Smash, Smash, Smash: the true story of Kai the Hitchhiker Philip Fairbanks February 2023 452 pages $16.99 paperback$9.99 ebook "That woman was in danger, so I ran up behind him with a hatchet... Smash, smash, SUH-MASH!!!" Millions of people heard these words and shared the viral video with their friends. This mysterious surfing hitchhiker then vanished as quickly as he appeared, only to reappear on many late night talk shows and fan videos. But 3 months later, he was arrested and charged with killing a prominent New Jersey lawyer... in self defense against a sex assault. Who is this mysterious hitchhiker? What was with that lawyer who drugged and assaulted him? Why would the investigators destroy evidence, tamper with witnesses, and shut the public out of the trial? For almost a decade, the public was kept in the dark: until investigative journalist Philip Fairbanks searched for the truth in mountains of government records, witness statements, and hard evidence. At long last, he found the answers to these burning, aching questions... And they will surprise you. Advance praise for Smash, Smash, Smash: "Phil is not the kind of journalist who files a story and gets on with his life. That passion and integrity shine through in this book, and generally in the way Phil makes you care about the people he’s covering. [...] When I read this book, as with so many things Phil has written, I feel that I am in good hands, being carefully guided to the truth." Alissa Fleck (Newsweek, SF Gate, Houston Chronicle) "In his latest book, Philip Fairbanks wields a wealth of laboriously earned evidence and detail, the product of five years of research, to tell a harrowing and heartbreaking tale nobody (until him) deemed worthy of telling, and some would rather remain untold. [...] In his characteristically engaging style and with a dexterous balance of compassion, curiosity, and analysis, the author walks the reader through a hellish nightmare; one that Kai was born into and in which he continues to exist." Wendy Painting, PhD (author, Aberration in the Heartland of the Real: the secret lives of Timothy McVeigh) Philip Fairbanks is an entertainment reporter, journalist, and amateur historian with 20 years publishing experience. His work has appeared in SUNY's art journal Afterimage, Ghettoblaster magazine, UK's Morning Star newspaper, multiple times in CUNY's graduate paper The Advocate and several other print and online publications. He has been corresponding with Kai and reporting on his case for over five years. Chapter Overview: \t\t\t\tAuthors's Note: Why I wrote the book, how I came to know Kai. How years studying this case has taught me more than I ever wanted to know about our justice system.1.Two Fateful Rides: We jump right into the heat of the action with the Jett McBride incident. A moment that showcased Kai's spirit and earned him instant fame and a heroes acclaim. 2.Brief Histories: Just what it sounds like some fairly brief histories(whole chapter under 8-10k words looks like) that give some background on the history of surfing going back to James Cook,hitchhiking from the beginning of the automobile era and New Jersey corruption going back to the Tammany Hall era. Just enough background so that what comes later will make sense in context. 3.The Family and The Church: The double whammy of being raised by parents influenced by the notorious child abuse cult The Family,formerly known as the Children of God as well as the United Church of Canada which features a 100+ year tradition of abusive residential schools similar to the one where a mass grave was recently discovered. The pervasive physical, psychological and sexual abuse these two organizations are known for corroborates some of the horrific stories Kai recounts of his youth. 4.On the Road: Kai's life story, the early years, some previously unpublished stories about his childhood and adolescence on up to his fateful trip across the Canadian border as well as the genesis of Kai's homefree spirit in Kerouac's French Canada. Much of this section will be told from Kai's perspective as he gave it to me. The only chapter that won't be heavily cited, referenced and annotated. 5.Legends, Myths and Misperceptions: From epic hero of our times, a troubadour and aspirational model to some to falling prey to psycho hitchhiker, dumb surfer,"illegal alien"tropes.The roots of the words strange and familiar coming from what is strange to us, and what is familiar. Why foreigners and outsiders are convenient scapegoats. 6.Something Rotten in the Garden State: Realizing that Galfy is not the only predator who practiced law in New Jersey. Uncovering a 30+ year tradition of slaps on the wrist for sexual offenders. In many or most cases the predators didn't lose their licenses. Merely sentenced to therapy, no paper trail apart from disciplinary review board reports and one civil suit. In one case, a sex offending judge and his child molesting son both escape having their names in the paper or on any state or federal registries. Also the truly deplorable state of the Union County jail system. 7.Galfy Country: Historical and contemporary roots of Union County corruption. Who some of the major players are currently, ties to the case. The abundance of conflicts of interests. The corruption and conflicts of interest in the County of Union: underscoring the outsize corruption and bigotry in Elizabeth, Clark and other Union townships. 8. On the Waterfront: How 75+ years of corruption on the docks ties to several people closely connected to Kai’s case. Genovese family connections within the Union County Prosecutor’s Office as well as the geopolitical reason for Union County’s importance due to the valuable Port of Elizabeth industrial real estate. 9.The House of Horrors and the Code of Silence: The so-called “code of silence” that Kai referred to in some of his letters to me has also been mentioned by other inmates in civil suits as well as by police officers and correctional officers in the area. Even law enforcement are not safe from retaliation when the “code of silence” is broken. This chapter deals with the horrors that Kai and others, inmates and Cos alike, have faced in the Elizabeth Detention Center in Union County. 10.Defense for the Prosecution: Public defenders and plea bargains, what happens when you receive even less than the bare minimum of zealous defense, on top of having your own counsel actively sandbagging motions, even seemingly siding with the judge and prosecution at times. Issues with the judge who sentenced Kai being a former named partner at a law firm with the alleged rapist Joseph Galfy. 11:A Slap on The Wrist: Another blockbuster that was revealed while researching Kai’s case is that of a 30+ year tradition of lawyers,politicians, District Attorneys and an assistant Attorney General being reprimanded by the Disciplinary Review Board for sex crimes.Often involving children. Of the several cases covered here, only one was ever reported on in the media. None of the perpetrators are listed on state or federal sex offender registries and many received no more than a 6 month suspension from practicing law and were“sentenced” to therapy. 12.Nightmare on Skylite Drive: A recounting of what we know happened at Joseph Galfy’s house and what we can reasonably infer based on the evidence. The gutwrenching story of the horrifying story of a drug facilitated sexual assault, a blackout and 9 years of nightmares for Kai. 13.Two Sets of Laws: Drawing on books like Class, Race, Crime and Gender, Code of Capital and The Rich Get Richer, the Poor Get Prison as well as drawing on interviews with academics, give examples of how and why Kai's case is only unusual in that the misconduct is being reported. Appendix: A Call to Action Afterword by Brian “BZ” Douglas Thanks and Acknowledgements Soundtrack Notes Legal and Ethical Disclaimer Further Reading on Hitchhiking Subculture A Note on Fletcher Woodward Selected Cloud Drive Highlights Endnotes Index