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I know these guys are trying to help
grumpygy
Member Posts: 53,466 ✭
But are they the ones who light the fuse.
quote:When Sam Andrews awoke on Tuesday morning, he found his wife watching a television interview with a woman whose bakery had been vandalized during the violent unrest here on Monday.
"She said, `You've got to go help her,' " Mr. Andrews said in an interview on Saturday morning.
And so Mr. Andrews, a former Defense Department contractor who is now a weapons engineer in the St. Louis area, set to work. Under the auspices of a national group called the Oath Keepers, Mr. Andrews accelerated plans to recruit and organize private security details for businesses in Ferguson, which are receiving the services for free. The volunteers, who are sometimes described as a citizen militia - but do not describe themselves that way - have taken up armed positions on rooftops here on recent nights.
"It's really a broad group of citizens, and I'm sure their motivations are all different," said Mr. Andrews, who is in his 50s. "In many of them, there's probably a sense of patriotism. But I think in most of them, there's probably something that they probably don't even recognize: that we have a moral obligation to protect the weakest among us. When we see these violent people, these arsonists and anarchists, attacking, it just pokes at you in a deep place."
Mr. Andrews declined to say how many people were assisting in the effort, saying only the number was "more than five, less than 500." He estimated that men make up about 80 percent of the volunteers. About 80 percent are also white, and 10 percent are black.
But on Saturday, with the county police said to be threatening the Oath Keepers with arrest, the volunteers decided to abandon their posts and instead protest against the authorities. Late in the day on Saturday, a protest was being planned for that night.
That some business owners accepted aid from a group regarded by some as an antigovernment militia is a testament to the rawness of emotions here following a riot on Monday night, after a grand jury declined to indict a white police officer, Darren Wilson, who shot dead Michael Brown, an unarmed black teenager, on Aug. 9.
Since then, the riot police have tussled on the streets with protesters. Convoys of National Guard Humvees patrol the streets, and law enforcement officials have confiscated homemade firebombs, firecrackers and guns from arrested protesters. Most recently, the Oath Keepers, equipped with militia-style gear and often clad in camouflage, have joined the volatile mix.
Their presence is a symbol of the ongoing criticism of Gov. Jay Nixon's handling of security before, during and after the grand jury's decision became public. In the days before the announcement, Mr. Nixon declared a state of emergency and sent the Guard to Ferguson. Yet, in the initial hours following word of the grand jury's decision, the Guard played only a limited role. Troops protected a police command post and other facilities, but they were not posted along the main commercial corridors where property destruction was rampant.
Some here say that the state's mixed messages may have been a consequence of Mr. Nixon trying to perfect a challenging balance after the government response to the initial unrest in August was criticized as too militarized.
Leaders of the multiagency Unified Command have defended their approach, saying there was no way to know precisely what public reaction to the decision would be.
"I don't think anybody thought it was going to be this magnitude," said Capt. Ronald S. Johnson of the Missouri State Highway Patrol.
But such arguments have not kept local officials and businesses from frequently complaining that the National Guard's deployment strategy was inadequate, and that its inaction allowed businesses to burn while still others were looted.
"The governor said himself, I think on TV, that the businesses will be protected by the National Guard during this situation," said Reggie Jones, the mayor of Dellwood, a neighboring city where many businesses were damaged in Monday's unrest. "Unfortunately, that did not happen until Tuesday. But we were expecting it to happen on Monday."
After the destruction that night, Mr. Nixon ordered hundreds more soldiers to Ferguson, saying, "We must do better, and we will."
But for people like Mr. Andrews, the governor's vow was of little solace. So while the New Chinese Gourmet restaurant at the end of a block of South Florissant Road appears to have little in the way of defense beyond the painted wooden boards that cover its windows, armed men and women on recent nights have roamed the rooftop it shares with a dental practice and a law office.
"When they're here, there's definitely a weight lifted off of our shoulders," said Davis Vo, whose family owns New Chinese Gourmet. "I'd be lying if I said otherwise."
On its website, Oath Keepers released a recruiting message to "all skilled veterans and patriots" and asked them to "grab your gear and start rolling toward Ferguson." The post listed nine types of people the group was seeking, including paramedics, police officers, "private drone operators" and videographers who could "film any encounters with looters."
Mr. Andrews said he researched the qualifications of each volunteer, as well as whether any might have racially based motivations to participate.
"I don't want any racists in my group," he said. "I don't want any people who want to visit violence on any group. I only want professionals with real credentials that can be verified and have experience in dealing with violence."
quote:When Sam Andrews awoke on Tuesday morning, he found his wife watching a television interview with a woman whose bakery had been vandalized during the violent unrest here on Monday.
"She said, `You've got to go help her,' " Mr. Andrews said in an interview on Saturday morning.
And so Mr. Andrews, a former Defense Department contractor who is now a weapons engineer in the St. Louis area, set to work. Under the auspices of a national group called the Oath Keepers, Mr. Andrews accelerated plans to recruit and organize private security details for businesses in Ferguson, which are receiving the services for free. The volunteers, who are sometimes described as a citizen militia - but do not describe themselves that way - have taken up armed positions on rooftops here on recent nights.
"It's really a broad group of citizens, and I'm sure their motivations are all different," said Mr. Andrews, who is in his 50s. "In many of them, there's probably a sense of patriotism. But I think in most of them, there's probably something that they probably don't even recognize: that we have a moral obligation to protect the weakest among us. When we see these violent people, these arsonists and anarchists, attacking, it just pokes at you in a deep place."
Mr. Andrews declined to say how many people were assisting in the effort, saying only the number was "more than five, less than 500." He estimated that men make up about 80 percent of the volunteers. About 80 percent are also white, and 10 percent are black.
But on Saturday, with the county police said to be threatening the Oath Keepers with arrest, the volunteers decided to abandon their posts and instead protest against the authorities. Late in the day on Saturday, a protest was being planned for that night.
That some business owners accepted aid from a group regarded by some as an antigovernment militia is a testament to the rawness of emotions here following a riot on Monday night, after a grand jury declined to indict a white police officer, Darren Wilson, who shot dead Michael Brown, an unarmed black teenager, on Aug. 9.
Since then, the riot police have tussled on the streets with protesters. Convoys of National Guard Humvees patrol the streets, and law enforcement officials have confiscated homemade firebombs, firecrackers and guns from arrested protesters. Most recently, the Oath Keepers, equipped with militia-style gear and often clad in camouflage, have joined the volatile mix.
Their presence is a symbol of the ongoing criticism of Gov. Jay Nixon's handling of security before, during and after the grand jury's decision became public. In the days before the announcement, Mr. Nixon declared a state of emergency and sent the Guard to Ferguson. Yet, in the initial hours following word of the grand jury's decision, the Guard played only a limited role. Troops protected a police command post and other facilities, but they were not posted along the main commercial corridors where property destruction was rampant.
Some here say that the state's mixed messages may have been a consequence of Mr. Nixon trying to perfect a challenging balance after the government response to the initial unrest in August was criticized as too militarized.
Leaders of the multiagency Unified Command have defended their approach, saying there was no way to know precisely what public reaction to the decision would be.
"I don't think anybody thought it was going to be this magnitude," said Capt. Ronald S. Johnson of the Missouri State Highway Patrol.
But such arguments have not kept local officials and businesses from frequently complaining that the National Guard's deployment strategy was inadequate, and that its inaction allowed businesses to burn while still others were looted.
"The governor said himself, I think on TV, that the businesses will be protected by the National Guard during this situation," said Reggie Jones, the mayor of Dellwood, a neighboring city where many businesses were damaged in Monday's unrest. "Unfortunately, that did not happen until Tuesday. But we were expecting it to happen on Monday."
After the destruction that night, Mr. Nixon ordered hundreds more soldiers to Ferguson, saying, "We must do better, and we will."
But for people like Mr. Andrews, the governor's vow was of little solace. So while the New Chinese Gourmet restaurant at the end of a block of South Florissant Road appears to have little in the way of defense beyond the painted wooden boards that cover its windows, armed men and women on recent nights have roamed the rooftop it shares with a dental practice and a law office.
"When they're here, there's definitely a weight lifted off of our shoulders," said Davis Vo, whose family owns New Chinese Gourmet. "I'd be lying if I said otherwise."
On its website, Oath Keepers released a recruiting message to "all skilled veterans and patriots" and asked them to "grab your gear and start rolling toward Ferguson." The post listed nine types of people the group was seeking, including paramedics, police officers, "private drone operators" and videographers who could "film any encounters with looters."
Mr. Andrews said he researched the qualifications of each volunteer, as well as whether any might have racially based motivations to participate.
"I don't want any racists in my group," he said. "I don't want any people who want to visit violence on any group. I only want professionals with real credentials that can be verified and have experience in dealing with violence."
Comments
Has it reached the point now that we HAVE to have our homes raided, and business burned to the ground if the offenders happen to be black?
Screw that![xx(]
Just wondering if the Police will focus on them instead of the real Criminals.
That's like saying I shouldn't protect my own home and family because the police might focus on me instead of the perp. Maybe the criminal wouldn't have used a gun if I didn't have a gun,....right?
A criminal is a criminal, and the cops are just gonna have to deal with it. No more PC bullsnit.
quote:Originally posted by grumpygy
Just wondering if the Police will focus on them instead of the real Criminals.
That's like saying I shouldn't protect my own home and family because the police might focus on me instead of the perp. Maybe the criminal wouldn't have used a gun if I didn't have a gun,....right?
A criminal is a criminal, and the cops are just gonna have to deal with it. No more PC bullsnit.
You wound a little tight today.
I agree with what they are doing. Just hope it helps and does not make it worse. But something has to be done and they are doing it.
No wonder nothing can be accomplished any longer. This nation is in a state of paralysis from political correctness, and being afraid of offending anyone. Mainly the black race.
I'd like to see evidence of these "threats" to arrest and what the violations are that is alleged to have occurred.
There hasn't been any yet. Its just what I think will happen.
And Marc is right things are way to PC.