American Violence

“I refuse to believe that we are going to let ourselves be manipulated into oblivion by some of the most illiterate people in the history of the world!”

— James Baldwin

The first day of school is precious. If you are a parent, you plan for it, buy school supplies, new clothes, and sneakers, and maybe, if it’s still warm and not raining, you walk to school holding your child’s hand. Before the pandemic would alter all of our lives, I stood on the playground waiting for my child’s teacher to show up, and I saw a man wearing a peculiar tee shirt. In white letters, on this tee shirt, was the roman numeral three, encircled by a sphere of 13 white stars. I recognized this, but at that moment, I didn’t remember where from. After the meet and greets, and after the farewells and good lucks, I sat in my car and did a quick Google search: “three roman numerals encircled by stars.” Three percenters, an anti-government militia. According to the Anti-Defamation League, “The term “Three Percenter” refers to the erroneous belief that only 3% of colonists fought against the British during the Revolutionary War — but achieved liberty for everybody.” Sounds about right. An organization of armed white men believing a false history to empower themselves to terrorize others.

I fell into a militia internet rabbit hole. Proud Boys, Boogaloo Boys, Sovereign Citizen Movement, and Oath Keepers. Google led me to YouTube, then to Facebook, then Instagram, where the world of militiamen is on full display: conducting training exercises in the desert, in forests, on mountains, or gun courses. YouTube videos teach two-man “tactical” teammates how to “sweep” a building or a room. How to cover an enormous amount of terrain in conjunction with drone support. How to plan an ambush or a frontal assault. And then, former military personnel like Navy SEALS, Army Rangers, and other elite soldiers for hire to provide training on close-quarters combat, handling rifles, and knife fighting. These “private military contractors” sometimes work independently or for PMCs (private military companies, see Blackwater USA)…