Yesterday a man in North Dallas started a dumpster fire and exploded propane tanks, so he could lure police and fire fighters to his location. He then fired on them with an AK 47. The yet unidentified man claimed to be a member of the sovereign-citizen movement, a movement characterized by its flouting of laws both state and federal.
Photos of the suspicious devices from the house in North Dallas. EOD rendered them inert. More to follow. pic.twitter.com/D0hn9nvL4s
— Chief Max Geron (@ChiefGeron) August 12, 2014
The FBI says these groups are loose associations of people creating their own license plates, money, and refusing to pay taxes. Increasingly people associated with these ideals have performed brazen and violent acts against police, at times killing law enforcement.
According to the FBI, sovereign citizens have killed six police officers. When you consider that Terry Nichols, who helped plan the Oklahoma City bombing, was a sovereign citizen, the death toll rises.
A survey of law enforcement published last month found that sovereign citizens the top threat to law enforcement.
What is the sovereign citizen movement? Where does their ideology come from?
Guests:
- Erroll Southers, associate director of research transition at the National Center for Risk & Economic Analysis of Terrorism Events at the University of Southern California. He authored the book "Homegrown Violent Extremism."
- Bob Paudert, retired police chief of the West Memphis, AK. His son, Brandon, was killed when he pulled over two self-proclaimed sovereign citizens in traffic stop. (@bobpaudert)
*This is the second segment in the August 12 edition of The Source, which airs at 3 p.m. on KSTX 89.1 FM.
