by teenage Bitcoin millionaire, Erik Finman. Logan and Erik later worked together at another crypto company, Metal Pay, where Logan wrote his own Employee Spotlight piece.
Screenshot of Logan Smith’s LinkedIn profile in 2023.
Metal Pay Employee Spotlight, written by Logan himself.
Erik Finman, teenage Bitcoin millionaire and former employer of Logan Smith
On August 10, 2017, @polNewsForever stated its Admin was going to Unite the Right. On the 12th, ‘Levi’ tweeted a picture from his car confirming he was going… and that was a mistake.
ANTIFA™ Sleuth Mode: Activated!
PNN advertising Unite the Right in Charlottesville
Examination of photo posted by ‘Levi’ on his way to Charlottesville
A matching photo of the steering wheel of a Chevy Cruze
We noted details of the interior, such as the seats and type of seatbelt connector.
That afternoon, James Alex Fields Jr. drove his car into a crowd of people, injuring dozens, and killing a beloved community member, Heather Heyer. ‘Levi’ claimed ‘Antifa’ was responsible.
In July 2019, almost two years later, Levi was still pushing narratives advocating for murderer James Alex Fields on PNN’s Gab page.
Through constant vilification of ‘Antifa’, Logan’s PNN amplified the ‘Safe Streets Project’ use of DARVO — a psychological gaslighting technique that makes the victims of violence look like the aggressor.
Upon returning from UTR, ‘Levi’ discovered that his house had participated in trickle-down economics, and posted photos of the aftermath to the internet.
That, too, was a mistake.
We examined the photos Levi Smith posted of his home “break-in” after Unite the Right.
Levi begins to get oddly specific with details of the break-in he was not at home for.
Virginia location: confirmed.
Close-up of Levi Smith’s profile image showing some facial features.
While ‘Levi’ blamed ‘racial profiling’ for the robbery, a lady-friend named Brittany Pettibone organized a fundraiser for repairs. Pettibone is an ‘alt-right’ YouTuber who interviews far-right guests such as Aleksandr Dugin and Tommy Robinson.
Levi Smith blames ‘being white’ for his break-in
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- Levi Smith asking for money with support from Brittany Pettibone
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- Levi Smith fundraiser
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- Brittany Pettibone with Lauren Southern and Aleksander Dugin
In May 2017, Pettibone interviewed ‘Levi’ about PNN. On August 12 2017, on his way back from UTR, ‘Levi’ video called her from his car. Photos of ‘Levi’ found on @polNewsForever and @LeviSmithUSA matched the man in the interviews, providing more confirmation of his connection to the account.
Screenshot from the interview with Brittany Pettibone in August, 2017 after UTR.
Screenshot from original interview with Brittany Pettibone in May, 2017.
Levi’s face caught briefly in a video posted by @polNewsForever
We took a close look at an archived image of Levi’s face, which he posted to his own timeline in 2017.
We still needed to verify where ‘Levi Smith’ was located. Based on social media posts, we estimated travel time to be 2.6 – 3.1 hours, which limited our search to certain regions. We mapped gas stations along routes, and searched for the barriers in Levi’s photo. We found only one match, near Portsmouth / Norfolk, VA.
Map of travel distances by road for a fully-laden 2014 Chevy Cruze
Nearby gas station marked on the map
Comparison of the photo taken by Levi to the same location on Google Maps
Route from Portsmouth, VA to Charlottesville, VA
“I’m being racially profiled!”
No, ‘Levi’, you were just exposed to the well-known side-effects of structural inequality. One of these heat maps shows property crime, the other shows household income. Which is which?
The data helped us hone in on your location.
After scouring satellite and streetview maps, we finally found the house. Who lived there until 2018?
Oh, look, it’s Logan Smith and his wife!
His wife was the one who suggested the pseudonym of ‘Levi’ for his internet activity, according to the 4chan FAQ thread.
Photo of Logan Smith in Port Norfolk Historic District from Instagram
Logan admits that his wife came up with the nickname “Levi”
Facial comparisons appear to make Logan Smith a match for Unite the Right participant #LightGreenHatUTR
Confirming UTR attendance: did ‘Levi’ actually attend Unite the Right?
PNN posted a tweet while at UTR; it was archived 23 hours later. We found a Unix epoch timestamp in the page source code, converted it to UTC (14:46:06), then to EDT: 10:46:06 am. In photos taken at that time we found Logan, and several exposed watches confirmed the time.
Post of Richard Spencer from the PNN account at Unite the Right
Viewing the source code of the archive reveals the timestamp for the Twitter post.
Watches worn by people surrounding Richard Spencer in Unite the Right videos confirmed that this was the right moment to look for PNN in the footage.
Having confirmed the time of the tweet, we found the exact location of Richard Spencer in the park, which then led us to video footage of ‘Levi’, i.e., Logan, taking the photo and tweeting it out to @polNewsForever (which was banned the next day).
Here are some photos for your album, Logan. Next time you want to promote the nazi invasion of an American town or city, or any other place on the planet… Don’t!
Logan Smith tweeting his photo of Richard Spencer while at Unite the Right.
Logan Smith close behind David Duke, former Grand Wizard of the KKK.
Logan Smith still mingling in the crowd of Nazis at Unite the Right.
Just as PNN boosted UTR, others boosted PNN (and thus UTR). One such account was @TEN_GOP, which was outed in October 2018 as a Russian troll farm operated by the so-called ‘Internet Research Agency‘.
TEN_GOP promoting PNN in a tweet.
Chart posted by @conspirator0 of right-wing Kremlin troll activity, peaking during Unite the Right and the following days before suspension. Source
Chart posted by @conspirator0 showing how @TEN_GOP’s retweet of PNN’s #UniteTheRight post gave it a significant boost in traffic.
Logan posts multiple messages in support of the (Kremlin-directed) TEN_GOP accounts
In mid-2018, the Smiths moved to Stillwater, Oklahoma, where Logan was continuing school at Oklahoma State University.
On his public Instagram, Logan posted photos of his silver Chevy Cruze, the car he drove to UTR.
Logan’s post of his Clinical Psychology PhD program at Oklahoma State University on Instagram
Logan’s Chevy Cruze, matching the vehicle seen in the videos of ‘Levi Smith’
Logan specifically mentioning his car make and model on his public Instagram account.
In October 2018, Robert Bowers, a neo-nazi who followed /pol News Network on Gab — attacked the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, killing 11 people and injuring 6 others.
Mike Stuchbery made a public post noting that the Pittsburgh shooter followed the Pol News Network account
Screenshot of PNN in the shooter’s Gab following list, posted by Stuchbery
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- Bowers posted Nazi number “1488” to his Gab account
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- Bowers reposting nazi content
In July 2021, Logan completed his Master’s degree, and promptly embarked on his PhD. He also started seeing real patients in therapy sessions, although currently under the supervision of licensed practitioners… until he finishes his PhD.
What could go wrong?
Logan Smith’s contact page on the OSU website, beneath a giant “Black Lives Matter” banner
Logan Smith’s contributions to articles about mental health and suicidal ideation, with one featuring effects of social media.
Logan is also a ‘space bro’. His particular interest seems to be, wait for it… SPACE MADNESS. In particular, he’s researching ‘Automated Psychotherapy‘, the autonomous screening of individuals & application of ‘corrective therapy’.
Screenshot of video titled “Mental Health in Space with Logan Smith”
Logan Smith slated as a special guest for a Space Forum on ‘Automated Psychotherapy’
Logan Michael Smith, who knew how to identify vulnerable people, what triggers suicidal ideation, and is researching automated psychotherapy, appeared to still be posting hate memes to the remnants of his PNN social media empire — namely on Gab, as recently as 2023.
A chart of Gab @PNN posting frequency, showing a decrease in activity as he ramped up his college coursework.
CONTENT WARNING: Here are some examples of what /pol/ News Network had been posting every day between 2016 and mid 2023. It was an endless stream of racism, bigotry, transphobia, antisemitism & misogyny. This stream of hate becomes an ideology for adherents, who then manifest it in decision making and actions. We saw this come into practice when one of his own followers killed eleven people in a mass shooting.
Given what we now know, who do you think wrote this LinkedIn bio? Dr. Logan Smith, or Mr. ‘Levi’?
Logan will soon be able to see patients unsupervised — many in a state of distress and struggling with suicidal thoughts.
Logan Smith’s LinkedIn, 2023.
UDPATE 3: Logan has been hired by the Department of Psychological Science and Counseling at Austin Peay State University (APSU) in Clarksville, Tennessee and is teaching there this semester.
Bio for Dr. Logan Smith on the APSU website
UPDATE 4: Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, TN has parted ways with Assistant Professor Logan Michael Smith after multiple protests by students and community members.
