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SOVEREIGN CITIZEN’ THREAT Report J SPECIAL ISSUE Intelligencepublished by The souThern poverTy law CenTer ROLL CALL VIDEO ON ‘SOVEREIGN CITIZEN’ THREAT Report j Enclosed ‘SOVEREIGN’ CITIZENS The conspiraTorial ideology behind a double cop-killer is spreading rapidly plUs ‘sovereign’ leadership tips for law enforcement ‘sovereign’ dictionary Profiles of top activists Sovereign danger signs Decoding the bizarre EDITORIAL Intelligence Report Understanding the Threat: ediTor/inTelligence projecT direcTor Mark Potok direcTor of research Heidi Beirich ‘Sovereign’ Citizens & the Law depuTy ediTor Robert Steinback by Mark poTok sTaff wriTers Ryan Lenz, Leah Nelson, Evelyn Schlatter law enforcement officers face law enforcement officers spot sovereigns. Bound into the issue chief invesTigaTor a myriad of potential threats every is a copy of the officer-safety roll-call video — “‘Sovereign Joseph Roy Sr. day they are on the streets. Do they Citizens’ and Law Enforcement: Understanding the Threat” senior inTelligence analysT Laurie Wood now need to know about a bizarre — that we subsequently produced and distributed to thou- inforMaTion Manager extreme-right movement whose sands of law enforcement officers. (The video is narrated by Michelle Bramblett members believe they don’t have West Memphis Chief Paudert and Jim Cavanaugh, a retired research analysTs to pay taxes, obey federal laws, or special agent in charge for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Anthony Griggs, Janet Smith have driver’s licenses and vehicle Firearms and Explosives with extensive experience of the prograM associaTe registrations? radical right.) Our hope is that these materials will help save Karla Griffin The answer is most definitely lives of our men and women in blue. researchers yes. As was demonstrated trag- Officers around the country have been reporting increased Angela Freeman, Karmetriya Jackson ically on May 20, 2010, in West Memphis, Ark. — where a contact with sovereign citizens since the West Memphis design direcTor Russell Estes father-and-son team of self-described “sovereign citizens” slayings, and many are understandably baffled by the fake designers murdered two police officers during a traffic stop and badly driver’s licenses and vehicle registrations that sovereigns Valerie Downes, Michelle Leland, Scott Phillips wounded two others before being shot to death themselves — often present. Many have been served bizarre documents, design producTion assisTanT advance knowledge in such situations can make the difference some fingerprinted in red ink, entitled “Truth Affidavits” or Sunny Paulk between life and death. “My men didn’t realize who or what “Certificate of Standing & Capacity.” Other officers, along with web producTion direcTor they were dealing with,” West Memphis Chief Bob Paudert many judicial officials, have had illegal liens placed against 2 ‘sovereign’ citizen Kane Ryan King told the Intelligence Report. “Maybe if they had, they’d be alive their personal property by sovereigns seeking revenge. web producTion On May 20, 2010, a man and his son opened fire on police Chris Pow today. One of those officers was my son.” It is difficult to say precisely how many sovereigns there Jerry and Joseph Kane, the killers of Brandon Paudert and are in the United States today, in part because there is no cen- officers in West Memphis, Ark., killing two and wounding Media and general inquiries Mark Potok Bill Evans, were true believers in the nonsensical theories of tral leadership and few organized groups that adherents can two others before being killed themselves. Cop-killers Jerry law enforceMenT inquiries Joseph Roy Sr. the sovereign citizens. Though it is tempting to dismiss the join. Instead, there is an array of local leaders with individu- and Joe Kane were members of the rapidly growing “sover- subscripTion requesTs Karla Griffin violence they initiated in West Memphis as an isolated event alized and often differing takes on sovereign citizen ideology eign citizens” movement that may now be 300,000 strong. Southern Poverty Law Center unrelated to political ideology — an unstable father and son and techniques. Some of those attracted to the movement 400 Washington Ave. • Montgomery, AL 36104 who exploded in a moment of savage but unexplainable fury merely dabble in the ideology’s techniques, while others 8 murdered officersp art of deadly trend (334) 956-8200 • www.intelligencereport.org — the truth is more frightening. The Kanes, in fact, were prod- take the IRS on directly as tax protesters. But tax expert J.J. Since 1990, law enforcement officers have comprised nearly 15% of Published by ucts of the sovereign citizens movement who crisscrossed the MacNab, the author of the report that follows, estimates there the victims of far-right killings. The souThern PoverTy law CenTer’s country giving seminars on fraudulent methods of escaping are about 100,000 hard-core sovereigns today, with another inTelligenCe ProjeCT debts and foreclosures. In one of them, captured on videotape, 200,000 essentially testing out sovereign techniques for 10 the ‘sovereign’ leadership Jerry Kane can be heard saying that he was tired of authori- resisting everything from speeding tickets to drug charges. As A dozen leaders of the contemporary “sovereign citizens” move- ties who “keep messing with me,” adding that he might have sovereign theories go viral throughout the nation’s prison sys- ment—some of them promoters of the so-called “redemption” to kill one. “And if I have to kill one, then I’m not going to be tems and among people who are unemployed and desperate in scam—are profiled. souThern poverTy law cenTer presidenT able to stop,” Kane said. a punishing recession, that number is likely to grow. J. Richard Cohen The fact is that the sovereign citizens movement is growing The problem is serious enough that the U.S. Department 13 a ‘sovereign’ dictionary souThern poverTy law cenTer founders Morris Dees fast. And while most adherents are certainly not violent, expe- of Justice introduced the National Tax Defier Initiative in Adherents of the “sovereign citizens” movement are known for their Joseph J. Levin Jr. bizarre use of language and Byzantine belief system. rience has shown time and again that when cornered, some 2008 to target movement leaders. In February 2009, the FBI souThern poverTy law cenTer board of direcTors will lash out in rage, frustration and, in the most extreme launched its own national operation targeting “militia/sover- Howard Mandell, Chair cases, acts of deadly violence. The double murder in West eign citizen extremist groups,” as well as other types of radical 14 tips for law enforcement Julian Bond, Andrew Fredman, Lloyd “Vic” Hackley, Alan Howard, Marsha Levick, Memphis was not the only sovereign-officer conflict to have organizations, after noting a major upsurge in such groups. Common traits of “sovereign citizens” that law enforcement officers can James McElroy, Vanzetta McPherson, ended in death. Jerry Kane and his young son were active participants in and should be on the alert for. James Rucker, Ellen Sudow, David Wang This special edition of the Intelligence Report — a slightly this sprawling subculture, and when they came into contact The Intelligence Report is published quarterly by the staff of the Intelligence edited reprint of the Fall 2010 cover story in the magazine with police officers during a routine traffic stop, they chose to 16 a message from chief Bob paudert Project of the Southern Poverty Law Center and provided free of charge to law — describes the beliefs of the sovereign citizens movement, open fire without provocation. We hope that this special issue The chief discusses the threat “sovereign citizens” pose to law enforcement officials, journalists, scholars and others. The Southern Poverty Law Center is supported entirely by private donations. No government funds are s enforcement and why awareness is so important. provides profiles of its principal leaders and offers tips to help will help prevent similar tragedies in the future. involved. © 2011 Southern Poverty Law Center. All rights reserved. Cop-killers Jerry and Joe Kane were members of a rapidly growing radical- right movement that may now be 300,000 strong ‘Sovereign’ Citizen by j.j. Macnab Kane The moment of truth: 16-year-old joe kane as he opens fire on two arkansas police officers. 2 splc intelligence report special report 3 t had been one of According to a preliminary investiga- deaTh on The inTersTaTe movement is growing fast, and its partisans those mornings tion report, Brandon Paudert was struck A trAffic stop turns deAdly are clogging up the courts with their inde- 11 times and died at the scene; Evans was cipherable filings. When cornered, many of for West Memphis, hit by 14 rounds and died at the hospital. them lash out in rage, frustration and, in the Ark., police In the next 90 minutes, there was a most extreme cases, acts of deadly violence. frenzy of activity around West Memphis. It is difficult to say precisely how many officers Brandon The highways were closed, law enforce- sovereigns there are in the United States ment from various agencies converged on today, in part because there is no central Paudert and Bill the area looking for the white minivan with 11:36 aM Officer Evans pulls over leadership and no organized group that Evans. By 11:00 on May 20, odd Ohio plates, and calls started coming “sovereign citizen” Jerry Kane. members can join — instead, there are a i in from alert citizens. The van was spot- variety of local leaders with individual- 2010 they’d already spent ted at a local country club, a commercial ized takes on sovereign citizen ideology truck terminal, and an apartment building. and techniques (see leader profiles, p. 20). three hours monitoring One witness claimed that Jerry Kane had Those who are attracted to this bizarre a suspicious rental truck asked for directions to the nearest Walmart. subculture typically attend a seminar or As seen in Walmart security videotapes of two, or visit one of the thousands of web- and vehicle with Arizona the parking lot, Joe Kane walked into the 11:46 aM Kane argues with Evans sites and online videos on the subject, and store and made a purchase, while his father at the rear of the vehicle.
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