Back in early 2008, D.C. resident Joseph Williams caught one of Lee's protests against the company. Lee's stunt, in Williams' recollection, went like this: He stood in front of Discovery's Silver Spring building with a duffel bag full of cash. He then offered money to anyone who could come up with a good proposal for a Discovery Channel reality show exposing the plight of "lowland gorillas in central Africa," as Williams relates.

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Equipped with pieces of paper, Lee asked people to scribble down their ideas. Passersby complied, writing down their best brainstorms, and Lee responded by dishing out varying amounts of money. Williams estimates that Lee had thousands of dollars in the bag, including singles, 10s, 20s. "He had a big ass gripe with Discovery," says Williams. "He had a screed about how Discovery was horrible. He had a real huge beef with Discovery."

If Discovery wasn’t watching two years ago, it was Wednesday, when the streets outside its Silver Spring headquarters lit up with police activity. Children were rushed to the safety of a nearby fast food joint. Text messages started to fly, and the building was locked down.

“The world needs TV shows that DEVELOP solutions to the problems that humans are causing, not stupify (sic) the people into destroying the world,” Lee wrote in a manifesto posted online. “Not encouraging them to breed more environmentally harmful humans.

Saving the environment and the remaning (sic) species diversity of the planet is now your mindset. Nothing is more important than saving them. The Lions, Tigers, Giraffes, Elephants, Froggies, Turtles, Apes, Raccoons, Beetles, Ants, Sharks, Bears, and, of course, the Squirrels.

The humans? The planet does not need humans.”

ORIGINAL STORY:

James Jay Lee's feelings about Discovery Channel resonate with those who've had a firsthand look.

Equipped with pieces of paper, Lee asked people to scribble down their ideas. Passersby complied, writing down their best brainstorms, and Lee responded by dishing out varying amounts of money. Williams estimates that Lee had thousands of dollars in the bag, including singles, 10s, 20s. "He had a big ass gripe with Discovery," says Williams. "He had a screed about how Discovery was horrible. He had a real huge beef with Discovery."

That protester is the same man who, according to two sources contacted by ABC 7, allegedly stormed Discovery's Silver Spring headquarters this afternoon, firing at least one shot and taking three hostages.

Lee has some history in and around Silver Spring. When he was arrested in 2008 for his protest against Discovery, Lee gave the address of 8210 Colonial Lane, Silver Spring. That's a building nestled in an enclave named Progress Place, and it's a refuge for indigent people in this Montgomery County community.

An official with Shepherd's Table, a charity in the area, says that homeless people often cite the 8210 Colonial Lane address when they need to pay a bill or register for various services. The official looked at his records but said he had no documents on Lee.

However, a visitor at Community Vision, a resource center in the same complex, recalls having encountered Lee. Randy Cooper reports that Lee "looked like a regular person" and professed to have "no idea why" Lee had such a longstanding grudge against Discovery. 

On Wednesday afternoon, following news of Lee's alleged involvement in the Discovery situation, reporters descended on Progress Place. The charities on location began bringing their clients indoors and shutting out reporters.

In an ad promoting a 2008 protest at the Discovery Channel, Lee cited the novel “My Ishmael” as an inspiration for his actions.

"I will be demonstrating ideas on how to save the planet in front of the Discovery Channel Building each day until they give in," the flier reads. "The idea to save the planet is based on the book “My Ishmael” by Daniel Quinn, where he suggests people can build on each other's ideas to find solutions for saving the remaining species and living sustainably."

When reached in Houston on Wednesday afternoon, Quinn told TBD that he had never heard of Lee, and his wife could not recall any type of correspondence from him.

"Good God," Quinn said. "Well, I'm certainly surprised and distressed that he had somehow or other taken my book as a model for this kind of behavior."

When asked what he would tell Lee if he could talk to him, Quinn said: "I guess I would ask him what he thinks he's doing and what he thinks he's accomplishing and then go from there. What's in his mind is what's paramount right now. Sort of wish I could talk to him."

Silver Spring Singular, a member of the TBD Community Network, posted links to its 2008 coverage of Lee's protests at Discovery.