Informant

Activist Brandon Darby started off as a hero in some people's minds. Affiliated with the revolutionary Black Panther party, he viewed the government as an obstacle to peace. He co-founded the Common Ground Collective after Hurricane Katrina, providing aid to struggling residents. But the charismatic Texan switched horses mid-stream. INFORMANT digs into the inner recesses of Darby's mind and interviews those who knew him best – or thought they did. Post-Katrina, Darby went looking for monetary assistance in Venezuela, where shady agents tried to involve him in drug-running. Afraid of being kidnapped, he hooked up with the FBI – and found his new calling as an informant. When a young leftist group planned disruption of the 2008 Republican National Convention, Darby turned them in. Friends were shocked by this betrayal; he says he didn't want people to get hurt. Now a Tea Party darling, Darby basks in applause on the public speaking circuit. He's still a hero — just in other people's minds. – B.B.